Institution

General Motors began its life as a manufacturer of farm tractors, meeting the demand of Rock County farmers in the early 1920s. However, after four years of production the company began to produce trucks from the Janesville assembly plant in 1923, and quickly became a player in the manufacture of automobiles. During World War II, the plant manufactured artillery to support the Allied War efforts. It wasn’t long after the war that the plant started producing cars again. At it’s peak in 1977, the Janesville assembly plant employed 7,100 workers which was roughly 14% of Janesville’s population. Due to declining profits and the need for cutbacks, General Motors decided to shut down the Janesville assembly plant in 2008 and officially closed in 2009. The plant produced over 16 million automobiles in its 89-year existence.

The front office building as it looks today.

An aerial view of the plant during its heyday.

General Motors opened its Janesville assembly plant in 1919. The incredibly large steel structure is approximately 4.8 million square feet in area!


General Motors Plant

Director

Like many of Wisconsin`s traditions and notable businesses, the process of manufacturing sugar out of beets arrived when immigrants settled in the Midwest in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In this case, it was the German families who brought over the business to compete with traditional sugar cane industry that profited in the Southern States. While it was not as popular of a product as pure sugar cane, Wisconsin turned out to be the most profitable state to adopt this industry, with the city of Janesville hosting the largest company.

The Rock County Sugar Company was constructed in 1904 and was very popular among local communities.It focused on producing sugar from beets. Farmers and migrant workers happily took the opportunities of steady work offered through this company during the agricultural off seasons that many experienced. Its is reported that, at the height of business, Rock County Sugar Company employed 500 hundred local employees. In 1939 the company succumbed to the sugar cane industry and the factory was divided up into warehouses in 1943.

Rock County Sugar Company

George Safford Parker applied for his first pen patent in 1888 and started The Parker Pen Company. He applied for his second patent on “the Lucky Curve” which featured an innovative ink feeding system. Business grew exponentially and George travelled overseas to London, Paris, Geneva, and Berlin to hire salesmen to expand his business internationally. By 1918, Parker Pen had sold over one million dollars’ worth of pens. The next great idea came in the 1920’s with the Duofold design pen, followed later by the Parker 51 in 1939. Both pen designs, became the popular choice for those seeking to make a statement. In fact, General Dwight Eisenhower used a Parker 51 pen to sign the German surrender papers in Europe, and General Douglas MacArthur used the Duofold pen to sign the Japanese surrender papers in Japan. Pen sales continued to rise in the post war era so the company built a state of the art facility called Arrow Park. The over 150,000 square feet building is a classic example of the 1950s modern architectural style, with its stark exteriors, open concept, and use of concrete and glass. Pens were manufactured here until 2009 when Parker Pen relocated its manufacturing operations to Mexico. The building is now home to Panoramic, a thermoforming plastic packaging company and TAGOS Leadership Academy.

Arrow Park was the production facility for the Parker Pen Company opening in 1954.

Arrow Park (Parker Pen)

The first individual to propose the idea of the parks was John Nolen, of John Nolen Drive fame. He suggested many ways to improve the Janesville area in the 20th century. For example, roadways were to be widened to handle oncoming traffic and advocated the construction of a civic community center to be the primary location for all government buildings. Nolen's plan also lead to Janesville`s rapid increase in park and recreation areas as Nolen believed the city was perfectly positioned on the Rock River, and that the city required green spaces to help people experience a touch of nature in an urban environment.

Janesville is well known as the "City of Parks". The first park formed in this area was Riverside Park in 1922, which is located along the Rock River. This park continues to develop and become one of the most popular family sites in the area. In the 1920s and 1930s, baseball diamonds, walking trails, golf courses, a children`s wading pool were installed. More recently the city opened up its first splash pad in the park in 2015.

Riverside Park

Oak Hill Cemetery was bought by the Oak Hill Cemetery Association in 1851. Bodies from the first cemetery in Janesville, located at the top of Courthouse Hill, were disinterred and brought to the Oak Hill site after the city decided to build Janesville’s High School at the original cemetery. The association bought 20 acres of land in 1851, by 1879 they had acquired 56 acres of land, and today the cemetery is 90 acres. There are approximately 24,000 graves which is roughly half the capacity of the cemetery! Some Janesville natives buried in Oak Hill Cemetery include the Tallman Family, and most of Janesville's elite families.

Oak Hill Cemetery is located at 1725 North Washington St. The grounds cover 90 acres and have about 13 miles of paved roadway. There are at least 19,000 interments inside the cemetery!

Oak Hill Cemetery

The Rock River Woolen Mills started off as Whitaker’s Mill in 1849. There are four floors including the basement. Whitaker’s Mill was the first textile mill in Janesville and was one of the earliest companies to utilize water power from the river. After a brief period where the ownership of the company changed hands, George McClean bought the mill in 1872. In 1881 the mill was destroyed by a fire, so McClean constructed a new and larger mill. In 1890, Jonathon Ellis bought the mill and renamed it the Rock River Woolen Mills. The mill mainly produced upholstered goods for the automobile industry, mainly fabrics for car interiors. During World War II the mills produced blankets for the war effort. The Rock River Woolen Mills closed in 1960 and Panoramic moved in to utilize the space. Panoramic has since moved out and MMPR, a promotional product and imprinting company currently resides in the mill.

Former Woolen Mills, which utilized the power of the Rock River to prepare fabrics and textiles for sale.

Rock River Woolen Mills 

Some notable features of this park include: a kid friendly zip line, pet exercise area, and the CAMDEN Play ground which is believed to be the most accessible park as it has ramps and swings available for those children who are reliant on wheelchairs. The Playground was built in 1993 by community volunteers and has recently been rebuilt in 2017 to be even more accessible for all children.

Palmer Park is the second largest park in the Janesville area. In 1929, at the height of park creation, sixty nine acres were donated to the city by the Palmer family. The Palmer family was made up of very notable figures who settled in Janesville in 1856. Various members worked as doctors and lawyers. More notably, William F. Palmer was a partner in establishing the Parker Pen Company in 1892. 

Palmer Park

This congregation has gone through many different phases throughout its history. Originally, there were two different Methodist congregations in Janesville, Wisconsin. The first one, in 1853, was housed in a building on McKinley Street and was called the First Methodist Church. Then on South Main Street, the The Court Street Methodist Church was constructed in 1868. It wasn`t until 1904 that the two congregations merged together and formed the Cargill Memorial Methodist Church. The most recent name change to Cargill Untied Methodist Church occurred in 1968 due to the global coming together of Methodist Church and the United Brethren Church.

The Cargill United Methodist Church has been around since 1904, but as been at this location only since 1957. It was named after the Cargill family in 1905 due to a monetary gift given by Mr. William W. Cargill to the Church in the memory of his parents.

Cargill United Methodist Church

From 1857 to 1915, the house was occupied by the William Morrison Tallman family. In October of 1859, Abraham Lincoln stayed at the house after a series of speeches in Beloit, forever cementing the reputation of the Lincoln-Tallman House as the Wisconsin house “where Lincoln slept”. The house was shut up and unlived in until 1951 when the Lincoln-Tallman House was converted into a museum after the founding of the Rock County Historical Society in 1948.

Completed in 1857, William Tallman’s mansion was truly innovative for its time. It is a stunning example of Italianate-style architecture, with amenities like running water and gasolier lamps built into its four floors. Yet its structure is only part of what makes this historic home so intriguing. When Abraham Lincoln stayed at the Tallman House in 1859, it wove Rock County into the history of one of America’s greatest presidents.

Lincoln-Tallman House

Northwestern railway was established in 1864 after the Rock River Valley Union Railroad was combined with other smaller routes in Illinois and Wisconsin. This address was the former location of the passenger train station in Janesville. They had built two structures here over the years, with the last depot constructed in 1898. The structure does not exist today. Even though Janesville was the center of railways for many years, after World War II the popularity of train travel declined in favor of automobiles. Subsequently, passenger service on the Chicago &amp; Northwestern railway halted in 1965.

The Janesville area was in a prime location for developing railways during the nineteenth century. Competition occurred between several companies before two branches absorbed the others: the Milwaukee Road and Chicago & Northwestern Railway Company.

Former Chicago & Northwestern Train Station 

Similar to much of the Midwest, Janesville`s history and population boom is attributed to the role of agriculture. Tobacco farming was a leading industry in Wisconsin for many years. Not only did the harvest need to be cared for and grown by farmers, but it also required many individuals to package and transport the leaves across the state. Myron Green was a farmer who traded tobacco in Janesville pre 1900s. He built many warehouses around the area but this is the only one to survive.

Many of Janesville`s early farmers were planting tobacco in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Warehouses like these were frequently built but very few still exist today, owing to the fact that most burned down. This structure was first owned by Myron Green and operated as storage for tobacco until the 1950s. In 2015 it was converted into an office space.

Green Tobacco Warehouse

The Milwaukee Road company was the first to build a train depot in Janesville and in 1857 built a roadhouse located at 203 S Pearl St. The building located here is the second depot at this site, as the railway had out grown its original structure in 1902. As train usage decreased over time, the Chicago, Milwaukee, &amp; St. Paul railway ceased passenger train service in 1951. This depot is one of the few structures that remains.

Like many of the railway companies, the Chicago, Milwaukee, & St. Paul Railroad underwent quite a few name changes as it expanded across the Midwest. Commonly referred to as the Milwaukee Road, it began in 1847 and it reached its full length (and final name change) in 1860 when the tracks reached the Mississippi River.  

Chicago, Milwaukee, & St. Paul Railroad Depot

Developed in 1916 by the Parker Pen Company, Columbus circle is a great example of the the many whimsical (and seemingly nonsensical) exceptions to the city’s box grid-plan. Originally known as the Parkwood Addition, this oval shaped neighborhood is comprised of 60 lots and a key feature of these lots is that they face away from the heavy traffic that is generated on E. Milwaukee Street. Most of the houses were constructed between 1925 and 1935 and signify the strong middle-class housing market of that time period. Most homes resemble the popular architectural styles that were present in the early 20th century including Colonial, Tudor, and Mediterranean. The neighborhood boasts an eclectic mix of homes and is a great place to take a stroll in the summer time. Be sure to look out for the story book style cottages that are located inside the circle!

The Columbus Circle Historic District is located right off of E. Milwaukee Street. The residential area is arranged in an oval and it (along with Hawthorne Circle) is one of two circular designs inserted into the city plan of Janesville.


Historic Columbus Circle 

Even though their furniture and patented brand of varnish was extremely popular, the Hanson Furniture Company would be supplanted at this location by Ossit Church Furniture Company. The Ossit Company first started operating in Milwaukee in 1867 before moving to Janesville in 1935. They would exist in Janesville until 1983.

The Hanson Furniture Company began producing products in 1855. Magnus Hanson, a Norwegian immigrant, settled in Janesville and helped contribute to the growing population`s furniture needs in the 1850s and 1860s. This company continued to be family run and operated at this location until around the 1920s. The building is now empty and slated for demolition.

Hanson Furniture Company

The Armory was used as the headquarters and training ground of the historic 32nd Tank Company Division of the Wisconsin National Guard, later known as Company A in the 192nd Tank Battalion during World War II. Company A went overseas to fight in late 1941 and were stationed at Fort Stotsenburg in the Philippines. The Fort went under heavy fire from the Japanese starting on December 8th, 1941. The Company held them off until they were captured in April. They then participated in the infamous “March of Death” in which they marched 20 miles a day in the tropical heat to get to work camps where many died. Almost two-thirds of Company A didn’t make it back to Janesville alive but were commended for their courage and bravery. The Armory has been used for miscellaneous city purposes since the National Guard moved out in 1970, until recently when it became, and remains, an event space.

Built in 1930 by Lieutenant Colonel Henry C. Hengels, The Janesville Armory is an Eclectic Revival Style Building with Spanish undertones. 


The Armory

Standing on the corner of W. Court St. and Cherry St. is the former home of the William Henry Tallman Perfume Company. William Henry Tallman was the eldest son of lawyer William Morrison Tallman. In 1859, William Henry formed a partnership with Henry W. Collins and together they created the Tallman and Collin’s perfume business, manufacturing perfumes, toothpastes, scented oils, and other personal hygiene items, including "Florida Water" a popular cologne for men. During the Civil War, the company negotiated contracts with the Federal Government to create surgeon's plasters, a rudimentary bandage used by doctors in battlefield hospitals, earning the company a stellar reputation nationwide. In 1869, Tallman became the sole owner of the business and the name changed to the William Henry Tallman Perfume Company. The business expanded under his leadership and necessitated a new larger lab and factory, the building that still stands here today. Tallman moved back to New York around 1882 and discontinued his business in Janesville. Since his departure the building has been used by a slate of successive businesses including Hulick Bros. Printing and Engraving Company, and is now the home base for local artisan and historical preservationist Ron Sutterlin.

Once the headquarters for the Tallman Perfume Company, a manufacturer of fine perfumes, colognes, medicines, tonics, and other world-renowned toiletries. 

Tallman Perfume Company Headquarters

The Janesville Cotton Mill was built to serve as the workplace for the Janesville Cotton Manufacturing Company. The building was outfitted with the latest manufacturing technology in 1875. By 1880, The Cotton Mill employed about 250 people who were mostly women and first generation Irish and German immigrants. The Cotton Mill was used by various textile industries throughout the 20th century including the Janesville Shirt and Overall Company and the Janesville Apparel Company. Today, the three story building has been transformed into The Cotton Mill Apartments.

The Janesville Cotton Mill is a three story brick mill constructed in September of 1874 and finished in February of 1875. It was built along the Rock River to harness the power of water to turn the machines used to process cotton. 


The Janesville Cotton Mill

The Jeffris Theater was established in 1935 and underwent many different remodels over the decades due to fires and the need to update appearances. It was because of these many updates that the building was unable to be considered a National or State Historic Landmark.

The entertainment available for community members evolved frequently in Janesville during the 20th century. As the popularity of live theater performances faded away and was replaced by movie theaters, Janesville saw many theaters come and go over a short period of time. This is often attributed to the fact that many believed theater owners were trying to find a committed audience. The Jeffris Theater is the only building that remained of this era until it was demolished in 2015.  

Jeffris Theater

This structure is still in use today by the Women`s Club Association with the original Neo Classical style maintained. Neo Classical was extremely popular in the early 20th century and was inspired in part by the Chicago World Fair in 1893. Key features include complete symmetry on either side, large columns, and a Greek portico. The interior spaces have all been redone in the last few years and the second floor plays host to the Janesville Art League. There are 5 organizations that use the building today: American Association of University Women, Daughters of the American Revolution, Janesville Art League, Janesville Woman’s Club Association, and MacDowell Music Club. It is also home to "the Wings of Change" sculpture by renowned sculptor, O.V. Shaffer.  The Foundation for the Preservation of 108 South Jackson (FP108SJ) manages and works to preserve the building and site.

The Women`s Club Association began as coming together of different women`s groups in order to establish a common meeting place for all to use and represent themselves in 1927. Some organizations included the Janesville Federation of Women, Women`s History Club, and the Daughters of the American Revolution. Together they are believed to have raised a sum of $40,000 in order to erect the structure. 

Janesville Woman's Club Building

This home is designed in the style of Second Empire, which is commonly seen in France in the 19th century. A key feature of this style is the mansard roof. These roofs have four slopping sides and become very steep. It is also common for this type of home to share similar attributes to the Italianate style around the windows and porches.

James Harris was a notable figure in the history of Janesville`s developing city. In 1859 he founded a company that produced farming equipment and employed over 125 people from the area in 1869. Harris would later join forces with Allen P. Lovejoy and form the Janesville Machine Company.

It was in 1882 that James Harris left the Machine Company to form a barb wire manufacturing company that would later turn into a hardware appliance store in 1938 named Harris Ace Hardware.


James Harris House

The namesakes of these existing structures were very interesting and contributing citizens of Janesville. Hamilton Richardson was an entrepreneur who attempted to gain success as a store clerk in Milwaukee and Racine before settling in Janesville after prospering off of the California Gold Rush in 1856. Once in Janesville, Richardson was investor in property and in businesses such as the Janesville Cotton Mills and the First National Bank. Captain William Macloon also spent his early years traveling before settling here in Janesville. In his early years, Macloon carted freight across the oceans from Boston, Europe and the West Indies. He settled in Wisconsin in 1845 where, like Richardson, he invested in real estate and became a became stockholder of local companies.  John Dunn and D. Davies operated family businesses when these structures were established. Dunn worked with his brother in a liqueur store at 117 while Davies opened a grocery store with his siblings at 119.

These three blocks, all similar in Italianate style and most likely built by the same builder, housed many different business. 121-123 were primarily clothing stores. Additionally, Colvin's Baking Company, a restaurant, the Stearns and Baker's Philadelphia Drug Store, and the Badger Drug Company were all located here at various times. The prominent arched parapets are the blocks most distinctive features. The development of these buildings all occurred at the same time and was a sign of prosperity coming to Janesville.

Richardson, Davis and Dunn, and Richardson-Macloon Blocks

According to the St. John`s Church website, this location was established by the original members due to a disagreement with St. Paul`s German Lutheran Church on fraternal societies. The original structures on the property were two frame buildings. One became the church in which a school was later be added. The other building became the parsonage. Their first service occurred in June of 1890.

St. John`s German Lutheran Church was formed in 1890 with fourteen original members. This congregation has rebuilt its` structure twice since 1890, once in 1913 and then again in 1965. These alterations were made in order to meet the demands of its growing members. 

St. John`s German Lutheran Church

The third mural, located at 18 North Jackson Street on the back side of the Janesville City Hall building, represents the growth of Janesville thanks to the railroads. Painted by Jim Richter of Janesville, the mural's focus is on the grit and determination of workers constructing the railroad and the importance of said railroad for commerce in the city. The visage of Abraham Lincoln graces the mural, and you can also see the Lincoln-Tallman House prominently displayed in the upper left corner.

The murals in downtown Janesville are part of the “Heart of the City Outdoor Art Campaign” which started in 2009. There are three murals in the original campaign that represent a decade each in the founding of Janesville. One additional mural was added to represent women during these years. Each mural resembles what made the community grow economically. The murals are 22 feet by 29 feet and are printed on UV-coated vinyl and wrapped around aluminum frames.

The Railroad Mural

While not a contractor in trade, Charles Conrad built four cottages on Milton Avenue in 1882. Their original purpose was to provide housing for the temporary workers that were arriving in Janesville as the various areas in the city began to expand. All four cottages continue to exist in a way that is historically accurate.

Located in the Conrad Cottages Historic District, this is one of the few examples that still exist today, which shows the side effects of the Janesville community`s rapid growth in population and business in the nineteenth century. 

Conrad Cottages

The most popular late nineteenth-century style in Janesville is the Queen Anne (1880-1910). The roots of this style extend to the 1870s, when medieval-manor house designs by British architect Richard Norman Shaw inspired American architects to emulate its look. In the mid-1870s, Queen Anne style houses were first built in coastal resorts and expensive suburbs, but were quickly transferred to urban settings. Pattern books and mail-order plans assisted in popularizing the many versions of the style.  Examples of Queen Anne style houses are found nearly everywhere in Janesville, particularly in neighborhoods which developed after the extensions of streetcar lines.

This Queen Anne house, built in 1901, also shares Classical and Georgian Revival touches. George S. Palmer was an investor in the Parker Pen Company, which was founded by George S. Parker in 1889.

William F. Palmer House

The Craftsman style house (1905-1930) is a larger, two-story house that shows similar interest to the Bungalow style house. Bungalows were popularized by California architects Charles S. and Henry M. Greene, who created well-publicized bungalow designs in Pasadena beginning about 1903. The Greene's work was published in widely-read periodicals such as Ladies Home Journal, and in Gustav Stickley's The Craftsman, a periodical published between 1901 and 1916. "Mission" furniture built and promoted by Stickley was intended for the interior of the Craftsman house. In Janesville a neighborhood of bungalows was created in 1919 in Janesville Housing Corporation's development west of Milton Avenue at Benton and Sherman Avenues. Bungalows can be seen everywhere in the city, however, many were built on the empty lots, created when larger Victorian lots were subdivided in older neighborhoods such as Courthouse Hill.

This Craftsman house was built in 1909 and was owned by Olaf Olson, a jeweler. Craftsman houses are known for their brackets, trusses, and exposed rafters.

Olaf H. Olson House

Peter Myers was a significant figure in the history of Janesville Wisconsin. Arriving to the area in 1845, he began working on establishing a meat market before he turned to the packing business. His success lead him to fund other businesses and community ventures in the area as many buildings had and to continue to have his name attached to them. This specific structure is built in the Queen Anne style, which was most popular in the 1880s to 1900s. Common features include large bay windows, brick facade, and, when used on homes, a wrap around porch. The building is now home to the popular Block 42 shops and is a pivotal part of downtown revival.

Constructed in 1851 by Peter Myer, the Pork Packing Company building is the oldest commercial building in Janesville. It was in use by Peter Myer`s Company and a W.E Goodman steam fitting shop until sometime in the 1880s.

Peter Myers Pork Packing  Company 

The Cullen House was supposedly built in 1902 and has features that align it with the Colonial Revival Style. This design was popular for a very long time, starting in 1855 and going to around the 1950s. They are often two stories with a symmetrical facade and multi-paned windows.

John P. Cullen`s contracting business established in 1892 was important for the local Janesville and Wisconsin state-line area. J. P. Cullen & Son would later become a family business in 1919. The business became well known during World War II, as they constructed military buildings throughout Wisconsin. The company still exists as a family owned business today.

John P. Cullen

Robert Hodge and Herman Buchholz formed their partnership in 1863 to manufacture carriages. This building was constructed to sell and manufacture their line of carriages, omnibuses, buggies, phaetons, carryalls, sleighs, and circus wagons. In the 1880s, the business was renamed Janesville Carriage Company and in 1919, due to the invention of horseless carriages, they were sold out to Samson Tractor, a branch of the General Motors Corporation. Between 1923 and 1936, the building was occupied by the Bower City Implement Company, a manufacturer of agricultural equipment. These days the building hosts a number of non-equine related offices and businesses.

This 1860s era factory building takes up a whole city block and was once known for producing fine horse carriages. 

Hodge and Buchholz Carriage Factory

The Arts and Craft style was popular in the United States and the United Kingdom in the early 20th century. It was a design in response to the ever growing Industrialism and machine made items. Architects created these structures with local materials and strove to work the environment into the design. Common features included asymmetry and low pitched roofs.

The Peters Block originated as a hotel. The first two stories were constructed in 1849 and the three additional stories were added in 1855. The present facade dates to 1913 and is completed in the Arts and Crafts style.

Peters Block

The Georgian Revival style (or Federal) is an off shoot of the larger Colonial Revival trend popular in the early 1900s and into the 1920s. America's Centennial in 1876 ushered in a wave of nostalgia for everything colonial. Architects looked to Eastern cities such as Boston, Charleston, and Philadelphia for artistic inspiration and began to design homes that mirrored styles popular in the 1700s, albeit with more modern flair. Most of these houses were symmetrical, featured either brick or clapboard construction, and usually were accented with columnns. Mediterranean style homes were also part of this trend to look backwards for architectural inspiration. These homes were generally stuccoed, with tile or slate roofs, and plenty of wrought iron work to accent the rustic look. Many of these Mediterranean revival homes featured Greek and Roman designs, including statues and fountains, as if the house was plucked from a hillside in Tuscany.  The neighborhoods of Courthouse Hill, Columbus Circle, and Jefferson and Bostwick feature a large number and endless variety of revival style homes.

These two homes across the street from one another are examples of Georgian Revival Style Homes, built in 1916 and 1915 respectively. The Louis Levy House (620) has a Mediterranean feel and the Fred Capelle House (621) has a Federal feel.

Georgian Revival Houses

Myers Opera was later converted into a movie theater in the mid 20th century and excelled until the 1970s when the Rock County National Bank purchased it. The structure was then demolished in 1977, as attempts to preserve the building failed.

Built by local resident Peter Myers in 1870, the Myers Theater was a key location for entertainment in Janesville.  It was first constructed as an Opera House for performing troupes and local organizations to reside and entertain in.  

Myers Theater

The first mural, located at 101 East. Milwaukee St., represents the growth of Janesville by land, representing the hard work and determination that went into agriculture in Rock County. Painted by Ron Wick of Rockford, IL the mural depicts an early pioneer farmer wiping his brow after working a hard day on his farm. Additionally, the portrait of Henry Janes, Janesville's namesake, graces the corner of the mural amidst a sea of growing wheat. You can also see the famous Monterey Rock, located near Monterey Park in the background.

The murals in downtown Janesville are part of the “Heart of the City Outdoor Art Campaign” which started in 2009. There are three murals in the original campaign that represent a decade each in the founding of Janesville. One additional mural was added to represent women during these years. Each mural resembles what made the community grow economically. The murals are 22 feet by 29 feet and are printed on UV-coated vinyl and wrapped around aluminum frames.  

The Land Mural 

In 1911, this home was rebuilt by Carle`s son to be more representative of the style popular in early 1900s Janesville: Tudor Revival. The half timbering on the outside and high steeped roofs make the home look like a romantic English cottage.

This home was owned by Levi B. Carle, who arrived in Rock County in 1852. He was very well known in the community as he worked in growing and developing the tobacco industry in Janesville. Later he would take on the role of President of First National Bank and then President of the Janesville Machine Company. His son would then inherit both the house and the tobacco business.

Levi B Carle House

The second mural, located at 1 South Parker Dr., represents the growth of Janesville by water. Larry Schultz of Milton, WI was the artist chosen to complete this mural, and his creation evokes how generations of Janesville citizens harnessed the power of water to manufacture goods, and how the city's economic success was dependent on this natural resource. Also on display is the historic Frances Willard School house, once located along the Rock River and now residing at the Rock County Historical Society Campus.

The Water Mural

The Italianate style (1850-1885) is based on the architecture of Renaissance Italy, particularly rural houses of Tuscany. It was a very popular style in America before the Civil War, and there are many varieties in Janesville, ranging from stone mansions to one-story cottages. Narrow clapboard siding clad the exterior of most examples, such as the Thomas Lappin House, but cream brick and stone were employed at the William M. Tallman House.

Prior to the opening of Oak Hill Cemetery in 1851, this was the site of the cemetery for early settlers. The graves and bodies were moved to the new cemetery, and in 1859 an Italianate style high school, known as Jefferson School, was built. The building was demolished in 1947 and converted to a park.

Jefferson Park

Built in 1902, the Janesville Public Library was one of three new public buildings constructed at the turn of the century by the City of Janesville. Andrew Carnegie, industrialist and philanthropist, donated $30,000 for the construction of the building. In addition to the services offered by the library, the second floor housed an auditorium. From 1932-1982 this building was the home to Janesville Little Theatre, the oldest self-supporting group in Wisconsin.

This Andrew Carnegie funded library is built in a neo-classical style, reminiscent of many courthouses, museums, and government buildings around the turn of the century.

Janesville Public Library

This location used to be the home of the small factory that he operated. His ice cream parlor was located on West Milwaukee Street. The company continued to grow and expand in 1912 as he built a new, bigger factory that existed here until 1969 when George Shurtleff sold his company to Schoep Ice Cream Company.

George Shurtleff was one of the few individuals to take advantage of Janesville`s dairy industry in the nineteenth century. In 1878, he established the Shurtleff Ice Cream Company on South Main St. and became one of the most successful candy and ice cream sellers in Southern Wisconsin.

Schurtleff Ice Cream Company (1878-1969)

Today this park is a very popular central location in Janesville. It makes a great location for events and activities for the members of the community. An important feature is the modern amphitheater in the park that hosts many concerts and events. The old iron fountain is no longer in this park.

This park was one of the very first and at the time rare commitments to open spaces in Janesville. Created around the 1830s, before the Nolen plan was implemented, the Lower Courthouse Park was taken up by the Rock County Courthouse and decreased over time from the original acres attributed to it, as space was needed for more city development in the 19th century. Between the 1830s and 1920s, only seventeen acres would be added to the park development in Janesville.

Lower Courthouse Park

When Janesville was settled in the late 1830s, the Greek Revival style (1836-1860) was used for almost every type of building. The Greek temple was the design source of this popular style, and most homes took on the dimensions and look of the Parthenon in Athens. Carpenters' manuals helped to popularize the style from coast to coast. Although few of the earliest houses have survived in Janesville, good examples of the Greek Revival style are found in early neighborhoods such as Look West (the old First Ward) and the old Fourth Ward.

This Greek Revival Style residence once belonged to George Barnes, who is best-known as the contractor for the Tallman House located on Jackson Street. This house, built in 1853, is notable for it's original Doric columnns which carry the small entrance portico; this is one of only two Doric porticoes to survive in Rock County.

George Barnes House

The style of the house is Richardsonian Romanesque, an off shoot of the Romanesque Revival style popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s, named for its primary promoter, Henry Hobson Richardson. The Romanesque revival style is famous for its use of natural looking stone, square or circular designs, rounded arches, short blocky columnns, and pointed towers. The style is meant to be a throwback to the Early Medieval Romanesque churches of Italy, Germany, Spain, and France, and was often employed in the designs of churches, museums, train stations, and post offices. The famous Smithsonian Castle was constructed using a Romanesque revival design. The Richardsonian Romanesque revival style added a touch of whimsy, and the Reid house is a good example of that. Its storybook tower, stonework, large urns, and sheer size make this house look more like a castle. The architect of this house, Henry Lord Gay was also responsible for designing many prominent homes around Lake Geneva.

This house was built in 1900 and owned by Archie Reid, a Scottish well-to-do merchant, and importer of horses. The rock faced corner turret of the house is it's most prominent feature. 

Archie Reid House

The Courthouse Hill Historic District rises above the city of Janesville and the east side of the Rock River on a steep bluff. This residential neighborhood contains outstanding examples of the architectural styles associated with Janesville's growth and development from settlement to 1940. Many of the Courthouse Hill's early residents were influential in commerce, industry and legal affairs. This district contains 30 blocks and 219 properties which were listed in the National register of Historic Places in 1986.

The original courthouse was built in 1842 and burned down in 1859. A second one was built in it's place in 1871.The second courthouse was demolished in 1957 after the construction of the current building. 

Rock County Courthouse

The Italianate style (1850-1885) is based on the architecture of Renaissance Italy, particularly rural houses of Tuscany. It was a very popular style in America before the Civil War, and there are many varieties in Janesville, ranging from stone mansions to one-story cottages. Narrow clapboard siding clad the exterior of most examples, such as the Thomas Lappin House, but cream brick and stone were employed at the William M. Tallman House.

This is one of Janesville's more elegant examples of the Italianate style, built in 1864. Thomas Lappin, the owner, was Janesville's first merchant.

Thomas Lappin House

Constructed in 1881 for Mr. Allen Perry Lovejoy, this house embodies the whimsical “Douglas Style” of architecture, named for the architect who designed the house, James Douglas of Milwaukee. Lovejoy was a native of Maine and moved to Janesville in 1850. By 1860, Lovejoy had opened a lumberyard in Janesville. Eventually, he diversified his business to incorporate cities around Janesville and invested his money very wisely in several up-and-coming companies. Later he became the Vice-President and later, President of the Janesville Manufacturing Company, which was later sold to General Motors. Lovejoy also dabbled in politics as he was the Janesville Mayor from 1881-1882 and served in the State Senate from 1887-1889. The house was given to the Y.W.C.A. in 1953 and was operated under their care until it was purchased by the current owner.

The Lovejoy Residence is a charming two and a half-story brick house. The first two stories of the building are composed of the crème style brick and the rest is built with multi-textured wood and shingles. This house features two porches: a wrap around porch on the first level and another porch on the second level. 


Janesville Wisconsin Tour

General Motors Plant

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context