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Downtown 1958

Downtown 1958

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Gilbert House

 from the American Architect, January 12, 1921
 
The story goes that Mr. Gilbert's house on East Wisconsin Avenue in Neenah had a thatched roof initially, which made it look somewhat like a fairy tale cottage from the storybooks.  However, the harsh Wisconsin weather was not kind to his roof so he had wooden shingles manufactured to continue the look.  Genuine or not, the design was distinctive enough to get coverage in this national publication.

3 comments:

  1. Is this the house on the far end by the lake? I don't mean where the museum is but going south from there behind fences and bushes.

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    Replies
    1. The gilbert house is on the corner of E Wisconsin AVE and Lakeshore drive

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  2. The house did not originally have a thatched roof. Photos exist of the house under construction in various stages along with original construction invoices, which confirm cedar shakes were the original roofing material (photos and invoices from descendants of the Gilbert family).

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