The Library Park Historic District is a historic neighborhood in

Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha () is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986 which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Kenos ...

, United States, surrounding Library Park, which was originally conceived as a New England-style town commons. The district consists of 42

contributing properties In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...

built from 1843 to 1930. The district was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1988.

History

Kenosha, Wisconsin was first settled in 1835.

Charles Durkee Charles H. Durkee (December 10, 1805January 14, 1870) was an American pioneer, Congressman, and United States Senator from Wisconsin. He was one of the founders of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and was a Governor of the Utah Territory in the last five ye ...

and George Kimball were two of the earliest settlers and laid claim to neighboring tracts of land. Durkee and Kimball agreed to donate a portion of their lands to Kenosha for a city park. The park attracted other settlers; by the mid-1840s, Volney French and Lucien Scribner had constructed their homes overlooking the park. By 1861, the lots surrounding the park were almost completely occupied. Many of these houses were demolished for the sake of redevelopment in subsequent decades, but the French and Scribner houses survived. With During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, the neighborhood became active as a stop on the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

at the behest of Ruben H. Deming. Located at 1116-18 61st, Kenosha WI. Both the Hale–Farr and the Reuben H. Deming house have survived as examples of homes used for the slave escape network. Slaves would stay at the houses until they could board ships at the Kenosha harbor. Christ The King Church Kenosha

Two prominent ecclesiastical buildings were constructed in the 1870s: the First Congregational Church in 1874 and St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in 1879. The Queen Anne style dominated 1890s development. Examples include the Nathan R. Allen, Jr. House and the Urban J. Lewis House. The Gilbert M. Simmons Memorial Library, designed by

Daniel Burnham Daniel Hudson Burnham (September 4, 1846 – June 1, 1912) was an American architect and urban designer. A proponent of the '' Beaux-Arts'' movement, he may have been, "the most successful power broker the American architectural profession has ...

, opened to the public in 1900. It was built in the center of City Park, which was subsequently referred to as Library Park. Kenosha grew steadily in the 1900s, forcing new developments in the neighborhood to be built on smaller lots, including the gabled ell Charles Stuart House (1907) and Craftsman C. Ernest Dewey House (1910).

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

was born in an 1880 house at 6116 Seventh Avenue on May 6, 1915. The Neoclassical design of the library inspired the design of other public and club buildings in the district, including the Masonic Temple (1924) and the YMCA building (1930). The district saw little development since

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. On November 29, 1988, the district was recognized by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

with a listing on the

References

{{commons category, Library Park Historic District (Kenosha, Wisconsin) Geography of Kenosha County, Wisconsin Populated places on the Underground Railroad Gothic Revival architecture in Wisconsin Italianate architecture in Wisconsin Neoclassical architecture in Wisconsin Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Kenosha County, Wisconsin