The Monroe County Museum is a historic building located in

Sparta, Wisconsin Sparta is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States, along the La Crosse River. The population was 10,025 at the 2020 census. History Sparta is located on former Ho-Chunk territory acquired by the United States i ...

. It was constructed in 1923 as a meeting hall for a local

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...

, and was listed on 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 1987 under the historic name "Sparta Masonic Temple". An order of Masons was organized in Sparta in 1854. Meetings were held in homes until 1891, when a Masonic Temple was constructed at the corner of Main and Water Streets. By 1919 the various lodges that shared the building had outgrown it, so they bought land and constructed the new building, which is the subject of this article. With Sparta's new Masonic Temple was completed in 1923, with construction delayed because of the steel shortage due to

WWI World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The building was designed by

Parkinson & Dockendorff Parkinson & Dockendorff was an architectural firm based in La Crosse, Wisconsin, that was known for its works designed from 1905 through the 1930s. The firm's two named partners were Albert Edward Parkinson (1870 – September 19, 1952) and Ber ...

of La Crosse, combining the proportions of Classical Revival style with the low-pitched

hip roof A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope (although a tented roof by definition is a hipped roof with steeply pitched slopes rising to a peak). Thus, ...

and wide eaves of

Prairie Style Prairie School is a late 19th- and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped i ...

. The framework is reinforced concrete and steel, clad in cream brick. Two-story pilasters are formed from that brick. The roof is covered in red tile. The ''Sparta Herald'' gave a nice description of the inside when it opened in 1923:

"Entering the marble wainscoted vestibule you come to the main hallway at the end of which a pair of French doors open into the dining room. On the right, as you enter, is the ladies reception room; next is what the lodge boys call their living room, all richly and substantially furnished in big comfortable leather davenports and easy chairs with a generous fire place at one end, and French doors opening into the dining room at the other; the woodwork is all oak, stained dark. .....On the left of the entrance hall is a large cloak room for men; next, a door opens into a well-lighted, pleasant card and reception room with tables and chairs done in Indian gray, where members can smoke, play cards, and visit.

The big dining room with its polished maple floor is designed for serving refreshments and banquets and for dancing parties and socials. A stage on one side is provided for musicians. The kitchen has ample cupboards, a pantry, and plenty of shelves and drawers to hold all dishes and supplies. It has a hotel range and an electric range, together with an electric percolator for coffee. The room is well lighted and pleasant."

In 1987 the building was bought by the Monroe County Historical Society. The museum's exhibits include Monroe County people, pioneer history, agriculture, military history, industry, business, and the home.

References

External links

Monroe County Local History Room & Museum
- official site {{National Register of Historic Places Museums in Monroe County, Wisconsin Neoclassical architecture in Wisconsin Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin Masonic buildings completed in 1923 Former Masonic buildings in Wisconsin Prairie School architecture in Wisconsin History museums in Wisconsin 1923 establishments in Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Monroe County, Wisconsin