The Racine Heritage Museum is a

historical museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

building and former Carnegie library, located at 701 S. Main St. in downtown

Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River. Racine is situated 22 miles (35 km) south of Milwaukee and approximately 60 ...

. Designed by

John Mauran John Lawrence Mauran, FAIA (1866–1933) was an American architect responsible for many downtown landmarks in St. Louis, Missouri. He was also active in Wisconsin and Texas. Life Mauran was born in Providence, Rhode Island and studied at th ...

in the Beaux-Arts style, the building served as the Racine Public Library from 1904 until 1958, and has housed the Racine Heritage Museum since 1963. It is also the home of the Racine County Historical Society. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 20, 1981.

Description

designed the building, in an architectural style that has been described varyingly as Beaux-Arts and as

Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

. The two-story building is constructed of Bedford limestone and brick, with accents in "St. Louis granite pressed brick" and

buff Buff or BUFF may refer to: People * Buff (surname), a list of people * Buff (nickname), a list of people * Johnny Buff, ring name of American world champion boxer John Lisky (1888–1955) * Buff Bagwell, a ring name of American professional wr ...

-colored

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, a ...

. This terracotta is used to create many embellished decorations on each of the building's facades. The front of the building faces west toward Main Street, dominated by a Roman arch with an Ionic portico, topped by a

broken pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pediment ...

. The transom plaque, not original to the building, reads "Racine County Historical Society". The frieze features the words "Free to the People". On the north facade, facing Seventh Street, a panel reads "Intelligence is the Foundation of Prosperity and Social Order". An accompanying panel on the south side read "Ye Shall Know the Truth and the Truth Shall Make You Free." The original east facade was destroyed by an expansion of the building in 1989, and a 1981 survey records nothing significant about it.

History

The idea of a public library for Racine was first proposed at a meeting of businessmen and ladies at the home of A. Arthur Guilbert in 1895. A library association was founded the following year, which lobbied for a successful

ballot referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

that provided city funding to the project. Some city philanthropists, including

William Horlick William Horlick, Sr. (23 February 1846 – 25 September 1936) was an English-born food manufacturer and the original patent holder of malted milk. He emigrated to the United States in 1869, settling in Racine, Wisconsin. There he started a ...

, offered additional funding. The city's first public library, located in a room in the Secor Block, thus opened in September 1897. Almost immediately afterward, the library association began raising funds for a permanent library building in West Park, but their efforts were hampered when the City Council blocked that site from being developed. Meanwhile, the library's board sought the aid of

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

, who had recently funded the construction of hundreds of libraries in the United States, and he ultimately offered a donation of $50,000 in 1901.Stone, Fanny S
''Racine, Belle City of the Lakes''
S.J. Clarke, Racine, 1916. However, it was stipulated that the library offer $5,000 of its proceeds to the Carnegie Foundation each year of its operation. After contentious debate, the library board chose the southeast corner of Main and Seventh streets as the site for its new building. The site was purchased from Mary E. Hall in 1902. The farmhouse that formerly stood there was sold and moved."Racine Heritage Museum (1904)"
Preservation Racine, Inc. A number of plans for the building were submitted, and the one chosen was a design by

, a two-story stone and brick building in the Beaux-Arts style. With The plans were presented at the convention of the Western Library Association in August 1902, where it was declared "The Library Beautiful". The building's cornerstone was laid on May 30, 1903, in a ceremony featuring judge

Charles E. Dyer Charles E. Dyer (October 15, 1834November 25, 1905) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Education and career Born in Cicero, New York, Dyer read law to enter the bar in 18 ...

. Construction was contracted to A.H. Harcus and Co., and it opened to the public unceremoniously on March 16, 1904. At the time of the library's opening, it held 97,000 books in its collection. Its ground floor featured two reading rooms, with a small auditorium and museum upstairs, and newspaper archives in the basement. Even this building, however, was insufficient before long, and the library was augmented with the opening of a branch in 1914, which had a higher circulation than the main building in the following year. Some of the library's collection was also housed in the libraries of the city's public schools. By 1929, the building had been called "outgrown",Herman, Bob
"Now It's 'Old Library': But In 1903 Hundreds of Persons Watched as Cornerstone was Laid"

Racine Journal Times The ''Racine Journal Times'' (since 1972 officially styled ''The Journal Times'') is an American daily newspaper published in Racine, Wisconsin. The paper serves the entire Racine County area. History The ''Journal Times'' traces its roots to t ...

, May 18, 1958. and proposals for a replacement in 1934 were inspired by the

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

's public works programs. Architects Kirchhoff & Rose submitted a plan that year for a large five-story building on that site, which the PWA approved but which was never built. Efforts to replace the Racine Public Library were renewed in 1954, with the city council approving the proposal to build in Memorial Park, although cost concerns reduced the size of the planned building. After the new library building opened on May 18, 1958, the old building was left vacant. Over 75,000 books were moved from the old library to the new in a single day. Various uses were proposed for it, including making it part of the University of Wisconsin–Racine campus or administrative offices for the

Racine Unified School District Racine Unified School District (RUSD) is a school district serving the eastern portion of Racine County, Wisconsin. It encompasses a area, and serves the city of Racine and six other towns and villages, which had a combined population of 139,193 ...

. The Racine County Historical Society, then outgrowing its existing space in the

county courthouse A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-spe ...

, held a campaign in 1960 to gain funding to buy the building. The Racine County Museum opened May 18, 1962. The museum remained a separate entity from the Historical Society, with which it shared the building, until they merged in 1982. A large addition on the east side of the building was constructed in 1989. A proposal for an entirely new museum, known as "Discovery Place", received state and local funding in 2001, but was never built.Paulson, Chris
"Museum history starts small"

, October 22, 2001. The museum has housed the Racine County Sports Hall of Fame since its creation in 2011. In addition to the former Carnegie library building, the historical society also owns the 1888 Bohemian Schoolhouse in

Caledonia Caledonia (; ) was the Latin name used by the Roman Empire to refer to the part of Great Britain () that lies north of the River Forth, which includes most of the land area of Scotland. Today, it is used as a romantic or poetic name for all ...

Museum

As the primary historical museum of Racine County, the Heritage Museum is home to a large archival collection, which is kept in the basement, and features several permanent exhibits in the upper floors. These exhibits include: * "Racine County: Factory for the World", highlighting a variety of well-known commercial products that were manufactured in Racine. * "This Train is Bound For Glory: Racine County's

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. T ...

", focusing on

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

activism in Racine prior to 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 ...

. * "Waterways", featuring artifacts from Racine's history as a

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

port and harbor, the centerpiece of which is a

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships." The design allows the c ...

from the

Wind Point Light Wind Point Lighthouse (or Windpoint Light Station) is a lighthouse located at the north end of Racine Harbor in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is in the village of Wind Point, Wisconsin, on Lighthouse Road, next to the Shoop Park golf course. The ...

house. * "An Amazing Journey: the Life and Legacy of

Laurel Clark Laurel Blair Clark (née Salton; March 10, 1961 – February 1, 2003) was a NASA astronaut, medical doctor, United States Navy captain, and Space Shuttle mission specialist. Clark died along with her six fellow crew members in the Space Shuttle ...

", showing artifacts recovered from the Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disaster. * "

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

in Racine" * "

Racine Belles The Racine Belles were one of the original teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing from through out of Racine, Wisconsin. The Belles won the league's first championship. The team played its home games at Horlick Fi ...

Baseball" * "Immigration and Settlement" Other unique artifacts in the museum's collection include an

Egyptian mummy The ancient Egyptians had an elaborate set of funerary practices that they believed were necessary to ensure their immortality after death. These rituals included mummifying the body, casting magic spells, and burials with specific grave goods ...

formerly owned by

Case Case or CASE may refer to: Containers * Case (goods), a package of related merchandise * Cartridge case or casing, a firearm cartridge component * Bookcase, a piece of furniture used to store books * Briefcase or attaché case, a narrow box to c ...

an 1883 reverse-flue steam tractor, and a fully restored 1927

Model Y touring car."Community Newsletter: Racine Heritage Museum brings 1927 Case car to Racine"

, April 15, 2017.

References

External links

Racine Heritage Museum
{{authority control Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin Beaux-Arts architecture in Wisconsin Carnegie libraries in Wisconsin Buildings and structures in Racine, Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Racine County, Wisconsin Historical society museums in Wisconsin City museums in the United States History museums in Wisconsin Museums in Racine County, Wisconsin Museums established in 1962 Tourist attractions in Racine, Wisconsin

Description

History

Museum

See also

References

External links