The Third Avenue Historic District is the "mansion" district of Kenosha, Wisconsin,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

from the early twentieth century, comprising mostly large stylish homes along

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 ...

. With .

History

Kenosha, Wisconsin was first settled in 1835, and by 1836,

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 yea ...

had amassed a large land holding near

. Durkee later parcelled out his holdings for residential development. By 1882, the entire area of the Third Avenue district was settled, although few buildings from this era remain. Starting with the George A. Yule House in 1899, Third Avenue became a desirable dwelling place for Kenosha's most prominent families. The 1890s had brought great prosperity to Kenosha with Simmons Manufacturing, the Bain Wagon Works, N. R. Allen & Sons Tannery, Chicago Brass Company, and Pettit Malting Company. These wealthy families had their houses designed by notable architects. The Alford House was designed by

Richard Philipp Richard Philipp (August 2, 1874 - March 15, 1959) was an American architect. Beginning in 1906, he partnered with Peter Brust in the firm of Brust & Philipp based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was primarily known for his work done for the Kohler ...

, best known for designing the Walter J. Kohler estate in

Kohler Kohler is a surname of German origin. The name was first found in Saxony. It means, "charcoal burner" so the first "Kohlers" were most likely of that occupation. Notable people with the surname include: *Alan Kohler, Australian journalist *Anton ...

. N. Max Dunning, a Kenosha native that focused on country house design, planned the Fred H. Carpenter House and the Eugene Head House. The most prominent firm active in the area's development was

Pond & Pond Pond and Pond was an American architecture firm established by the Chicago architects Irving Kane Pond and Allen Bartlitt Pond. Overview Working in the Arts and Crafts idiom, the brothers gained renown for elaborately detailed brickwork and irr ...

, who designed the Jeffrey Nash House, the Yule House, the Wilson House, and the Allen House. The most notable industrialists that lived in the district were Charles Durkee,

Charles W. Nash Charles Williams Nash (January 28, 1864 – June 6, 1948) was an American automobile entrepreneur who served as an executive in the automotive industry. He played a major role in building up General Motors as its 5th President. In 1916, he bou ...

Charles T. Jeffery Charles Thomas Jeffery (13 May 1876 – 10 November 1935) was an American businessman. Early life He was the son of Thomas B. Jeffery, founder of Thomas B. Jeffery Company, an automobile manufacturer. Career When his father died in 1910, Cha ...

, and Charles C. Allen. Durkee became the city's foremost politician, serving two terms in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

and one term as

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

. When he moved to the Utah Territory to become its sixth governor, Durkee's house was acquired by the

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

church in 1865. It became part of

Kemper Hall Kemper Hall is placed on a Kenosha County park with 17.5 acres in Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States. Kemper Hall overlooks Lake Michigan with a historic chapel, observatory, the Anderson Arts Center, and the Durkee Mansion. Kemper Hall began wit ...

, a girls' school. Jeffrey was the son of

Thomas B. Jeffery Thomas Buckland Jeffery (5 February 1845 – 2 April 1910) was a British emigrant to the United states who co-founded the Gormully & Jeffery company which made the Rambler bicycle. He invented the "clincher" rim which was widely used to fit tires ...

of the

Thomas B. Jeffery Company The Thomas B. Jeffery Company was an American automobile manufacturer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, from 1902 until 1916. The company manufactured the Rambler and Jeffery brand motorcars. It was preceded by the Gormully & Jeffery Manufacturing Company ...

, who assumed control of the company in 1910. This company was purchased by Nash in 1916 and renamed

Nash Motors Nash Motors Company was an American automobile manufacturer based in Kenosha, Wisconsin from 1916 to 1937. From 1937 to 1954, Nash Motors was the automotive division of the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation. Nash production continued from 1954 to 195 ...

. Allen inherited his father's tannery and turned it into a nationally recognized produced of hosiery. On November 1, 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 propertie ...

with a listing 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 v ...

References

{{Reflist Victorian architecture in Wisconsin Kenosha, Wisconsin Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Kenosha County, Wisconsin