Historic buildings make towns unique

"The past is important because the past is responsible for everything we are today. It is our individual collective identity. Today things have changed. Almost every town looks the same. They are no longer unique, unless they have retained some of the historic heritage. It is the uniqueness of the historic buildings that make each place individual."

September 29, 2005

Lincoln County Courthouse, Merrill, Wisconsin. Ground broken in 1901 and the contract called for its completion September, 1902. Extensive nation-wide strikes at that time caused work to be suspended for over a year; no part of the iron work could be secured. Today, the colonial style building stands 192 feet tall and will for years to come. It is a monument to the progressiveness of the early citizens of Lincoln County. Photo credit: Marek Enterprise. Text from City of Merrill.

A friend sent us an editorial from the Wausau Daily Herald, done by Mary Jane Hettinga, the executive director of the Marathon County Historical Society in Wisconsin. Having lived in the concrete and vinyl neon jungles of northern Virginia, her words struck a chord and we want to share them with you. Here is an extract.

"The past is important because whether or not you study history or even like history, there is no way of getting around the fact that the past is responsible for everything we are today. The past is what shapes individuals as well as organizations, cities and even countries. It is our individual collective identity.

"When I was growing up I traveled a lot with my parents by car. Even as a child I knew which town we were passing through because of the unique buildings in each town. My parents would always point out special landmarks along the way.

"Today things have changed. Almost every town looks the same. Most towns have the same fast-food chains and retail stores that are built in similar style no matter what the location. Because of this, cities and towns across our country have lost their individualism. They are no longer unique, unless they have retained some of their historic buildings. Replicas don't count.

"It is the uniqueness of the historic buildings that make each place individual. The history and heritage of a city gives it a sense of place. Preservation of historic buildings is changing the face of and actually saving many towns."

City Hall, Merrill, Wisconsin was built in 1888-1889. Several rooms in the City Hall housed the T.B. Scott Free Library, which had been established through a bequest of Thomas B. Scott. The Library rooms opened in 1891, and were used until 1911. The city offices utilized this building until December, 1977, when they were moved to the former Church Mutual Insurance building. In 1978, this building was placed in the National Register of Historic Places. After being sold to private individuals, the historic structure was renovated into apartments. Photo credit: Marek Enterprise. Text by City of Merrill

City Park in the center of Historic Downtown Wausau. The downtown emerged after the sawmills were built along the Wisconsin River in the 1800's, and the city prospered into the 1900's. Photo credit: Marek Enterprise. Text by City of Wausau

Originally opened in 1927 as an opera house, the Grand Theater located at 415 Fourth Street in downtown Wausau is a beautiful Classical-Revival structure containing stunning examples of colonnades, marble statuettes and a solid Bedford limestone facade. In 1987, a community-sponsored restoration project brought the theater back to its past glory. Photo credit: Marek Enterprise. Text by City of Wausau

St. Mary's Roman Catholic Oratory of the Immaculate Conception on Grand Ave. in Wausau is a beautiful century-old neo-Gothic church that dates from 1893 and is actually the original mother parish of Wausau. In 1953, a terrible fire destroyed not only the high and side altars but also the complete interior of St. Mary's. The Scholz Family Foundation opened the possibility of bringing to St. Mary's the splendor of the high Gothic architecture achieved by copying exactly three beautiful altars of the Blutenburg chapel in Munich, Bavaria. Work continues to this day in the restoration. Photo credit: Marek Enterprise. Text by the Institute of Christ the King.

We recognize this is a very limited example of how Wisconsin has preserved its past in synch with Mary Jane Hettinga's urgings. We will make it a point as we travel about the state to photograph many more examples and set up a special place in our culture section to display these. We have set up a section on buildings and homes for just this purpose.

Photo credits: Ed Marek, Marek Enterprise unless otherwise noted.

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