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Architectural Styles and Revivals: Romanesque Revival Homes

The Romanesque Revival was all about masses and large-scale forms. Most houses don't have the size to show the style well.
(Written by Dr. Les Crocker, UWL Emeritus Professor of Art History) This blog is third in a series on the Romanesque Revival. For more background on this revival, see Architectu… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/architectural-styles-and-revivals-romanesque-revival-homes/

Architectural Styles and Revivals: Romanesque Revival Commercial Buildings

Commercial buildings were large enough to make use of the Romanesque Revival style. In La Crosse, the two largest use no decoration, while the smaller one uses relief sculpture to enliven the surface.
(Written by Dr. Les Crocker, UWL Emeritus Professor of Art History) This blog is second in a series on the Romanesque Revival. For more background on this revival, see Architect… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/architectural-styles-and-revivals-romanesque-revival-commercial-buildings/

Architectural Styles and Revivals: Romanesque Revival Public Buildings

The Romanesque revival was based on church architecture, mostly in France and Spain, from the period of 950-1100 CE. The name means “like that in Rome” or in the Roman Empire.
(Written by Dr. Les Crocker, UWL Emeritus Professor of Art History) A more detailed discussion of these buildings can be found in my book Places and Spaces available at all publi… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/architectural-styles-and-revivals-romanesque-revival-public-buildings/

Architectural Styles and Revivals: The Colonial Revival

During the 1876 U.S. Centennial celebrations, the old argument that the United States needed an “American” architecture was resurrected, but what at first seemed clear-cut and definable, soon changed into another catch-all style. By 1876, the various revi…
(written by Dr. Les Crocker, UWL Emeritus Professor of Art History) The Panic of 1873 was a financial crisis that triggered an economic depression in Europe and North America tha… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/architectural-styles-and-revivals-the-colonial-revival/

Architectural Styles and Revivals: The Queen Anne Style

This style, as developed and named by Richard Norman Shaw in England in the late 19th-century, claimed to be based on design elements used in the time of the English monarch Queen Anne. As the style moved to the United States, it lost many of medieval ele…
(written by Dr. Les Crocker, UWL Emeritus Professor of Art History) The Queen Anne Mess This style was developed and named by Richard Norman Shaw in England and claimed to be b… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/architectural-styles-and-revivals-the-queen-anne-style/

Architectural Styles and Revivals: The Second Empire Style

The Second Empire style features include the mansard roof with dormer windows, decorative brackets, columns, paired columns, half columns, triangular pediments, curved pediments, decorative window crests; the more complex, the better. Even though few exa…
(written by Dr. Les Crocker, UWL Emeritus Professor of Art History) Based on the grand public buildings in Paris designed for Napoleon III, the Second Empire style worked best o… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/architectural-styles-and-revivals-the-second-empire-style/

Architectural Styles and Revivals: The Italianate Style

Though commonly referred to in architecture conversations, often used for any building with a bracket, the Italianate style is almost entirely a domestic style. There are very few public, religious, or commercial examples of the style in the United States…
(written by Dr. Les Crocker, UWL Emeritus Professor of Art History) Italianate means ‘like something in Italy.’ Not a very specific definition for a style of building in the Uni… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/architectural-styles-and-revivals-the-italianate-style/

Looking Back (2023)

A look back at the local history stories shared by the La Crosse Public Library Archives in 2023.
Archives staff/volunteers/interns/guest historians put together a lot of great blogs in 2023; please take a moment to check out these local history topics by clicking on the blog … https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/looking-back-2023/

Architectural Styles and Revivals: The Exotic Revival

Exotic Revival architecture is mostly understood to be Romantic era homes with added ornamentation inspired by architecture from regions that, at that time in the United States, would have been considered exotic.
(written by Dr. Les Crocker, UWL Emeritus Professor of Art History) In the book A Field Guide to American Houses by Virginia & Lee McAlester, the authors group what they call… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/architectural-styles-and-revivals-the-exotic-revival/

Architectural Styles and Revivals: The Gothic Revival

The Gothic Revival began at about the same time as the interest in the classical world did and lasted into the mid-nineteenth century in the United States.
(written by Dr. Les Crocker, UWL Emeritus Professor of Art History) The Gothic Revival began at about the same time as the interest in the classical world did and lasted into… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/architectural-styles-and-revivals-the-gothic-revival/

Architectural Styles and Revivals: The Greek and Roman Revivals

Greek and Roman Revival styles themes are highlighted by the use of classical elements, using old buildings as prototypes to exactly copy or treating various elements from classical buildings as independent items and arranging them to suit contemporary ta…
(written by Dr. Les Crocker, UWL Emeritus Professor of Art History) Classical is a term for something from the Greek or Roman worlds, often a mixture of both cultures. It's not … https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/architectural-styles-and-revivals-the-greek-and-roman-revivals/

Architectural Styles and Revivals

This is the first of a series of blogs on the major architectural styles used in La Crosse during the nineteenth century.
(written by Dr. Les Crocker, UWL Emeritus Professor of Art History) This is the first of a series of blogs on the major architectural styles used in La Crosse during the ninetee… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/architectural-styles-and-revivals/

The Oldest Extant House in La Crosse

While it's hard to nail down completely, read about the contenders for oldest surviving house in La Crosse.
(written by Dr. Les Crocker, UWL Emeritus Professor of Art History) This topic is covered in much more detail in my forthcoming book Immigrants All. Contact the Archives Depart… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/the-oldest-extant-house-in-la-crosse/

The Tillman Bros.: Cabinet Makers, Undertakers, and... Weathermen?

In its 130 years of existence, the five-story building at 116 4th St S has only had two owners: Leithold Music, and the Tillman Bros. Furniture Store. Founded by William and Friedrich Tillman in 1859, the Tillman Bros company served La Crosse for over a c…
(written by Meghan Hoefling, archives staff) The building occupying 116 4th Street S in La Crosse has been known as Leithold Music for over 60 years.  In its 130 years of exist… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/the-tillman-bros.-cabinet-makers-undertakers-and...-weathermen/

La Crosse YMCA: The First 140 Years

Celebrate the 140th anniversary of the La Crosse chapter of the YMCA with a look back at their history from the collections of the La Crosse Public Library Archives.
(written by Scott Brouwer, Archives staff) Earlier this year, the LPLA Archives celebrated the 140th anniversary of St. Francis hospital by recounting its history from the late… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/la-crosse-ymca-the-first-140-years/

Stinkytown and the Flies

Wire screen, while an easily overlooked modern convenience now, was an incredible innovation in the late 1800s that dramatically improved the quality of life of La Crosse citizens.
(written by Dr. Les Crocker and Anita Taylor Doering, Archives staff) Movies and TV productions set in the past always present a sanitized version of how life really was.  With… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/stinkytown-and-the-flies/

The Legacy of St. Francis Hospital

Throughout the 20th century, the Franciscan Sisters running St. Francis Hospital partnered with like-minded physicians before ultimately joining one of the world’s most renowned medical systems.
(written by Meghan Hoefling, Archives staff) Last week, we dove into the trials of opening and operating St. Francis Hospital in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  World … https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/the-legacy-of-st.-francis-hospital/

The Founding Sisters of St. Francis Hospital

Mayo Clinic Health System - Franciscan Healthcare recently broke ground on a new hospital building, expanding an already substantial campus, but none of it would have been possible were it not for the vision and devotion of an order of Franciscan Sisters …
(written by Sarah Ludington, Archives staff) In 2022, Mayo Clinic Health System – Franciscan Healthcare broke ground into the block bounded by West Avenue and Mississippi Stree… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/the-founding-sisters-of-st.-francis-hospital/

Looking Back (2022)

A look back at the local history stories shared by the La Crosse Public Library Archives in 2022.
Archives staff/volunteers/interns/guest historians put together a lot of great blog posts in 2022; please take a moment to check out these local history topics by clicking on the … https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/looking-back-2022/

Houses for a Hundred Dollars

In 1888 a local contractor talked to a newspaper reporter about local building costs, "LA CROSSE IS THE PLACE TO BUILD CHEAP HOUSES"
(written by Dr. Les Crocker, Emeritus Professor of Art History) People are always curious as to what something cost in the “good old days.”  In an earlier blog I talked about s… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/houses-for-a-hundred-dollars/

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