Please join APT WGLC and University of Wisconsin staff for a Walking Tour of the Historic District of Menomonie, Wisconsin. The tour will include the Mabel Tainter Smith Center for the Arts and recently completed renovations of Bowman Hall and Harvey Hall on the University of Wisconsin-Stout Campus. All three buildings are historic landmarks and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. More information on each building is provided below.
The tour will occur rain or shine. Parking is available East Main St on the north end of campus. We will meet at the north elevation of Bowman Hall to start the tour. This event is free and open to members and non-members of APT WGLC.
Bowman Hall (1897 - Richardsonian Romanesque)
The nearly $9 million project from 2018-20 included replacing about 30,000 bricks and 21 special masonry shapes including new mortar throughout, a new copper Clock Tower roof, a renovated quill weathervane, a renovated south annex interior, new historically accurate fenestration, and more. Architect and Owner representatives will be on site to highlight the research, planning, material procurement, construction administration and quality assurance.
Harvey Hall (1916)
Harvey Hall recently reopened in 2016 following a $28.3 million renovation. Approximately 6,000 students pass through this building daily, most of them for humanities classes. The building also houses the historic Harvey Hall Theatre and the Furlong Gallery. The project included restoring the main hallways to their original 13-foot ceiling height and providing more gallery space to display work from the University’s extensive collection.
Louis Smith Tainter House (1889) and Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts (1890) (Richardsonian Romanesque)
These buildings feature Dunnville Sandstone quarried about ten miles south of Menomonie in the unincorporated Village of Downsville. The quarry was discovered during the railroad expansion in the late 1800s and operated reopened in 2005 to supply stone for the expansion of the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts. The shapes and patterns are a striking complementary match to the original stonework.
The City of Menomonie and surrounding communities have an extraordinary appreciation for historic preservation which is reflected throughout the area. There are several historic venues to visit for lunch before or after the tour.
Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts