How Russell Zimmermann restored one of city's "finest Victorian Gothic" buildings.
How Russell Zimmermann restored one of city's "finest Victorian Gothic" buildings. Back to the full article.
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Excellent article as well as superior photos. The quality of, and workmanship on, the porch has to be viewed up close to appreciate it. Just beautiful!!
” He served on the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1864 to 1867, when once again he returned to the law. ” Are you implying that sitting in the WI Supreme Court isn’t working at ‘law’?
Many years ago Mr. Zimmermann wrote a coffee table book detailing many of the mansions on the East side. The Judge Jason Downer house was involved with a neighboring mansion as a “spite” home, being the spited one or spited upon, I don’t remember.
O.K., I now saw the historical marker in the photos. This was the spite house. (I love historical markers and stopped to read most of them on my two cross country bike trips.)
Zimmermann is a genius and wrote fantastic articles for the Milw Journal decades ago…check out The Past in Our Present…..also review the famous Spite House the judge built to the north.
Ron Friedel:
When Downer built the house it had views to Burns Triangle to the north. Then, a man named Arnold built a home at 1229 N. Prospect Ave. that blocked the view to the north while providing Arnold a view to the south, and to the lake. Thereupon Downer built the house at 1223 directly against the offending Arnold residence, ruining his view. This, of course, was in the days before zoning codes.