Racine

Gerald L. Karwowski

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Year: 2007
• Print ISBN: 9780738550626
• eBook ISBN: 9781439634851
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

In November 1834, Capt. Gilbert Knapp staked a claim to 141 acres at the mouth of the Root River, naming it Port Gilbert. This site became the city of Racine. During the pioneer years, Racine was dubbed "the Belle City" of the Great Lakes (from the French word belle, meaning "beautiful"). The growth of this beautiful city and its harbor was captured in vintage postcards at a time when people sent little notes and messages to friends and family the way people use e-mail and cell phones today. These cards are like vignettes showing the changes that have taken place since one century ago - a pictorial documentation of Racine preserved for future generations to enjoy.

Three

PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND LANDMARKS

RACINE COUNTY “CENTENNIAL” COURTHOUSE. In the 1870s, Racine County had outgrown its small wooden frame courthouse. Plans were developed to build a new massive brick and stone structure on the same site in 1876. When construction began, the thrifty Racine county board asked the City of Racine for permission to move the outdated 1839 structure to the public square and allow the county officials to use it while the new structure was being built. When the new substantial structure was completed, its pretentious size and tower dominated the public square. It was razed in the 1930s after the present skyscraper-style courthouse was built.

MONUMENT SQUARE. This rare panoramic view of Monument Square in 1909 shows downtown Racine maturing attractively. The original photograph was probably taken with an Al-Vista Panoramic Camera made by the Multiscope and Film Company of Burlington. Peter Angsten started production of the camera that he invented in 1897 in Burlington’s vacant Union (now Lincoln) School building. Racine’s E. A. Bishop Postcard Publishing Company produced about a dozen known double card views. Most double cards were cut in half and used for two mailings, which makes complete cards rare and desirable.

PUBLIC SQUARE. This old photograph reproduction was produced by the E. A. Bishop Postcard Company, Racine’s largest postcard publisher. It was copied from a late-1850s view of Racine’s public square. It shows the first Greek Revival style Racine County courthouse built in 1839 (right) and the First Baptist church (left).

FIRST CITY HALL. By 1883, this new red brick building with arches and ornamental brick occupied the southeast corner of Third and Main Streets. The interior framework was constructed of wood and was considered a fire and safety hazard. In 1931, when a Works Progress Administration grant was issued to Racine for building a new city hall, the city took full advantage and built a modern building for government offices. The old building, razed in the 1930s, was later replaced by a one-story modern strip of storefronts.

FIRST POST OFFICE BUILDING. In 1897, the city’s first building designed and built specifically for a United States Post Office was constructed at Sixth and Main Streets. After it was completed, the building was criticized by local residents because the architecture looked more like a church than a public building. It was razed and replaced with the present post office building. An atypical ring of stone with serpent heads surrounding the tower was saved from the old building and sited at the Racine Zoo.

NEW PUBLIC BUILDINGS, 1931. When Racine’s new set of public buildings was completed, this postcard notice was printed to remind people that the dedication week would be from July 13–19, 1931. Few cities in the United States could boast of having three major public buildings all constructed at the same time. As of this publishing, all three of these buildings are still standing and being used for the purposes they were built for.

UNITED STATES POST OFFICE. The U.S. Post Office building in Racine, with its imposing neoclassical facade, Corinthian columned portico, and monumental size, symbolically speaks of the prestige of the federal government. Its location at the southeast corner of Monument Square and Main Street gives it visibility to visitors. Completed in 1931, the building was constructed through the efforts of Congressman Henry Allen Cooper to bring work to Racine during the Great Depression. The building was designed by James A. Wentmore, supervising architect of the U.S. Treasury Department.

RACINE COUNTY COURTHOUSE. This stately 11-story structure, designed by the renowned Chicago architects Holabird and Root, was completed in 1931 at the cost of over $1 million. It is still the tallest building in Racine County, towering over surrounding buildings. The exterior walls are decorated with low-relief carvings created by Swedish sculptor Carl Milles. The ornamental designs illustrate the agricultural and industrial life of Racine’s history. The actual stone carving was done by John Magnus Johnson. This project was Carl Milles’s first American commission.

CITY HALL. On April 5, 1930, the Racine Common Council authorized the issuance o...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• One - HARBOR SCENES
• Two - STREETSCAPES
• Three - PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND LANDMARKS
• Four - MONUMENTS AND PUBLIC PARKS
• Five - LIGHTHOUSES AND LAKEFRONT SCENERY
• Six - BUSINESS
• Seven - INDUSTRY
• Eight - PARADES AND SPECIAL EVENTS
• Nine - SCHOOLS