1102 Spaight Street
Madison, WI, USA

Curtis-Kittleson House

The Curtis–Kittleson House (also known as the Thoreau House) is a Queen Anne-style mansion built in 1901 for William Dexter Curtis, a prominent businessman and mayor of Madison whose fortune started with horse collars and saddlery. The house was later the home of Isaac Milo Kittleson, another mayor of Madison. In 1980 the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places.


History

In 1870 Dexter Curtis, the father of the man who built this house, patented a method of enclosing small sheets of zinc in leather horse collar pads to reduce the sores on horses' necks. With this innovation, he started the Dexter Curtis Company to sell saddlery equipment. His company was so successful that it had factories overseas in England and France along with Madison and Michigan, and he made a fortune.

The elder Curtis's son William Dexter Curtis was managing his father's saddlery business when old Curtis died in 1898. At times William also served as chairman of the board of Union Trust Co., as vice-president of the 1st National Bank, and as v.p. and financial manager of the L.L. Olds Seed Co. As a sign of their success, in 1901 William and his wife Mary built this mansion on a prominent corner in a prestigious neighborhood.

They hired the Madison architects J.O. Gordon and F.W. Paunack, who designed a large brick 2.5-story home in the then-popular Queen Anne style. Typical elements of that style are the corner tower, the asymmetric wraparound porch, the corbelled chimneys, and the variety of surface textures. The pediment and columns of the porch, and the Palladian windows in the gable ends are drawn from the Classical Revival style that was becoming popular in 1901.

William was elected mayor of Madison in 1904. While mayor, he helped induce the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad to build new passenger and freight stations in Madison. He also encouraged expansion of Madison's park and drive system. He served only one term as mayor, and died in 1935.

Isaac Kittleson bought the house from the Curtises in 1949. Kittleson had grown up on a farm in Green County, graduated from the UW Law School in 1902, and became secretary and director of the Savings and Loan Trust Co. In 1906 he married Ida Johnson of Mt. Horeb. She served as treasurer of the Public Welfare Association, the YWCA, and as President of the Dane County Humane Society. Isaac served as a city alderman and three terms as mayor beginning in 1920. They were well-established community leaders by the time they bought the house in 1949.

Rev. Richard Larson of Bethel Lutheran Church and his wife owned the house after the Kittlesons. Now it is Thoreau House, a group home. The house was designated a landmark by the Madison Landmarks Commission in 1978. It is located within the Orton Park Historic District.

National Register of Historic Places - Curtis-Kittleson House

Statement of Significance:

The Curtis Kittleson house meets two of the criteria for landmark designation, The house is significant both because of the historical contributions to the city by its inhabitants and the architectural style and taste it represents. Its greatest importance lies in its identity with Mr. and Mrs. William Dexter Curtis and Mr. and Mrs. Milo Kittleson.

The house was built for the family of W.D. Curtis, manager of the Dexter Curtis Co, and son of its founder, Dexter Curtis, the company was well known for zinc horse collar pads and specialties for the saddlery trade and, at one time, maintained plants in Birmingham, England and Troyes, France. W.D. Curtis also served as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Union Trust Co., as V.P. of the 1st National Bank and V.P. and Financial Manager of the L.L. Olds Seed Co.

Curtis was elected mayor in 1904 by a large majority but chose to serve only one term due to business pressures. He was a believer in City Manager form of government During his term, he obtained for Madison new passenger and freight stations of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad. A lover of horses, he was interested in expansion of the park and drive system and served as President of the American Saddlery Association. W.D. Curtis was born in 1857 in Chicago, moved to Madison at about age 3 and died in 1935 at the age of 78.

The house was purchased by Isaac Milo Kittleson after the death of Curtis' third wife in 1949. Kittleson, of Norwegian descent, was born in 1874 on his father's Green Co. farm, He attended high school in Monroe, taught for 6 years and graduated from the Univ. of Wise. Law School in 1902. That same year he entered the employ of the Savings Loan and Trust Co. and became Secretary and Director of that company. In 1906 he married Ida Johnson of Mt. Horeb, also of Norwegian descent. Mrs. Kittleson became a leader in civic circles serving as treasurer of the Public Welfare Assn. and of the YWCA and, for many years, President of the Dane Co, Humane Society. Mr. Kittleson served as alderman from 1912 to 1914 and in 1920 began the first of his three terms as mayor. He died in 1958. The house was subsequently owned by The Rev, Richard Larson of Bethel Lutheran Church. His wife was a well-known puppeteer and director of the Bethel Players and Children's Theatre of the church.

The house is now a group home, owned by Walden Homes, Inc. and known as Thoreau House