424 North Pinckney Street
Madison, WI, USA

Carrie Pierce House

The Carrie Pierce House is a historic house in Madison, Wisconsin, United States that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places


Description

The 2+1⁄2-story house is located at 424 North Pinckney Street.


History

The residence was completed in 1857 and was originally built for Alexander A. McDonnell. Later occupants of the house include U.S. Representative Orasmus Cole before it was eventually purchased by George and Carrie Pierce. In 1971, it was designated a landmark by the Madison Landmarks Commission.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 18, 1972.

National Register of Historic Places - Carrie Pierce House

Statement of Significance:

Many of Madison's finest surviving historic houses were built in the first decade after, Wisconsin's admission to statehood in 1848. The Pierce house, built in (1857, is generally considered one of the very best of these and certainly one of the most unique architecturally. It was designed by S.H. Donnel of the firm of Donnel outback ^ a prominent local architectural firm. In addition to the second Wisconsin State Capitol and the old City Hall, their works included homes for former Governor Leonard Farwell, Mayor W.T. Leitch, banker and entrepreneur Napoleon B. Van Slyke, and other prominent Madisonian. The Pierce house was originally built for A. A. McDonnell one of the builders of the new capitol.

The Pierce house is a strikingly attractive building in which were incorporated a number of features of varying but yet related architectural styles. ~ In its exclusively round-arched openings, with roamed-headed windows paired under round-arched hoodmolds, and with arcaded corbel tables under the eaves repeating in miniature the round-arched form, it meets the criteria of being basically Romanesque Revival in style if one follows Marcus Whiff end’s classifications. ^ In its pointed- arched panes in a few windows and its quatre oil windows under the two side gables, it has Gothic details. Its octagonal cupola is unequivocally Italianate. The ornamental tore-like turrets in miniature, which occur at the roof corners, are medieval and not inconsistent at all with Romanesque styling. The problem, of course, is that like much architecture of its day, this is a composite of at least three European styles which have certain close affinities, so that the blend produced is well balanced, harmonious and attractive. Compounding the classification problem is that, again according to Whiff en, Romanesque was used during the 1850 's and 1860 's almost exclusively for churches but not houses.

Style complexities notwithstanding, there is no disagreement that this is one of the finest historic houses in Madison. It imparts a feeling which one does not find in any other of the city's survivals of this important period, and it is one of four remaining significant houses on the crest of what was contemporarily called "High Bug Hill," a site overlooking Lake Men dot a on which several prominent and affluent Madisonian chose to build fine homes* The Pierce house has been designated an Official Madison Landmark, worthy of the most careful preservation.