Oshkosh Schools 1901 to 1916

The destructive High School fire of 1901 brought about a competition for a replacement. Five architects vied for the job, William Waters and Ephraim E. Stevens chief among them. With a crowded field of contenders there was much to look at, consider and talk about. The debate went on for weeks and preliminary votes taken but no resolution. The discussion became rancorous at times with accusations that some members of the school board were voting for the man, not the plan. In the end the most serious consideration was given to the plans presented by Mr. Waters and Mr. Stevens. At the school board meeting that was to finely decide the issue, forty ballots were taken before the plans of Mr. Stevens were chosen.

The City Council then started to bicker over the choice and even more time was wasted. But after all was said and done E. E. Stevens' plans were built. It seemed that William Waters exclusivity as architect for the Oshkosh School Board was at an end.

E. E. Stevens' 1901 Oshkosh High School

In 1903 the city was contemplating a school for the thirteenth ward on the city's growing south west corner. A call was put out to local architect for plan for a new school to be built near South Park. Both Waters and Stevens submitted designs for the new building. Not much press was devoted to the school boards proceedings. A vote was taken and the job of designing South Park School was awarded the Mr. Stevens. The design looked as if it was to have another wing added, perhaps as the need arose. The result however was an unbalanced looking structure.

Stevens' 1903 South Park School

Eight years pasted before another public school job came up, the Orville Beach Manual Training School. The building was to located on property next to the High School donated by Mr. Beach. This time the competitors were William Waters, E. L. Lindsay and Henry Auler. A few years later Mr. Auler would work with Waters on the design of the new High School

addition.

Some of the Oshkosh schools were aging, the Frentz School built in 1873 was by 1914 deemed dangerous and obsolete. The idea was to place the school on Grove Street in the eleventh ward. Without a great deal of debate the job went to Mr. Waters. Longfellow was not unlike St. Peter's School planned the year before.

Also in 1914 the School Board decided to expand the High School. It was recommended the design go to William Waters, assisted by Henry Auler. A tour of high schools in St. Paul, Superior and other cites was arranged in order to see the latest in school design. The new addition was in the same style as the Beach Training School and the pair presented and impressive sight. The building serves today as Oshkosh City Hall.

P. S. The High School addition was the last building William Waters worked on. After his death his firm became Auler Jenson & Brown.

Oshkosh Schools of the late Nineteenth Century

As the nineteenth century dwindled, William Waters still enjoyed a good relationship with the Oshkosh School Board. In 1898 the board called for four major projects; A new Punhoqua School, additions to the Second Ward and High Schools as well as a school for the 10th Ward. Without much ado, Waters was asked to draw plans for the Punhoqua School and the and the additions to the other schools.

The Punhoqua School was a small and graceful structure, located in the suburb of Algoma and described in an earlier post. The additions planed were for the back side of the Second Ward School and finely the total restructuring of the High School's front elevation. The High School project was very ambitious; remove the center tower and build an addition 112' x 58', three stories in height, modernizing the look of the building. An article in the Oshkosh Northwestern dated 6/23/1898 states that construction might start in the fall of that year with a similar addition to be erected the following year on the Church St. side of the building. However no press is given to the actual accomplishment of the renovation. A comparison of the two photo below shows the facade was never altered. Perhaps the project was delayed and rendered moot when the building burned in 1901.

The Tenth Ward or Merrill School had a very convolute design history. Plans drawn by Waters were adopted in 1898, and then rescinded by the board a few months later. Other architect were asked to submit plans but no other submissions were forthcoming and Waters' plans were readopted. An intervening election changed the make up the school board and once more other architects were encouraged to supply plans for the new school. Several architects entered plans, most notably Ephraim E. Stevens.

For more than a year the City Council and School Board haggled over the design. At one point the council authorized bids be let only to be over ridden by the school board. Finely in 1900 the a resolution was arrived at and E. E. Stevens' plans were adopted.

Continued.

The Club House of the Oshkosh Yacht Club

With the renovation two years ago of the erstwhile "Legion on the Lake" into "The Waters", this post is long over due. I'll start by congratulating Bill Wyman and company for a superlative job of reuse and restoration. I think I understand Mr. Wyman's motivation for this undertaking. Like him, I too grew up in that neighborhood, near the foot of Washington Avenue. As a kid I recall the regattas, the crowds, the boats and the sails stretched out on the front lawn to dry before being folded and packed away. Behind it all stood the "Grande Dame", the club house. It was sad to see the decline of this fine and historic building. I'm thankful that Mr. Wyman sought to save this gem of Oshkosh history.

Now a little bit about that history; The Oshkosh Yacht Club was organized in 1869 as a means to codify and regulate what might be described as a difference of opinion between skippers. The club organized regattas and invited yachtsmen from other cites to participate. In 1897 the Inland Lakes Yachting Association was formed and it's first regatta was held in Oshkosh. At the time what passed for a club house was a large barge with a two story structure atop it, called the "sail-loft". It is pictured below, moored in the Fox River. The sail-loft didn't reflect the prestige the races were taking on. Yachts from other clubs were brought in by rail and the yachtsmen would lodge at the likes of the Athern Hotel. Regatta week was the social event of the summer season; clearly a grand club house was called for.

Getting things started proved to be a slow process. There was talk in 1896 of wealthy business men building a club like the Deutcher Club of Milwaukee; there was no mention of yachts however. There was mention made of a suitable plot of land on which to build such a club.

At the foot of Washington Street, William Waters owned a sizable lot with a fine view of the lake but well away from the center of the city. Waters had acquired the house in 1890 from Peter McCourt and had used the place as a summer home. For the next seven years there were no announcements concerning a club house. Then on April 4, 1903 the papers reported that two architects were drawing plan for a club house for the yacht club. Both William Waters and E. E. Stevens were to submit plans for consideration. From then on there was a great deal of activity; talks with W. G. Maxey of the waterworks about property at the end of Merritt Avenue, the sale and removal of the house on the Waters lot and finally the news on the twenty fifth of April that the Oshkosh Yacht Club had secured the Waters property and that Mr Waters' design was chosen for the edifice. The old house was razed and work begun.

As the twentieth century started many architects embraced more classical forms, Waters did as well. Mr. Waters' design for the new club house is an exercise in classical architecture. The building has a transverse layout with the front elevation dominated by a two story portico and veranda which runs the width of the building and around the sides. Brackets under the eves support the roof and at the very center of the roof is a cupola like structure with a flag mast.

The new club house was finished in August of 1903 in time for the ILYA annual regatta and was said to be the finest club house in the Midwest. So impressive were the accommodations, the yachting association decided to hold the regatta in Oshkosh every year. The years were not kind the place however, pictured here is the club house at perhaps its lowest point. This photo, taken one hundred years after it was built, shows what the once proud building had become. Many windows had been covered with siding and the veranda enclosed with no thought given to style or detail. Then in 2008 the building was restored to it's former grandeur and the city once again has a stunning gem on the lake shore.

Oshkosh Post Office

In recent years there has been a misunderstanding about the Oshkosh Post Offices and the roll William Water played in their design and construction. Mr. Waters had a hand in two Oshkosh Post Offices. After the great fire of 1875 the architect designed the building that would serve as the post office for the next fifteen years. It was located on Washington Street next to the First National Bank. The Waters firm had its' office on the second floor of this building. A new Federal Court House & Post Office was built next door in 1890.

There are those who believe William Waters to be architect of the structure constructed in 189o. Michael J. Goc in his book "Oshkosh at 150" credits Waters with the design but this is not the case. Confusion may arise because of the similarities with the Oshkosh City Hall built in 1887.

Both buildings were built of red brick with lime stone trim and featured an imposing central tower on the south elevation as well as transverse section at the north end of the building. The two building were similarly located each on the northwest corner of an intersection. Consequently photos of both were taken from the same vantage point and may have been the genesis for mistaken identity. In an article published September 13,1887 in the Oshkosh Northwestern it is reported that Mr. Freret took over the planning fromMr. Bell and was showing the plans to Senator Sawyer.

There were two prominent architects named Freret, James and William A. Freret. They were cousins and natives of New Orleans. The latter was Supervising Architect of the Treasury from 1887 to 1889 and the Mr. Bell mentioned in the article was Mifflin E. Bell, William Freret's predecessor in that post. Mr. Freret designed several federal building in his tenure with the office. The Oshkosh building may have been a collaboration of a kind, the designs came due during a time of transition. The idea that William Waters was the architect may come from an article from May of 1888 which names the Oshkosh architect as Superintendent. In the July 12, 1888 edition of the Oshkosh Northwestern it is again reported that Mr. Freret is the architect of the new Federal Building.

In September of 1894 the Oshkosh School Board received a report on the condition of the city's schools. Of particular concern was Smith School on Oregon St. The building had been in service since the mid to late 1860's and the years had taken there toll. The school was an embarrassment to the city and the recommendation was "Build a new school." The board announced the intention to build and five different plans were submitted from architects from Appleton, Merrill, Milwaukee and Joliet, Illinois. William Waters submitted plans as well and in the end was awarded the job.

By July of 1895 contracts were let. The job of building the structure was given to Domke & Meyer. The building's style is unlike anything Mr. Waters had previously designed, a departure from the belfries and ornamentation of the past. There is a central pavilion with two arches forming the entrance, just inside of which a flight of steps rises to the front doors. Above the entrance are three sets of arched windows. The main building is arranged symmetrically behind the central pavilion with sets of arched double windows on the first story and arched single windows on the second story. The building is caped with a hipped roof supported by brackets. Still in service after more than one hundred years the school has had an addition. The same plans were used to build the 1897 High School in Wittenberg, Wisconsin. That building has since been demolished.

In 1886 the citizens of the first ward clamored for a new school house of their own. With the replacement of the old Third Ward School the first wards was the oldest in the city. The school board was unable to oblige as the out lay of money needed for the new south side school had emptied the coffers. Finally in 1887 the school board went forward on a new First Ward School. Again William Waters won the contract to draw up the plans. E. E. Stevens was awarded the contract to build the school.

Architect Waters conceived a beautiful Romanesque style building of red brick and lime stone trim with a tall central tower. A newspaper article printed in 1888 proclaimed the school "The finest of them all." The article further mentions the other grand new buildings of Oshkosh; City Hall, Trinity Episcopal Church and the soon to be constructed Post office and Federal Courthouse. The structure was ornate with many large windows for well lighted class rooms. The building was enclosed in 1888, the doors and windows were boarded over and the school was allowed to settle. The next year the finish work was done and the school was ready for classes in the fall of 1889.

Continued.

Across the river, the third ward school building with its' 1869 addition was then the oldest in the city. In 1885 the school board approved a new school, selecting William Waters as architect and N. J. Ruby to be the contractor. More land was acquired and construction began. Mr. Waters designed another Queen Anne style building. A cream color brick with contrasting dark brick bands was employed. At the center of the front elevation was pavilion with a large arched entrance above which was a set of four widows. In the gable were three gothic arches and in the very peek a decorative circle. From the gable roof rose an understated bell tower. The other elevations echoed the pavilion of the front and the fenestration was regular overall. The roof climbed steeply but not a peek and it seemed to be flat at the top.

The slope of the roof was interrupted by dormers on either side of the gable. The school was symmetrical in design and can be seen as a larger prototype of the smaller schools the architect would plan in the future. (Please see the earlier post on Small Schools.) The school was renamed Jefferson School and enlarged in 1906 with plans drawn by Waters. After a long service a new structure was built in the 1980's.

Continued.