E. E. Stevens

The history of Oshkosh could boast of many fine architects: Adam Bell, William Waters, William C. Klapproth and E. E. Stevens are some of the noteworthy names which come to mind.  Ephraim Eldorus Stevens was born in 1851 in Waldo County, Maine and moved with the family to Oshkosh in 1852, one of twelve children born to Hiram and Rosella Stevens.  Hiram operated a lime kiln across the lake and was a dealer of bricks and other building materials.  At the start of the Civil War he and his two eldest sons joined up, Hiram fell ill and died in 1863, Ephraim was thirteen.  The young Stevens attended Oshkosh public schools as well as the Baptist church.  His older brothers taught him masonry and carpentry, by 1876 he went to Green Bay to study architecture in the office D. M. Harteau with whom he later formed a partnership.  He also formed a life partnership that same year when he married Maggie Jacobs of New York.  In 1878 he and his wife returned to Oshkosh and started a family and business.   

                              Several  Oshkosh schools were of his design.

The Stevens family was growing too, in time Maggie would give birth to five daughters, namely; Viola Maude, Gracie May, Catherine Rosalie, Addie D. and Bessie.  Like his brother Edward P, Ephraim worked as a contractor and builder as well as architect. Stevens established his office on the second floor of 158 N. Main Street and did in 1895 employ the services of Wm. C. Klapproth and Alonzo Austin.  As a contractor Stevens worked on a few buildings designed by William Waters, most notably the First Ward School, he also competed with Waters for the design of many buildings, the library, South Park School Merrill School and the High School were just a few.

                                          

                                      The building at 158 North Main Street

The decade of the the 1890's seem to have been the the high water mark for Mr. Stevens' architectural career with commissions for churches, commercial buildings, a hospital and many fine dwelling for wealthy clients.  All his buildings seem to have had a distinctive flair and unusual yet handsome look about them.      

Architect Stevens' residential works were of the most outstanding character, large and impressive, they were noticed as artistic and capacious.  The well to do of Oshkosh sought his services for their housing needs for new construction as well as alterations.  For instance Orville Beach owned an ageing and passe' Italianate style house on Algoma Street, transformed by Stevens to a dwelling more au courant for its' day.     

E. E. Stevens lived most of his life in Oshkosh, so it is little wonder that he would come to love the city and work toward its' improvement.  To that end he became interested in city politics, first winning election as the Forth Ward alderman, not once but twice, in 1881 and 1885.  He didn't stop there however and in 1889 ran for and was elected mayor of the city.  As mayor he saw the need for city parks and was responsible for the acquisition of the land for both North and South Parks, the former being purchased from Col. Lucius Miller for $25,000 and the latter from Samuel Osborn.  Stevens' visionary purchases were not received well by the voter of Oshkosh and Mayor Stevens served but one term.  The voters must have forgiven him as he was elected to the State Senate in 1904 and served until 1905.     

The Stevens lived in a large house on Merritt Avenue near the lake and was likely built in 1878, designed by his own hand.  He died there in 1907.  The city of Oshkosh has much to be thankful for in the legacy left by E. E. Stevens.  His vision and ability made the city what it is today.  

Stevens House

About a year ago I published an elevation of a house which came from a collection of sketches gathered by a young William Waters Jr.  I had no information about the house but concluded that the dwelling dated from the 1870's.  A few months back an astute reader recognized the house as being on Merritt Avenue in Oshkosh.  I'm not one to pass up a good mystery so I started my search with State Historical Society and photos from a 1983 building survey of Oshkosh.  There I found a photograph of  919 Merritt Ave, formerly numbered 274 before 1957.  A comparison of the two show them to be similar but not identical.  Perhaps the house was the work of William Waters or perhaps not, it's hard to say.  

Next I searched old Oshkosh City Directories and made an interesting discovery.  In the 1891 directory, the first one to publish a street directory, Edward P. Stevens, a builder and contractor in list as the resident of 274 Merritt Ave.  Further the 1866 directory lists Mrs. Stevens, (sic) s s Merritt b Bowen and Hazel and indeed 274 cum 919 Merritt is on the south side of the street between Bowen and Hazel.  Rosella Stevens was widow of Hiram Stevens who in 1852 moved his family from Waldo County, Maine to the village of Oshkosh.  Hiram became a dealer of wood and lime, operating a kiln across the lake at Clifton (High Cliff).

In 1861 he and his eldest son William enlisted in Oshkosh Company B, Third Wisconsin Cavalry and served a three year attachment with Western army in Missouri, his younger son Edward joined the next year.  The riggers of service took a harsh toll on Hiram and he returned to Oshkosh and died in March of 1863.

Rosella had twelve children four of whom died as infants the rest grew to be adults.  William O. Stevens survived the war and became a successful stone cutter and mason.  Edward P. also a war survivor was a mason, builder and contractor.  Daughters Addie and Lilly married and moved to Milwaukee and Missouri, respectively. Sons Fredrick B. and Charles O. moved to Suamico in Brown county, while George a lumberman lived in Menominee, Michigan.  Ephraim Eldorus Stevens worked as a carpenter, mason and apprenticed with architect with D. M. Harteau of Green Bay, later forming a partnership.  In 1878 he returned to Oshkosh to open his own office.  There is so much to tell of E. E. Stevens, I intend to devote more posts him and his work. 

Bills' Banks, Part Six

This post will be the last in the series about the banks of William Waters.  All but one of the buildings in this post have been covered in other entries.  The First National Bank of Marshfield was mentioned in the 2/21/14 post "Marshfield Rebuilt".  The bank was adjacent to the Tremont Hotel and was stylistically similar,

featuring Queen Anne details.  The structure was of cream colored brick, two stories high.  Like many of architect Waters' banks it had a chamfered corner capped by a stylish pediment.  There were along the top of the walls recessed panel, about a foot square, the same as those seen on the Old National Bank of Waupaca. Eventually the building was annex by the hotel and a third story was added but the pediment remained.  

The subject of the post "Buildings of the North, Part One" were the banks at Phillips and Merrill, with photographic records of only of the building at Merrill.  Built in 1881 for Ross, McCord and Company the edifice had space for a bank, three stores and second floor offices.  It's typical of many of Mr. Waters' commercial structures of the time, with a chamfered corner and small triplet windows just below a date inscribed pediment.  

Only the Shawano County bank was neglected.  The bank was  organized in 1886, with C. M. Upham as president.  The Oshkosh Weekly Northwestern of February 3, 1887, under the heading "Short Notes" cites architect Waters as having drawn plans for a $6,000 structure in Shawano, the newspaper has no more specific information than that.  A notice in December of 1887 speaks of the plans the architect had drawn for a new school house, from which I concluded the $6,000 in the earlier article to be the Shawano County Bank.    

The bank was two stories high, built of cream colored brick and Queen Anne Style. There were shops in the basement, offices on the first and second floors with the bank occupying most of the first floor.  Entry to the bank was gained through double door set in a chamfered corner above which was a set of double windows with an art glass transom.  A brick work cornice run along the building top and the corner was an elegant pediment.  It was unclear as to the precise location of the building, only to say it stood on a corner.  At some time the building was enlarged with a sympathetic addition which may or may not have been the work of Mr. Waters.  It was perhaps about 1910 when the bank became known as the First National Bank of Shawano with W. C. Zachow as president.

Bills' Banks, Part Five

These next two banks were both in Waupaca county, sort of.  One was in Waupaca and the other was New London.  New London was one of those rare communities which lay in two counties and the bank was on the Waupaca side.  There wasn't much information on Farmers State Bank of New London, except to say it was organized in 1912 with local businessman Silas Wright as president.  The bank was located on the southwest corner of N. Pearl Street and E. Water Street just across the street from city hall.  The name of the bank appeared on a list of blue prints inventoried from the Waters' office after his passing.  It is unclear to what extent Mr. Waters was responsible for the bank building, photographic evidence suggest a job of remodeling and the building looks as if it dated from the nineteenth century rather than the early twentieth century.  The altered front had a large arched window, the entrance was also changed to an arch like that of many other Waters' buildings.  The first  floor was remodeled yet again when it became jewelry store and the building was demolished many years ago to improve traffic movement over the Wolf River bridge.     

In 1893 William Waters got the commission to design a new building for the Old National Bank of Waupaca.  The building constructed of pressed red brick with limestone trim was located on a prominent Main Street corner.  The structure rose three stories and in addition to the bank, had two retail spaces on the ground floor, offices on the second floor and on the third floor Knights of Pythias' Castle Hall.  Of a different style, the building was very similar in size and lay out to the Commercial Bank of Appleton.  The bank entrance was an arched opening in a chamfered corner and to the right was a large arched window next to a store leased to a pharmacist.  There was in the pediment of the chamfered corner a set of triplet windows with arched lintels of limestone.  

Along the side of the building was a row of windows, a stairway to the upper floors and another store front. At the top of the walls there was brick work of recessed square panels layout in row and topped the a limestone capstone.  In 1914 the druggists' lease ended and the bank took over the erstwhile drug store, expanding and remodeling the first floors' front.  In the mid 1970's the bank moved to a new building and the old building nearly met the wrecking ball but was purchased and renovated.  

Bills' Banks, Part Four

I've chosen to pair the two banks in this post, not for their proximity in location but for their proximity of design.   One was in Ripon and the other in Stevens Point, both were Romanesque in style.  In the Oshkosh Northwestern Weekly's biographical article about architect Waters of June 25, 1891 a Ripon bank is listed but not a bank in Stevens Point.  Among the many images found in the Waters archives of the Oshkosh Public Museum was a building of rough hewn stone with a pediment holding a set of small arched topped windows but no identification.  While researching the Ripon opera house I noticed in a photograph of the town square a similar building and concluded it was the Waters' designed bank listed in the newspaper. 

       

The bank in Ripon was the German National Bank which was built in 1891, its' construction unheralded by any of the Oshkosh press.  Constructed of rough hewn limestone it was perhaps thirty feet wide and two stories high.  On the ground floor to the left was the entrance; double doors with an arched transom, flanked by twin columns which supported a stone lintel and pediment and to the right of the doors was a large square window.  Above the first floor window were two windows and another set of smaller windows to the left just above the doors.  The stone work was of regular shaped blocks, either rectangular or square and laid in even courses.  With the onset of World War one the bank changed its' name to the First National Bank and replaced the building in the early 1920's with a large Art Deco Style edifice.

The mystery of the unidentified bank remained. I had no idea where to look but searched old images from cities around the state, old postcards of Stevens Point brought an answer when I spotted the building in a picture of Main Street.  The accompanying explanation designated the building as the Citizens National Bank, built in 1895.  The bank was a  tour de force of Romanesque Style architecture with retail space in the basement and two floors above for banking and office use.  The first floor sat on a high foundation and the front elevation was dominated by two features; to the left a large arched window and at the right the front door.  The entrance was gained by a short flight of steps and as with the Ripon bank there was a set double doors with an arched transom set in a portico with twin pillars on each side supporting brackets.  These brackets held up a stone lintel inscribed the the word "BANK" and above that  was a pediment rising past the windows of the second floor.  The fenestration of the second floor was like that of the Ripon bank with two large windows above the arched window of the first floor and two smaller windows above the door.  The second floor widows were double hung window with transoms, above the windows to the left were two square lights and three lights above the smaller windows to the right.  A pediment with a set of triplet window capped the facade.  The stone work was of regular shaped blocks, either square or rectangular not laid in even courses but in a random pattern.  Large stone lintels topped the openings of the second floor. In the 1907 book Along the Wisconsin River by A. Decker there was this quote, " Few banks in the country are housed in finer quarters, the elegant building it occupies being not an enduring monument to the business sagacity of its backers, but it is a rich and magnificent acquisition to the architectural splendor of the city."  The splendor of the architecture was appreciated only until 1921 when the facade was replaced by a neoclassical style front.

Bills' Banks, Part Three

With all the work Mr. Waters did in Neenah and Menasha it is no surprise that he designed a bank in each city.  The First National Bank of Neenah was founded in 1861 and was located on the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Ceder Street, later known as Commercial Street.  A fire in 1883 destroyed the bank and the adjacent Pettibone Block, a replacement was soon in the works.  Architect Waters' plans not only provided ample space for the bank but there were three other retail spaces as well as office or residential rooms on the second floor.   The building was of the latest style and employed a variety of building materials and surface textures.  Along the Wisconsin Avenue side were two store front and a stairway to the upper floor.  At the top of the structure was a brickwork cornice and a large pediment centered in the wall.  The bank itself occupied the corner space.  A chamfered corner held the front door which was flaked by two columns supporting a segment pediment.  Above the door was a set of double windows and beyond that, a set of small double windows set in a diminutive tower capped by a hipped peaked roof.  By the 1930's it no longer fit the needs of the bank and was replaced with a neoclassic style building.  

The First National Bank of Menasha was established in 1887 and was by January 1 of 1888 doing business from a William Waters designed building.  The bank was on Main Street, located on the square and faced north.  Constructed of limestone and red pressed brick it had two entrances with large transoms on either side of an imposing arched window.   Given the situation of the building the windows permitted a great deal of light to fill the lobby.   Rough hewn limestone was used for the foundation, lintels and trim while the remainder of the building was red brick.  There were four large window across the second floor and above them were panels of decorative brick flanking a large stone inscribed with the word "Bank".  Menasha's semi-centennial souvenir booklet publish in 1893 called the building one of the architectural ornaments of the city. 

On June 25,1891 the Oshkosh Northwestern Weekly newspaper published a lengthy biography of William Waters, including a list of his many accomplishments.  Banks in both Neenah and Menasha were part of that list.  There is also in the William Waters' archives of the Oshkosh Public Museum a photograph of the Menasha bank. 

Bills' Banks, Part Two

It was a bank in Appleton that gave William Waters his first opportunity to design a bank building.  The history of early Appleton banking owes a great deal to David Smith, the subject of a post from July 9th, 2013.  Mr Smith founded The Bank of Appleton which would later become the First National Bank, he would also go on to start the Manufactures Bank.  The First National Bank by 1871 was a well established institution and required more appropriate offices.  An article in The Oshkosh City Times of September 20, 1871 stated that architect Waters was drawing plans for a new bank in Appleton which was to be 22' x 80' and two stories high, of brick and stone.  The new building was located on the southwest corner of College Avenue and Appleton Street.  The bank was of a classical style with the front elevation having four segmented pilaster supporting a frieze inscribed with the word "Bank".  Between the center pilasters was an arched opening with double doors and transom flanked by large arched windows.  Above the frieze were three window between corner pilaster which supported brackets under a cornice, each window was adorned with an ornate window crown.  Beyond the cornice were posts corresponding to the pilasters of the first floor with parapets between.  

The bank remained there until 1932 when  a new structure was built across the street.  A jewelry store was the first post bank occupant, followed by a myriad of tenants and ill conceived renovations.  In recent times the building has under gone another remodeling more in keeping with the original style.  Mr. Waters next Appleton bank was The Manufacturers Bank, yet another financial enterprise of David Smith.  There were no newspaper announcements to herald the banks construction, just an old unidentified photograph to show that William Waters drew the plans among those of the Oshkosh Public Museum archives.  While looking through old postcards of Appleton I spotted the building on a card of the intersection of College and Morrison Street, further research relieved that it was The Manufactures Bank.  The bank was doing business from 1871 until 1885 when it merged with Commercial National Bank.  The building then become the home of the Crescent Press, which later merged with the Appleton Post.  A verity businesses occupied the building until it was razed

The last of Mr. Waters' Appleton bank building was by far the largest and most elegant.  A notice appeared in the Oshkosh Weekly Northwestern of May 19, 1881 telling of the many projects the architect was working on.  In Appleton there was listed a building for a newly organized bank, of brick, sixty by ninety feet, three stories high with the top floor to finished off as a Masonic Hall.   The cost was to be $15,000 with the vault costing several thousand more.  The bank was the Commercial National Bank which was located on the southwest corner of College Avenue and Oneida Street.  The brick used in its' construction was a cream color and there were bands and accents of darker brick.  In addition to the bank there were two retail space on the first floor.  Access to the upper floors was gained by way of two stairways, one on the north side of the building and the other on the east side.  The bank entrance was at the base of a chamfered corner which rose two more stories to a set of small triplet windows crowned by date inscribed pediment, such as those seen on other Waters' buildings.  The building was a fixture at that location until a winters' night in 1928 when it burned to the ground.