Janesville Pumping Station - Janesville, WI
N 42° 40.512 W 089° 01.071
16T E 334661 N 4726721
The Janesville Pumping Station was built in 1887 as a private utility. It is located at 555 S River St in Janesville, WI. The building now houses offices.
Waymark Code: WM2DFA
Location: Wisconsin, United States
Date Posted: 10/16/2007
Views: 16
There is a fascinating article on the restoration of this building on pgs 53-55 of this pdf document. Some excerpts:
"Janesville’s Water Works started out as a private utility. Years of debate about how the city should provide water and fire protection to its citizens resulted in a referendum. The vote approved a privately owned utility instead of one owned publicly, and in 1887 the Janesville Pumping Station was built. The engineering firm of Turner, Clarke and Lawson owned and operated the water works, and the City of Janesville paid for the water with funds received from liquor license fees.
The pumping station was designed by Ernest Boynton and constructed by Turner, Clarke and Lawson, all from Boston. Described in the National Register nomination as “utilitarian in nature with neoclassical tones,” the building is picturesque to modern eyes, with its multiple roof forms and large arched windows. Later additions only enhanced that quality, adding complexity to the form but maintaining the original structure’s character by matching materials and using similar roof profiles.
By 1915 the city had purchased the water utility. Its use as a pumping station was abandoned in 1964 when the building was remodeled for office and maintenance use. Unfortunately, it was at this time that the city removed an attractive cupola. Ironically, for a building built to provide water for fire protection, the old pumping station suffered a major fire in 1989. The roof, windows, and interior were almost completely destroyed.
The damage was major, and demolition seemed the only option. But under pressure from local preservationists, the city instead offered to sell the burned-out building to a private party for reuse. The city warily required in the sale of the building that the exterior be restored to the Wisconsin Historical Society’s standards and that a restrictive covenant be placed on the deed, requiring that future maintenance and modifications be approved by the city."