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Anton & Rosalia Krenz House

 

In 1874, the Washington County tax assessor made his rounds in Stillwater, assigning a taxable value on each lot. When he came to the lot at 320 South Holcombe Street, he penciled in a note: "$1100 added for house." The German-born couple, Anton and Rosalia Krenz, had purchased the lot two years earlier. Anton was a masonry contractor, so it is not surprising that his house, built in 1874, is brick. He was considered an excellent workman, and the fact his house, now 134 years old, remains in good condition is a testament to that fact.

Anton and his family of five moved into the house when it was built. In 1909, Anton sold the south 50 feet of his lot to his son, August, who had already built the house at 316 South Holcombe. (See the entry for 316 S. Holcombe St.) After Anton’s death in 1924 at the age of 88, Anton’s descendants continued to live in the house until 1955.

The house is a particularly attractive example of the Italianate style in Stillwater. It has a typical hip roof with the chimney in the center. The windows are rounded at the top, with very graceful brick hoods and wooden sills. As with many houses of this period, it has a front exterior door on the second floor. Under the eaves are the characteristic decorative brackets. The original windows, two-pane over two-pane, as well as the four-pane over four-pane storm windows remain on the house. The graceful portico over the front door was built about six years ago, replacing an earlier, simpler, version.

Inside, the house has a remarkably original floor plan with few changes over the last 135 years. Upstairs the floor has its original wide pine boards. J.D. and Cherlyn Wichser purchased the house from her parents in 1996, and they have proved to be wonderful stewards of the house showing great respect for its historical integrity.

For other brick houses in Stillwater, see: 504 W. Mulberry St., 820 N. Owens St.

Source(s): Information complied by Donald Empson, Empson Archives on 2/3/2009. Building date and value is from the original annual tax assessors’ rolls, 1878-1886 (on microfilm in the St. Croix Collection, Stillwater Public Library) 1873-1884; biographical information is from the 1880 U.S. Census. Anton’s obituary is in the Stillwater Daily Gazette, October 1, 1924. The original deed is in Book X of Deeds, page 175. In 1909, Anton sold the south 50 feet of his lot to his son, August, who built 316 South Holcombe as recorded in Book 72 Deeds, page 36. The 1879 Bird’s Eye View Map of Stillwater displays the house. The house is mentioned as an improvement in the city for 1874 in the Stillwater Gazette, January 6, 1875.

Washington County Parcel Identification Number (PIN): 2803020340051

Common Property Name: Anton & Rosalia Krenz House

Neighborhood: Ferdinand Schultz 5 Acre Addition

State Historic Preservation Office Inventory Number: WA-SWC-1721

Construction Date: 1874

Builder: Krenz, Anton

Architect:

Architectural Style: Italianate