The Building
In 1929, the Racine Common Council began the process of creating a new City Hall. The council received two design proposals: one from local architect J. Mandor Matson and another from a Chicago firm. The mayor and aldermen selected Matson's scheme, dismissing the Chicago firm's designs as "too frilly." Matson's plans for the building, initially included a prominent tower, which Matson claimed represented "the best in the modern trend of city hall designing" and added "just the right final touch." Several members of the Common Council, however, were opposed to the tower on aesthetic and budgetary concerns. Eventually, economics won out, and Matson removed the tower from the design.
The Architect
J. Mandor Matson (1890-1963) was a Norwegian-born architect who lived in Racine most of his life. Matson designed buildings across Wisconsin in a number of styles including Art Deco, Mediterranean Revival, Tudor Revival, Collegiate Gothic, and International. Notable Racine commissions include William Horlick High School, Washington Park High School, Henry Mitchell School, the United Layment [sic - Laymen] Bible Student Tabernacle, the Granada Theater, the Bull Manor Apartments, and the Washington Park Recreation Center.
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[1.] Matson's design for City Hall exemplifies the Neoclassical style, popular in Wisconsin between 1895 and 1935, following the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Millions of visitors to the "White City" helped popularize the style in towns across the country. The Neoclassical style was especially popular for institutional, commercial, and government buildings.
This postcard view, produced around 1935, shows the original setting of the building, including the broad lawn, flagpole, and decorative light standards.
Image Property of Racine Heritage Museum Archival Collection. All Rights Reserved.
[2.] Construction began in 1930 under the supervision of the Bongard Construction Company of Racine. The building is constructed of Indiana limestone over a steel framework (visible in photo above). The final cost of the building was approximately $500,000. After completion of the new City Hall, the old city hall building on 3rd Street was demolished in the early 1930s.
Image Property of Racine Heritage Museum Archival Collection. All Rights Reserved.
[3.] Racine's first City Hall was constructed in 1885 at the corner of 3rd and Main Streets. Within thirty years, the City had outgrown its space, and in 1929, Mayor William Armstrong announced plans to build a new City Hall on the former site of the Mitchell and Lewis Wagon Company.
Postcard view of Old City Hall, circa 1901-1904. Image Property of Racine Heritage Museum Archival Collection. All Rights Reserved.
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