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in 1876 and arrived in
Medford with his family in 1884, seven years old. In 1909 he was appointed Postmaster of Medford. At that time, the federal government had no publicly owned post office in Medford, so Benn proceeded to build his own (not unusual at the time), right in the center of the city's
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In its correctness and adherence to architectural principles that guide the application of the
Classical Orders, proportions, and symmetrical façade elements, the Benn block in Medford represents on a local level one of the finer Beaux-Arts Classical public buildings in
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of leaves, a garland, and the name "J W BENN". (The NRHP nomination form linked below gives a more detailed architectural description.) Inside, the first floor housed the post office and the second floor was living quarters.
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appointed his replacement, but his building was
Medford's post office until 1938, when the U.S. government built
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215:. He died in 1955. After 1938, Benn's building housed a tavern, Gruener's bakery, and now Damm Accounting.
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Architectural historian Steve
Sennott explains the building's significance in his NRHP nomination:
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business district. For this important building he chose an elegant style, suggestive of
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Commercial buildings on the
National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin
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National
Register of Historic Places listings in Taylor County, Wisconsin
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front of his building is in Beaux-Arts
Classical style, symmetric with
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National
Register of Historic Places in Taylor County, Wisconsin
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flanking each door. Above the second-story windows are an
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Buildings and structures in Taylor County, Wisconsin
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268:. US Dept. of the Interior. National Park Service
156:. John W. Benn had it built in 1912 as a private
203:Benn served as postmaster only until 1913, when
152:-styled commercial building located in downtown
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262:"Benn, J.W., Building (Medford Post Office)"
209:Medford's first public post office building
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35:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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336:Commercial buildings completed in 1912
291:"National Register Information System"
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331:Beaux-Arts architecture in Wisconsin
296:National Register of Historic Places
162:National Register of Historic Places
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341:1912 establishments in Wisconsin
266:NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form
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260:Sennott, Steve (1983-04-05).
16:United States historic place
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167:John W. Benn was born in
122:NRHP reference
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112:Architectural style
160:. It was added to the
301:National Park Service
88:45.13721°N 90.3442°W
146:J. W. Benn Building
84: /
58:202–204 S. Main St.
27:J. W. Benn Building
154:Medford, Wisconsin
150:Beaux-Arts-Classic
93:45.13721; -90.3442
61:Medford, Wisconsin
213:Register of Deeds
197:relief sculptures
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138:December 22, 1983
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205:President Wilson
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303:. July 9, 2010.
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195:decorated with
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279:four photos.
270:. Retrieved
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174:ancient Rome
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189:entablature
158:post office
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67:Coordinates
315:Categories
272:2015-03-04
238:References
221:Wisconsin.
116:Beaux-Arts
79:90°20′39″W
76:45°08′14″N
181:limestone
164:in 1983.
226:See also
129:83004320
55:Location
193:cornice
169:Germany
277:With
148:is a
104:Built
191:and
179:The
144:The
107:1912
124:No.
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