HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 5 Landmarks - Sign N Main St Historic DistrictThe North Main Street Historic District is comprised of commercial and civic structures
erected between 1874 and 1940. The district’s architectural styles include Italianate,
Queen Anne, Gothic Revival, Richardsonian Romanesque Revival, Neo-Classical
Revival, Art Moderne and Vernacular. The boundary extends from Parkway Avenue to
Algoma Boulevard and also includes the Grand Opera House, Soldiers’ Monument and
buildings on Market Street.1 The district was placed on the National Register of Historic
Places in 1996.
North Main Street was known as Ferry Street prior to 1868,2 and early businesses were
concentrated near the Fox River. The arrival of the railroad in 18583 sparked an
economic boom, and new businesses expanded farther up North Main Street. In 1859,
1866, 1874 and 1875 fires destroyed much of the area. After each fire the citizens of
Oshkosh rebuilt and thrived.
Development on North Main Street continued into the early twentieth century. Raulf
Hotel and First National Bank were among the first high-rise buildings in the city.
Construction activity halted during the Great Depression but resumed after World War
II. In the post-war period several buildings were altered and some razed to modernize
the commercial center of the city.4
North Main Street experienced a revival at the beginning of the twenty-first century.
Opera House Square was expanded into a full city block and made a focal gathering
point.5 A major motion picture was filmed using the district’s historic buildings as the
backdrop. Reinvestment and redevelopment of historic structures and green space on
North Main Street has led to new economic opportunities and recreational activities in
the center of Oshkosh.
1 National Register Application for North Main Street (1995) https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/cce082cc-99ed-
4e00-b14b-7b2665f34878. Sec 7, Pages 1-11
2 1868 Oshkosh City Directory the first director to refer to “Main Street”
3 Oshkosh Courier- Wednesday, July 28, 1858./ NorthWestern Lines, 2012, Number 3, page 16-25
4 National Register Application for North Main Street (1995) Section 8, Page 6
5 ACommemorativeAHistoryAofASoldiers’AMonument
https://www.oshkoshpubliclibrary.org/sites/oshkoshpubliclibrary.org/files/Local%20History/Commemorative_Hist
ory_of_Soldiers_Monument.pdf