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A: Yes, there probably are some, but it really depends
on your definition of “Magnificent Mansions” and your criteria for “worthy of remembrance.”
First of all, let’s review the original Sept. 3, 2006, Tribune article. The following “mansions,” no longer in existence, were featured: The Cargill House, 235 West Ave. S.; the Gile House, 110 West Ave. S.; the Easton House, 1305 Cass St.; the Gundersen House, 1509 King St.; the Marston House, 324 West Ave. S.; the Witkee House, 1205 Main St.; and the Sutor House, 1105 King St., which was actually taken apart and reassembled in Hollandale, Wis.
In this article, author Ken Brekke mentioned that there is no definitive list of razed mansions that should be remembered in the city. He invited readers to disagree with the list or come up with their own. With that in mind, here are three other residences that could make such a list.
The Dorset-Colwell home at 330 S. Sixth St. This home was built around 1888 or 1889 by the Rev. Charles P. Dorset, who had married Nannie Hammer Colwell, widow of Capt. Wilson Colwell of the La Crosse Light Guard, who was killed in the Civil War. The home actually replaced another mansion located nearly in the same
spot that was known as “Stevens Reserve.” The Dorset-Colwell home was razed in 1966.
A block away from the Dorset-Colwell house was the P. S. Davidson mansion at 225 S. Sixth St. This was built in the late 1860s by Peyton S. Davidson, whose La Crosse boat yards turned out some of the finest steamboats on the Mississippi River. After the Davidsons left La Crosse in 1899, the home housed some commercial enterprises, most notably the Marinello Co., a cosmetic manufacturing company owned and operated by Ruth Maurer. Maurer erected a three-floor addition to the Davidson home to accommodate her expanding business during the 1920s before eventually moving to New York. The Davidson mansion was razed in 1965.
The Louis Hirshheimer residence at 523 S. 16th St. is one that not many people would remember because it was destroyed in a fire in 1932. When it was built in 1859, it was one of the first mansions in the city. It also stood in solitary splendor, as this area was all prairie in 1859. It was also believed to be the first house in the city with a cupola. Ruth Maurer and her husband Albert, who was a physician, lived in this house during the 1890s.
Some might argue that these three are not worthy, while others might say more should be included. As Ken Brekke advised — make your own list.
In cooperation with the La Crosse Public Library, the Tribune invites readers to call or e-mail questions of local interest. We’ll try to find the answers and publish them. The phone number for Ask the Trib is (608) 791-8450. Send questions by e-mail to news@lacrossetribune.com.
