Mabel Tainter Memorial Building
Encyclopedia
The Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts, originally named the Mabel Tainter Memorial Building and also known as the Mabel Tainter Theater, is a historic landmark in Menomonie, Wisconsin
, and is registered on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
.
The building was commissioned by Captain and Mrs. Andrew Tainter (whose son's house, the Louis Smith Tainter House, is also on the National Register), to honor their late daughter Mabel Tainter, who died in 1886 at age 19. The lumber baron's daughter had enjoyed music and the arts, so the building was designed to serve those areas and no expense was spared by the parents. Designed by Harvey Ellis
in the Richardsonian Romanesque
style, the building was completed in 1889.
The Mabel Tainter Memorial Building, which cost approximately $125,000, was donated by Captain and Mrs. Tainter to the private Mabel Tainter Literary, Library and Education Society to own and manage the building. As stated at the time, "In accordance with her wish, the father and mother have felt the fittest monument to the dear dead is a contribution to the welfare of the living."
The building was dedicated on July 3, 1890, with a ceremony in the building's theater. Featured guests were Captain and Mrs. Tainter, Menomonie's mayor and common council, and the president of the Mabel Tainter Literary, Library and Education Society, L. S. Tainter, a brother of the late Mabel. The presentation address was given by Rev. H. D. Maxson, a Unitarian minister who had been instrumental in working with the Tainter family in developing the idea for the building. The trust was accepted by S, W, Hunt, and the dedicatory address was delivered by Rev. J. H. Crocker of Madison, Wisconsin
.
Until Captain Tainter's death in 1899, he provided the funds to cover the operating costs of the building. At his death, he established an endowment fund of $65,000 for the society. By 1925, the endowment had grown to $105,000 through legacies left by other members of the Tainter family and other individuals.
The exterior stone is Dunnville sandstone quarried from along the Red Cedar River
about six miles south of town. Ellis used Moorish
influences in addition to the Richardsonian Romanesque
style that guided most of his work. The interior contains hand-stenciled walls and ceilings, marble staircase and floors, stained glass windows, four fireplaces, brass fixtures and walnut and oak woodwork. The building still has its original Stearns and Foster pipe organ
, with a total of 1597 pipes and 28 stops; originally water-powered, it was eventually converted to electric power and completely restored. The building included both an ornate 313-seat theater and a reading room.
The building was intended to be the home of the Unitarian
Society of Menomonie. The original deed to the society gave the Unitarian Society free use of the auditorium, assembly room, parlors, ladies' work room and young men's club room. It continues to meet there on a regular basis.
As the name of the society indicates, the building was also intended to become Menomonie's public library, replacing the public library in second-floor rooms across Main Street. The city library donated (subject to recall) 745 of its 3,000 volumes to the new library, distributing the rest to the public schools. The city also provided $200 a year to the new library. The Mabel Tainter Memorial Library opened January 21, 1891 with 3,000 volumes. By 1925 the collection included 16,374 volumes, 2,577 public documents, and 3,930 pamphlets. The private library was open to any resident of the county.
Needing more space and better accessability, the Menomonie Public library moved to a new single story building in 1986, but the Reading Room, which originally part of the library, remains a public reading room with various periodicals.
The facility is home to most productions of the Menomonie Theater Guild.
Although the historic elegance and beauty remain intact at the Mabel Tainter Memorial Building, construction was recently completed to update the building's accessibility and safety features. A new entrance, public elevator, new wiring, a sprinkler system, and other safety updates were installed to improve the facility and ensure its longevity in historic downtown Menomonie.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, is a charter member of the League of Historic American Theatres and a designated Wisconsin Historical Marker Site.
Note: Information about the Tainter Memorial assembled for National Register listing some decades ago has been superseded by later historical research, and in fact in recent years the Register information has been modified to reflect the conclusion that Ellis
did not design the building. More likely Edgar E. Joralemon, who replaced Ellis in Buffington's office, did.
Menomonie, Wisconsin
Two other spellings of the name appear elsewhere, see Menomonee and Menominee. For the town, see Menomonie .Menomonie is a city in and the county seat of Dunn County in the western part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The city's population was 16,264 as of the 2010 census...
, and is registered on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The building was commissioned by Captain and Mrs. Andrew Tainter (whose son's house, the Louis Smith Tainter House, is also on the National Register), to honor their late daughter Mabel Tainter, who died in 1886 at age 19. The lumber baron's daughter had enjoyed music and the arts, so the building was designed to serve those areas and no expense was spared by the parents. Designed by Harvey Ellis
Harvey Ellis
Harvey Ellis was an architect, perspective renderer and painter. He worked in Rochester, New York; Utica, New York; St. Paul, Minnesota; Minneapolis, Minnesota; St. Joseph, Missouri; St...
in the Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...
style, the building was completed in 1889.
The Mabel Tainter Memorial Building, which cost approximately $125,000, was donated by Captain and Mrs. Tainter to the private Mabel Tainter Literary, Library and Education Society to own and manage the building. As stated at the time, "In accordance with her wish, the father and mother have felt the fittest monument to the dear dead is a contribution to the welfare of the living."
The building was dedicated on July 3, 1890, with a ceremony in the building's theater. Featured guests were Captain and Mrs. Tainter, Menomonie's mayor and common council, and the president of the Mabel Tainter Literary, Library and Education Society, L. S. Tainter, a brother of the late Mabel. The presentation address was given by Rev. H. D. Maxson, a Unitarian minister who had been instrumental in working with the Tainter family in developing the idea for the building. The trust was accepted by S, W, Hunt, and the dedicatory address was delivered by Rev. J. H. Crocker of Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
.
Until Captain Tainter's death in 1899, he provided the funds to cover the operating costs of the building. At his death, he established an endowment fund of $65,000 for the society. By 1925, the endowment had grown to $105,000 through legacies left by other members of the Tainter family and other individuals.
The exterior stone is Dunnville sandstone quarried from along the Red Cedar River
Red Cedar River (Wisconsin)
The Red Cedar River in northwestern Wisconsin, is a tributary of the Chippewa River, flowing approximately 85 miles from Lake Chetek, a reservoir in southwestern Sawyer County, through a small chain of lakes, including Birch Lake at Birchwood, Balsam Lake in Washburn County and Red Cedar Lake in...
about six miles south of town. Ellis used Moorish
Moorish architecture
Moorish architecture is the western term used to describe the articulated Berber-Islamic architecture of North Africa and Al-Andalus.-Characteristic elements:...
influences in addition to the Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...
style that guided most of his work. The interior contains hand-stenciled walls and ceilings, marble staircase and floors, stained glass windows, four fireplaces, brass fixtures and walnut and oak woodwork. The building still has its original Stearns and Foster pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
, with a total of 1597 pipes and 28 stops; originally water-powered, it was eventually converted to electric power and completely restored. The building included both an ornate 313-seat theater and a reading room.
The building was intended to be the home of the Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
Society of Menomonie. The original deed to the society gave the Unitarian Society free use of the auditorium, assembly room, parlors, ladies' work room and young men's club room. It continues to meet there on a regular basis.
As the name of the society indicates, the building was also intended to become Menomonie's public library, replacing the public library in second-floor rooms across Main Street. The city library donated (subject to recall) 745 of its 3,000 volumes to the new library, distributing the rest to the public schools. The city also provided $200 a year to the new library. The Mabel Tainter Memorial Library opened January 21, 1891 with 3,000 volumes. By 1925 the collection included 16,374 volumes, 2,577 public documents, and 3,930 pamphlets. The private library was open to any resident of the county.
Needing more space and better accessability, the Menomonie Public library moved to a new single story building in 1986, but the Reading Room, which originally part of the library, remains a public reading room with various periodicals.
The facility is home to most productions of the Menomonie Theater Guild.
Although the historic elegance and beauty remain intact at the Mabel Tainter Memorial Building, construction was recently completed to update the building's accessibility and safety features. A new entrance, public elevator, new wiring, a sprinkler system, and other safety updates were installed to improve the facility and ensure its longevity in historic downtown Menomonie.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, is a charter member of the League of Historic American Theatres and a designated Wisconsin Historical Marker Site.
Note: Information about the Tainter Memorial assembled for National Register listing some decades ago has been superseded by later historical research, and in fact in recent years the Register information has been modified to reflect the conclusion that Ellis
Harvey Ellis
Harvey Ellis was an architect, perspective renderer and painter. He worked in Rochester, New York; Utica, New York; St. Paul, Minnesota; Minneapolis, Minnesota; St. Joseph, Missouri; St...
did not design the building. More likely Edgar E. Joralemon, who replaced Ellis in Buffington's office, did.
External links
- 'Love's noble tribute'; Menomonie restores a landmark's Victorian glamour and renovates its legacy; Kempfert, Tammy, PortalWisconsin.org