Washington Avenue Historic District (Cedarburg, Wisconsin)
Washington Avenue Historic District is the historic center of Cedarburg, Wisconsin, the location of the early industry and commerce that was key to the community's development. The historic district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1986. The district has 80 contributing buildings and one contributing structure in a area. Many of the buildings in this district that were built between the 1840s and the early 1900s were built out of locally mined limestone and fieldstone. Of these buildings, many are in vernacular style, but three other architectural styles  are represented: Greek Revival, Italianate, and Queen Anne. The district includes the Hilgen and Wittenberg Woolen Mills and Cedarburg Mill, which are listed separately on the NRHP. Background. In 1842 Ludwig Groth bought land that would become the village of Cedarburg and in 1844 platted the village. Fredrick Hilgen arrived after 1845 and built a gristmill on Cedar Creek. Over the years, and with business partners, Hilgen also started a sawmill, a planing factory, and a woolen mill. In 1870 the Milwaukee and Northern Railway arrived, opening up new markets. In 1885 the city of Cedarburg incorporated. Some Pivotal Buildings . The Hilgen and Wittenberg Woolen Mill and the Cedarburg Mill are separately entered in the NRHP. These are also considered "pivotal" by the NRHP nomination: Lincoln and Washington Buildings. The Lincoln and Washington buildings were built to be used as public schools. The Lincoln building, constructed in 1894, was originally intended to serve grades one through twelve, but as a result of the growing population of Cedarburg, a high school was built not far from the Lincoln Building. This building, named the Washington Building, was constructed in 1908. The Lincoln Building then only served first through eighth graders. Later the  first though fifth graders were moved to the Hacker Building, just west and south along the school campus playground. In 1956, when the high school, was moved to its current location, and grades four and five occupied the Washington Building, with grades six through eight housed in the Lincoln Building. The grade school complex included a red brick gymnasium facing on Washington Ave. Eventually a new elementary school was built, the Westlawn Elementary School. The middle school, serving sixth and seventh graders, took over the Washington and Hacker buildings and still controlled the Lincoln building and the gymnasium. Sixth graders  were taught in the Hacker building. The seventh grade was divided into two groups. One group went to the Lincoln Building, the other to the Washington building. Students at both schools shared the gymnasium. In 1973, the middle school was moved to Webster Transitional School. The Lincoln and Washington buildings were renovated in 1987. The Washington building is now the Cedarburg City Hall and the Lincoln building is now the Cedarburg Senior Center. The Hacker building is now an apartment complex.