2004 Preservation Awards
Willett S. Main II Building
107–109 State Street, Mifflin façade
[photo: Larry Lester]
Willett S. Main II Building
107–109 State Street, Mifflin façade
John Caputo, owner
John Freiburger, project manager
Award: Commercial restoration
John Caputo, the owner of the Willett S. Main II building at 107–109 State Street, carries on a family tradition of taking care of Madison’s historic structures. His father, Carlo Caputo, once owned much of the south side of State Street’s 100 block before John and his siblings each took ownership of one building.
The Main II building is named for Willett S. Main, an early Madison developer who several decades earlier built the adjacent Main I building, which houses Myles’ Teddywedgers. This second building carrying his name, Main II, was built in 1894 in a Madison version of the Romanesque Revival style. Over the years it housed grocery stores and shoe stores, and is currently home of House of Wisconsin Cheese. The recently vacated Bookworks site is now available.
Last fall, John undertook a personal challenge to begin restoring the brick and limestone two-story structure with the help of well-known restoration project manager John Freiburger. Together, and with Caputo’s own funds, they peeled away the exterior of the backside of the building, on W. Mifflin Street, to see what was left. Like many old commercial buildings, it had been covered with unflattering siding and signage.
With clues from the State Street façade, Freiburger’s experience with historic buildings, and committed work by Bachmann Construction, paint was removed, limestone column capitals were carved, and a cornice was reproduced. Inside House of Wisconsin Cheese, windows were opened up and a tin ceiling was partially uncovered, spurring future plans for an interior restoration. Caputo’s future plans include replacing the door to the second floor and the second story windows, as well as taking on the State Street façade in 2005.
The Trust board felt that this project deserved special recognition. Given the building’s historic significance, its location on a block so close to the new Overture Center, and the fairly rare occurrence of a property owner putting a substantial chunk of his own money into the restoration of a downtown treasure.
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Other 2004 Award Winners
Willett S. Main II Building
