the laverty-martindale house: an early pioneer-era “steamboat” italiante style la crosse residence

the laverty-martindale house (1859) house was built for thomas laverty, an english sailor who came to wisconsin in the late 1850s. laverty fought in the civil war, and returned disabled from his service and was unable to complete construction of the house.

in 1868, stephen martindale bought the the house from laverty and completed work on the two-story wood frame home. in 1884, numerous additions and alterations were made to the house including an extension of the north wing and various interior improvements.

stephen martindale took over ownership of the house in 1906. stephen martindale added central heating, a modern bathroom and electric lighting. the 1906 modernization and alterations were the last major changes made to the home until the restorations of the late 1970s.

katharine martindale, the third generation of her family in la crosse, lived in the family home until her death in 1977.

images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2021.