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Magazine honors Beloit neighborhoods

Photo

Photo by Bill Olmsted

This home at 703 Park in Beloit is one of the reasons that the city was recently nominated as having the best "Old House Neighborhood" in Wisconsin by This Old House. Sereno T. Merrill, one of Beloit’s most important early industrialists, built this house in 1869. It is an example of the Italianate style.

Photo

Photo by Bill Olmsted

This home at 805 Church St. in Beloit is one of the reasons that the city was recently nominated as having the best "Old House Neighborhood" in Wisconsin by This Old House. This transitional Victorian home was built in 1905 by an astronomy professor at Beloit College. While the house has Victorian influence, it lacks the “gingerbread” trim and vertical style of a true Victorian, homeowner John Watrous said. “The tower is deceptive,” Watrous said. “Really, the house lacks a lot of architectural details.” The towers weren’t likely built for stargazing, Watrous said. The curved glass would have gotten in the way of equipment. “It’s only a block away from the college,” Watrous said. “Presumably he could have walked and observed the stars from the roof of the astronomy building.”

BELOIT — Rock County’s claim to be Wisconsin’s front porch is a bit stronger now that a home design and architecture magazine picked the city of Beloit as having some of the best neighborhoods in the nation.

“This Old House” magazine has chosen the city of Beloit as the “best old-house” community to represent Wisconsin in the third annual publication of the award.

The magazine annually picks one neighborhood or community from each state and one from Canada, according to the news release.

The contest is included in the March issue of the magazine, which is on newsstands now.

Judges take a variety of factors into consideration, including data from real estate and neighborhood associations. They also are looking for neighborhoods and communities with a “good feel,” “This Old House” spokeswoman Karen Affinito said.

“We’re looking for a sense of community,” Affinito said. “People sitting on front porches when the weather is nice, neighbors looking out for each other. That kind of thing.”

Contest criteria include architectural diversity, craftsmanship and preservation momentum as well as neighborhood amenities such as walkability and safety.

Rick McGrath, director of the Beloit Neighborhood Preservation Association, nominated the city for the award. The recognition is “big news” for Beloit, he said.

“To some extent, it’s validation of what I and what a lot of folks in and around Beloit already know,” McGrath said. “There’s a lot of good stuff going on in Beloit.”

The city has “taken it’s lumps,” so the positive recognition is appreciated McGrath said.

The neighborhood preservation association is experiencing a resurgence of interest after a several-years-long lapse, he said.

The home featured in a photo in the magazine’s Web edition of the award is a transitional Victorian home on Church Street near the Beloit College campus. It is owned by Natalie Gummor and John Watrous.

Watrous was pleased to see Beloit get some positive press.

“We’re very excited,” he said. “We hope the community gets some nice recognition. I think all of Rock County could use some positive publicity.”