Lake Geneva in Walworth County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Lake Geneva Public Library

Photographed By Sean Flynn, February 19, 2024

1. The Lake Geneva Public Library Marker

Inscription. Between 1895 and 1954, the Lake Geneva Public Library was housed in a wooden house on this site. the house had been built by Geneva attorney Asa W. Farr in the late 1850's. During the Civil War, Farr was a lieutenant in the Union Army. Unarmed, he was brutally murdered by William Quantrill's Confederate guerillas in Baxter Springs, Kansas. On October 6, 1863. After his death, his widow, Elizabeth A. Farr, sold the house to George & Mary Sturges. At the urging of James Simmons, the house was donated to the city as a public library in 1894 by Mary D. Sturges.

The current Lake Geneva Public Library was designed by James Dresser, a distinguished student of the famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Dedicated on December 12, 1954, the library is Wright's "Prairie Style". James Dresser designed it with wide, long windows that afford a magnificent view of Geneva Lake.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1895.

Location. 42° 35.497′ N, 88° 26.277′ W. Marker is in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, in Walworth County. Marker is on Main Street (Wisconsin Route 50) west of Cook Street, on the right when traveling east. The marker is to the right of the Main Street entrance

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to the Lake Geneva Public Library. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 918 West Main Street, Lake Geneva WI 53147, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Historic Lake Geneva (within shouting distance of this marker); Maple Park (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Poppy (about 500 feet away); Veterans Memorial (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named Maple Park (about 600 feet away); The Riviera (about 700 feet away); Main Street Historic District (about 700 feet away); a different marker also named Maple Park (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lake Geneva.

More about this marker. The main plaque includes a photo of the original library building, which is referenced in the inscription. Above the plaque is an oval plaque denoting the history of the current building, which was constructed in 1954.

Regarding The Lake Geneva Public Library. Asa Walton Farr was born in Vermont and began his legal career in Massachusetts, where he founded a firm with Benjamin Butler, who would become a famed politician and Union general lawyer. In the 1850s Farr moved to Lake Geneva in the 1850s, where he continued his legal career and served a term in the Wisconsin legislature. He volunteered

Photographed By Sean Flynn, February 19, 2024

2. The Lake Geneva Public Library Marker

for the Union Army at the outset of the Civil War, and became assistant quartermaster for the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment, which was sent Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where it spent most of the war. Lieutenant Farr was killed in the Baxter Springs Massacre in 1863. Farr's widow sold the lakefront property they lived on to George Sturges, the founder of the Illinois Savings and Trust, and his wife Mary. Sturges died at age 52 in 1890 and four years later Mary donated the land to become the Lake Geneva library.

Architect James Dresser, who designed the current library structure, served as an apprentice in Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin Fellowship program in the 1940s. He eventually set up his practice in Lake Delton, Wisconsin, about 125 miles northwest of Lake Geneva. He died in 2011.

Also see . . .
1. Architect James Dresser.

Excerpt: "The Lake Geneva Public Library (1954) in Lake Geneva is another of Dresser’s designs. An angular roof shelters this architectural gem with wide, overhanging eaves. Beneath the highest roof peak is the building’s central section, each end framed by windows trimmed in dark wood forming geometric patterns. The main entrance is accessed at the front of this section, while the lake’s views can be enjoyed at the back. Bands of glass emphasize the building’s horizontal lines
Photographed By Sean Flynn, February 19, 2024

3. The Lake Geneva Public Library from the west
and provide other expansive views of the lake outside, inviting patrons to sit and read while soaking in nature from the low-ceilinged space. A large, brick chimney appears to pin the building to the ground. The brick continues inside, further blending the exterior into the interior."

(Submitted on February 19, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. A Walk Through Pioneer Cemetery. A look at some of the people buried at Lake Geneva's Pioneer Cemetery includes a brief bio of Asa W. Farr, whose homesite would later be used for the city's public library. (Submitted on February 19, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

3. Remember the Sturges Ladies. From At The Lake magazine (Submitted on February 19, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Original Lake Geneva library building image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Sean Flynn, February 19, 2024

4. Original Lake Geneva library building

A close-up of the photo on the plaque showing the original library structure, which was razed in the 1950s and replaced by the current building.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 20, 2024. It was originally submitted on February 19, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 53 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 19, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.