National Register of Historic Places

Wakeley-Giles Commercial Building

Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin
Listed
February 23, 1988
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
88000081

About this property

The Wakeley-Giles Commercial Building is a historic building at 117–119 E. Mifflin Street in Madison, Wisconsin. It was built circa 1869 as rental housing and was converted to commercial use in the 1880s. The building's name comes from its first two owners, attorney Charles Wakeley and H.H. Giles. In 1911, Norwegian American author and publisher Rasmus B. Anderson moved the offices of his newspaper Amerika into the building. Anderson founded the newspaper in 1898 after becoming an established scholar of Norwegian and Scandinavian history in order to spread his views to the Norwegian American community. The paper had a peak circulation of roughly 10,000 subscribers, placing it in the top ten Norwegian American newspapers nationally at the time. Anderson closed the newspaper and retired in 1922, and the building was used by the Kilgore Printing Company from then until the 1970s. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 and on the State Register of Historic Places the following year.

Location

117--119 E. Mifflin St.
Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin
43.07657, -89.38334

Categories

EUROPEAN
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Wakeley-Giles Commercial Building

This page lists Wakeley-Giles Commercial Building. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Wakeley-Giles Commercial Building report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Belmont Hotel
Industrial
0 mi
American Exchange Bank
Industrial
0.1 mi
Lamp, Robert M., House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Wisconsin State Capitol
Industrial
0.1 mi
Thompson's Block
Industrial
0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Wisconsin — Civil War Mutiny — 14th Wisconsin Infantry
1862Civil War
0.9 mi

Questions about this property

When was Wakeley-Giles Commercial Building listed on the National Register?

Wakeley-Giles Commercial Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 23, 1988.

What type of historic resource is Wakeley-Giles Commercial Building?

Wakeley-Giles Commercial Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Wakeley-Giles Commercial Building?

The period of significance for Wakeley-Giles Commercial Building is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Wakeley-Giles Commercial Building?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Wakeley-Giles Commercial Building will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Dane County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Dane County.

Explore DaneCounty ›

More historic places in Wisconsin

Browse all historic places in Wisconsin.

View Wisconsinhistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Wisconsin history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Wisconsinhistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Wakeley-Giles Commercial Building will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report