Bentley, Merman, and Skogstad Architectural Drawings


Summary Information
Title: Bentley, Merman, and Skogstad Architectural Drawings
Date: 1918-1934

Creator:
  • Bentley & Merman (La Crosse, Wis.)., Merman & Skogstad (La Crosse, Wis.).
Unique Identifier: MSS 070, Micro 25

Quantity: 0.7 cubic feet

Physical Description: 7 rolls of 35 mm microfilm

Repository:
La Crosse Public Library
Contact Information

Archival Location:
La Crosse Public Library (Map)

Abstract:
An architectural design firm of La Crosse, Wis., called variously Bentley and Merman, Merman and Skogstad, and Otto Merman Architect. The architects involved were Percy D. Bentley (1885-1968), Otto A. Merman (1890-1935) and Herbert W. Skogstad (d. 1929). Bentley was a La Crosse native who attended the Armour Institute in Chicago. During his brief practice with Merman in La Crosse, the two designed a large number of distinguished Prairie School residences. After Bentley’s departure in 1919, former assistant and partner Otto A. Merman associated with Herbert W. Skogstad from 1922-1929. Skogstad was a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the nature of commissions expanded after this partnership was established to include work for local institutions and businesses as well as residences. Merman continued the practice solo after Skogstad’s death in 1929 until his death in 1935.

The microfilmed records are of architectural drawings of buildings designed by these professional associations consist of nearly 300 projects, just over half of which are residential in type. Another quarter of the designs were for commercial buildings, the remaining quarter for public buildings and schools. Most projects were commissioned for locations in La Crosse and other Wisconsin cities with a few in Minnesota and one each in Iowa and Indiana.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.lcpl-mss070
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OCLC Number

17271287

Acquisitions Information

(Accession No. 2004-13) Purchased through regular Special Collections materials budget, 2003, from the Wisconsin Historical Society. WHS Micro 1107 P95-1756 through P95-1762

This microfilm was produced by the Wisconsin Historical Society in 1987.

Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for patron use.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Bentley, Merman, and Skogstad Architectural Drawings, MSS 070, La Crosse Public Library Archives, La Crosse, WI

Processing Information

Processed by Anita Taylor Doering, June 2004, based on a WHS finding aid by Fritz Knoble

Arrangement

Almost 300 project drawings are included on these seven reels of microfilm, and are arranged by state, therein alphabetically by city name and include the date of the design. For cities with more than one project, such as La Crosse, the business name or person who commissioned the project are listed alphabetically under that city’s name.

Scope and Contents

An architectural design firm of La Crosse, Wis., called variously Bentley and Merman, Merman and Skogstad, and Otto Merman Architect.

The largest number of projects are for La Crosse, Wis., but other Wisconsin cities are represented, as well as Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota. Other cities that have a fair amount of representation are Wisconsin cities Galesville, Sparta, West Salem, and in Minnesota, Winona. Some unidentified client projects are filmed at the end of the seventh roll.

Historical Note

Percy Dwight Bentley was born in La Crosse, Wis., in 1885. He studied at Ohio Wesleyan University as a member of the non-graduating class of 1907. In September of 1906, Bentley entered Chicago’s Armour Institute and again in September of 1909.

Between 1907 and 1910, Bentley worked in La Crosse for Wells Bennett as a draftsman when not in school. In 1910, he formed a brief partnership with William Bajari, hiring Otto Merman as a draftsman. Both Merman and Bentley left La Crosse around 1913 or 1914 and headed for the Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, area where Bentley became associated with Charles Hausler for about a decade. He returned to La Crosse periodically and he and Merman formally announced their partnership in La Crosse at the end of December 1917.(1) Their offices were at 210 Linker Building.

By 1921 Bentley had moved to St. Paul permanently until he later moved to Eugene, OR, about 1939. His architectural work, along with that of other architects, was honored by the Roswell, NM, Chamber of Commerce and Museum. The Chamber honored “a group of progressive American architects who lived and designed in the period 1900-1920.”(2) Bentley died in Eugene in Feb. 1968.(3) His obituary said he was a protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright and noted some residential structures of his design, such as 1634 King St., 1212 and 1222 Cass St., and 2425 Main St. Certainly Bentley’s legacy is his influence of the Prairie Style on residential architecture in the early twentieth century in La Crosse.(4)

Otto A. Merman was also born in La Crosse, Wis., in April 1890. He received his early training in the offices of architects Parkinson & Dockendorff from about 1907 to 1910. He moved to Minneapolis for a short time and returned to La Crosse to form a partnership with Percy Bentley. When Bentley moved permanently to St. Paul in about 1919, Merman assumed the practice. Merman began to specialize in public buildings, particularly schools.

In 1922 Merman associated with Herbert W. Skogstad until Skogstad’s death in 1929 at 39 years of age.(5) Merman continued to design many public buildings as well as some commercial and residential buildings. Otto Merman died at age 45 in June 1935.(6)

Resources consulted:

1 “Bentley & Merman New Designers Here: Percy Bentley in Partnership with Local Man,” La Crosse Tribune, Dec. 27, 1917, p.2. 2 “Bentley Work Recognized: Former City Architect Feted by Roswell, N.M.,” La Crosse Tribune, Jan. 23, 1957. 3 “Architect P. D. Bentley Dies at 83,” La Crosse Tribune, Feb. 8, 1968. 4 Rausch, Joan H. and Richard Zeitlin, Historic La Crosse: Architecural and Historic Record: A Summary of an Intensive Survey Report, (Architectural Researches, Inc. and Historical Resources, Inc.: 1984), p. 14. 5 “Funeral Services of H. W. Skogstad to be on Monday,” La Crosse Tribune, Sept. 15, 1929, p. 6. 6 “Otto Merman, Prominent as Architect, Dies,” La Crosse Tribune, June 3, 1935, p. 1.

Subject Terms
  • Bentley & Merman (La Crosse, Wis.).
  • Bentley, Percy Dwight, 1885-1968
  • Merman & Skogstad (La Crosse, Wis.).
  • Merman, Otto A.
  • Skogstad, Herbert W.
  • Architects--Wisconsin--La Crosse
  • Architecture, Domestic
  • Architecture--Designs and plans
  • School buildings
Contents List
(Series 1)
Series: Wisconsin
Reel 1
Alma: Tenney (Harry) house, 1930
Reel 1
Anitgo: Inter-State Oil Company, 1930
Reel 1
Arcadia: Maurer (Emil) house, 1921
Reel 1
Beaver Dam: Cities Services Oil Company, 1928
Reel 1
Beloit: Board of Industrial Education-Vocational School, 1925, 1934
Cashton
Reel 1
City of Cashton High School, 1926
Reel 1
Klinker Brothers, 1930
Reel 1
Rudolph (Frank) house, 1930
Reel 1
Store building, 1929
Reel 1
Chaseburg: Chaseburg Co-operative Creamery Company, 1931
Reel 1
Coon Valley: Moen (A. T.) house, 1925
Reel 1
Crystal Lake: Dahl (Harry) house, 1923
Reel 1
Eau Claire: Tri-State Ice Cream Corporation, 1927
Reel 1
Eau Galle: Town & Waterville School District 1, undated
Reel 1
Elroy: Leist (A. M.) house, 1926
Reel 1
Ferryville: Rutter (Hiram) house, 1926
Reel 1
Fountain City: Fugina (Paul) house, 1930
Galesville
Reel 1
Bank of Galesville, 1924
Reel 1
Boy Scouts, 1934
Reel 1
City of Galesville Library, 1920
Reel 1
Gale College, 1925
Reel 1
Hurley (R. F.) house, 1920
Reel 1
Powell (J. J.) house, 1924
Reel 1
Hillsboro: Robinson (Henry) house, 1926
Reel 1
Janesville: Inter-State Oil Company, 1920
La Crosse
Board of Education
Reel 1
Board of Education Building, 1920
Reel 1
Central High School, 1925
Reel 1
Franklin High School, 1930-1931
Reel 1
Hamilton School, 1926
Reel 1
Hogan School, 1920-1921
Reel 1
Jefferson School, 1930
Reel 1
Lincoln School, 1923-1927
Reel 1
Logan High School, 1927, 1933
Reel 1
North Branch School, 1923
Reel 1
Roosevelt School, 1931-1932
Reel 1
Washburn School, undate
Reel 1
Washington School, 1926, 1932
Reel 1
Webster School, 1927
Board of Park Commissioners
Reel 1
Copeland Park, 1934
Reel 1
Myrick Park Zoo, 1929-1930
Reel 1
Pettibone Island, 1925
Reel 1
Riverside Park Anderson Memorial Bandshell, 1930
City of La Crosse
Reel 1
Bleecher Stand, 1933
Reel 1
Building addition, 1923
Reel 1
Employment office, 1924
Reel 2
Market Square shed building, 1922
Reel 2
Vocational school, 1923
Reel 2
Miscellaneous, undated
County of La Crosse
Reel 2
Treasurer's Office, 1920
Reel 2
Old People's Home (Hillview), 1935
Reel 2
Advance Bedding Company, 1927
Reel 2
Allan's Store, 1932
Reel 2
Arenz (A. N.) house, 1924
Reel 2
Arenz Shoe Company, 1921, 1925, 1927
Reel 2
Auto Club of Western Wisconsin, 1924
Reel 2
Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) Club, 1921
Reel 2
Bartl (Joseph) house, 1927
Reel 2
Batavian National Bank, 1919-1920
Reel 2
Bannen (W. E.) house, 1924
Reel 2
Bayer (John) house, 1925
Reel 2
Becker (Nick) house, 1933
Reel 2
Benton Electric Company, 1921
Reel 2
Buetler (Joseph) house, 1928
Reel 2
Bicha (J. C.) house, 1928
Reel 2
Board of Industrial Education (vocational school), 1929
Reel 2
Boehm (Henry) house, 1927
Reel 2
Borresen (Lilly) house, 1931
Reel 2
Boyer (J. W.) house, 1927
Reel 2
Boy Scouts, undated
Reel 2
Bruha (Arthur) house, 1921
Reel 2
Burgess (Frank) house, 1933
Reel 2
Burton (Abby) house, 1925
Reel 2
Burton (George) house, 1922
Reel 2
Byers (Mark) house, 1921
Reel 2
Callaway (Charles) house, 1921
Reel 2
Cameron (M. D.) house, 1923
Reel 2
Cameron Motor Car Company, 1922
Reel 2
Cities Service Oil Company, 1926
Reel 2
Colman (C. E.) house, 1929
Reel 2
Dahl (Harry) house, 1929
Reel 2
Derr (E. H.) house, undated
Reel 2
Dietz (Frank) house, 1921
Reel 2
E. R. Barron Company, 1929, 1932
Reel 2
Eagan (R. L.) house, 1927
Reel 2
Erickson (Emil) house, 1922
Reel 2
Euler (Charles) house, 1931
Reel 2
Evans (James) house, 1928
Reel 2
Evanson (Clarence) house, 1929
Reel 2
Federal Baking Company, 1931
Reel 2
Felton (J. C.) house, 1927
Reel 2
First Congregational Church, 1922
Reel 2
Fox Brothers Auto, 1930
Reel 2
Fritz (Emil) house, 1933
Reel 2
Funk (A. P.) house, 1933
Reel 2
Funk estate, 1933
Reel 2
Funke (Albert) house, 1920
Reel 2
Gaspard (Lillian) house, 1931
Reel 2
G. Heileman Brewing Company, 1933-1934
Reel 2
Gannett (C. P.) - Waterloo Hotel, 1925, 1927
Reel 2
Gateway City Bank, 1933
Reel 3
Gatterdam (John) house, 1934
Reel 3
Gelatt (P. M.) house, 1926, 1929
Reel 3
George Tire Company, 1927
Reel 3
Grandview Hospital, 1919, 1925
Reel 3
Gray (R. H.) house, 1929, 1931
Reel 3
Gundersen (G.) house, 1927, 1930
Reel 3
Hamilton Lodge, 1922
Reel 3
Hengel (N. J.) house, 1930
Reel 3
Hixon (F. P.) house, 1919, 1924
Reel 3
Hofweber (J. L.) house, 1921
Reel 3
Hogan (J. J.) Incorporation, 1920
Reel 3
Holmes MacWillie Tire Depot, 1927
Reel 3
Horner, 1933
Reel 2
Immanuel German Lutheran Church, 1927
Reel 3
Independent Dry Cleaners, 1933
Reel 3
Jehlen (Dominic) house, 1921, 1929
Reel 3
Jehlen's Market, 1932
Reel 3
Katz (August) house, undate
Reel 3
Keizer (Lester) house, 1925, 1931
Reel 3
Kindley (John) house, 1925
Reel 3
Klick (Albert) house, 1919
Reel 3
Klosheim (Mary) house, 1930
Reel 3
Knights of Pythias, 1920
Reel 3
Koch (Gus) house, 1933
Reel 3
Kroner (Fred) Hardware, 1932
Reel 3
Kroner (William) house, 1927
Reel 3
Kruse (Fred) house, 1922
Reel 3
Kutzborsky (August) house, 1924
Reel 3
Labor Temple, 1925
Reel 3
La Crosse Country Club, 1922
Reel 3
La Crosse Hospital, 1932
Reel 4
La Crosse Interstate Fair Association, 1923-1924
Reel 4
La Crosse Knitting Works, 1931
Reel 4
La Crosse Lutheran Hospital, 1923, 1926, 1927
Reel 4
La Crosse Normal School, 1926
Reel 4
La Crosse Refrigerator Company, 1930
Reel 4
La Crosse State Teachers College, 1934
Reel 4
La Crosse YMCA, 1930
Reel 4
La Crosse YWCA, undated
Reel 4
Laux (William) house, 1928
Reel 4
Law (D. S.) house, 1929
Reel 4
Leithold Piano Company, 1919
Reel 4
Linker Realty, 1919, 1921
Reel 4
Lorrilard Company, 1921
Reel 4
Lovold (Russell) house, 1929, 1933
Reel 4
Lyden Brothers, 1933
Reel 4
Macmillan (D.G.) house (1222 Cass St.), 1918
Reel 4
McBain (R.) house, 1931
Reel 4
Meir Certified Home, 1929
Reel 4
Meister (Seymour) house, 1922
Reel 4
Miller (Fred) house, 1922
Reel 4
Mississippi Valley Service Co., 1928, 1930
Reel 4
Modern Laundry & Dry Cleaning Company, 1928
Reel 4
Moen Photo Service, 1930
Reel 4
Molzahn (Theo) house, 1921
Reel 4
Montague (W. A.) house, 1927
Reel 4
Montgomery Ward Company, undated
Reel 4
Moore (C. M.) house, 1931
Reel 4
Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, 1932
Reel 4
National Gauge & Equipment, 1927-1929
Reel 4
Nelson (Bernt) house, 1921
Reel 4
New Process Cleaning Company, 1929
Reel 4
Newberg (Harry) house, 1932
Reel 4
Northern Engraving Company, 1924
Reel 4
Ott (Ben) house, 1921
Reel 4
Ott (Will) house, 1924-1925
Reel 4
Oyen (Leighton) house, 1928
Reel 4
Palmer (C. L.) house, 1926
Reel 4
Papenfuss (John) house, 1924
Reel 4
Pavella (Steve) house, 1929-1930
Reel 4
Perfect Oil Company, 1928-1929
Reel 4
Rainbow Garden Association, 1927
Reel 4
Ratz (Otto) house, 1922
Reel 5
Rau (Carl) house, 1922-1923
Reel 5
Richmond (J. E.) house, 1928
Reel 5
Riverside Bottling Works, 1928
Reel 5
Rohr (E. A.) house, 1929
Reel 5
Rorh (Elmer) house, 1928
Reel 5
Rus-Art Oil Company, 1931
Reel 5
Salzer Seed Company, 1933
Reel 5
Schaefer Cleaning Works, 1922
Reel 5
Schilling estate, 1932
Reel 5
Schlabach (Otto) house, 1926
Reel 5
Schnegerger and Ford, 1922
Reel 5
Schneeberger (George) house, 1924
Reel 5
Schultz (Emil) house, 1923
Reel 5
Schultz Dry Cleaning Company, 1928
Reel 5
Schultz (George) house, 1922
Reel 5
Schwalbe (Ed) house, 1920
Reel 5
Schwalbe (Frank) house, 1920
Reel 5
Scott (Argyle) house, 1918
Reel 5
Security Holding Company, 1920
Reel 5
Security Savings Bank, 1933
Reel 5
Sisson (Frank) house, 1923
Reel 5
Sjolander (H. J.) house, undated
Reel 5
Sjolander (J. H.) house, 1928
Reel 5
Skarr (Olaf) house, 1922
Reel 5
Skogstad (H. W.) house, 1934
Reel 5
Sletten (Andrew) house, 1934
Reel 5
Sletten McKee Company, 1927
Reel 5
Smedal (E.) house, 1929
Reel 5
Spence McCord Drug Company, 1931
Reel 5
State Bank, 1926
Reel 5
Steinmetz and Hart, 1919
Reel 5
Stephan (Peter) house, 1929
Reel 5
Stoddard Hotel (C Baker Estate), 1925
Reel 5
Stokke Oil Service Station, 1933, 1934
Reel 5
Tausche Hardward Company, 1920
Reel 5
Terminal Warehouse Company, 1933
Reel 5
Trane Corporation, 1922-1925, 1927, 1930
Reel 5
Tri-State Ice Cream Corporation, 1919, 1927
Reel 5
United States Bureau of Fisheries, circa 1931
Reel 5
Vernhulst, Incorporated, 1928
Reel 5
Walker (William) house, 1922
Reel 5
Wiltinger (Joseph) house, 1929
Reel 5
Zeratsky (A. W.) house, 1928
Reel 5
Lake Chetek: Hansen (J. J.) house, 1920
Reel 5
Lake Mills: United States Bureau of Fisheries, 1931
Madison
Reel 5
Kruse (Fred) house, 1923
Reel 5
MacMillan (D. G.) house, 1928
Reel 5
Perfect Oil Company, 1929
Reel 6
Rupp (C. E.) house, 1928
Reel 6
New Lisbon: Christmann Brewing Company, 1934
Reel 6
Newry: Christensen (H.) house, 1920
Reel 6
Onalaska: Oak Forest Sanatorium, 1931-1932
Reel 6
Ontario: Hansen (H. H.) house, 1922
Reel 6
Portage: Cities Service Oil Company, 1926
Reel 6
Reserve: Gundersen (H.) house, 1925
Reel 6
Soldiers Grove: Sorenson (V. K.) house, 1934
Sparta
Reel 6
City of Sparta Central Ward School, 1932
Reel 6
East Primer School, 1932
Reel 6
Jewett (A.) house, 1920
Reel 6
Lanham (Maurice) house, 1932
Reel 6
Letson (S. C.) house, 1932
Reel 6
Meyer (W. M.) house, 1932
Reel 6
Seidel (G.) house, 1920
Reel 6
Sparta Co-operative Oil Company, 1934
Reel 6
Stoddard: St. Mathews Lutheran Church, 1934
Tomah
Reel 6
Smith (Roy) house, 1927
Reel 6
South Western Wisconsin Gas Company, 1933
Viroqua
Reel 6
Brown (B. C.) house, 1932
Reel 6
Clark (C. M.) house, 1922
Reel 6
Clark (C. V.) house, 1926
Reel 6
Smith (Melville) house, 1924
Reel 6
Vernon County Asylum, 1927, 1933
Reel 6
Watertown: Inter-State Oil Company, 1928
West Salem
Reel 6
Friell (Grover) house, 1921
Reel 6
Jeffries house, 1926
Reel 6
Masonic temple, 1932
Reel 6
Swarthout (E. C.) house, 1929
Reel 6
Trimbell (D.) house, 1919
Reel 6
Village of West Salem, 1925
Reel 6
Wakefield & Jeffers, 1919
(Series 2)
Series: Indiana
Reel 6
Rochester: United States Bureau of Fisheries, 1934
(Series 3)
Series: Iowa
Reel 6
Charles City: Rolfing (R. C.) house, 1926
(Series 4)
Series: Minnesota
Caledonia
Reel 6
Blexrud (H. J.) house, 1919
City of Caledonia
Reel 6
High school, 1934
Reel 6
Wading pool, undated
Reel 6
Gengler (Leonard) house, 1934
Reel 6
Lutheran church, 1926
Dakota
Reel 6
Hunt (E. D.) house, 1929
Reel 6
Hunthaven, 1932
Reel 6
Koller (Joseph) house, 1930
Reel 6
Phillips (George) house, 1929
Reel 6
Dresbach: Reithold (Fred) house, 1921
Reel 6
Helgaland (north Pettibone Island, La Crosse, Wisconsin): Gundersen (A.) house, 1918
Reel 6
Homer: Roesner (L. G.) house, 1928
Reel 6
Houston: Lutheran church, 1924
Wabasha
Reel 6
Adkins (Joe) house, 1929
Reel 6
Foley (J. R.) house, 1931, 1933
Reel 6
Johnson (Nels) house, 1929
Reel 6
Replogle (Mrs. W. H.) house, undated
Winona
Reel 6
Beyerstedt Amusement Company, 1932
Reel 7
Choate (C. A.) house, 1929
Reel 7
Erickson Baking Company, 1923
Reel 7
Fish (W.) house, 1931
Reel 7
Griesel (F. C.) house, 1924
Reel 7
Horton (Frank) house, 1927
Reel 7
Johnson (Nels) house, 1930
Reel 7
Leicht (Emil) house, 1929-1930
Reel 7
Miginiss (F. J.) house, 1928
Reel 7
Ryan (Willard) house, 1928
Reel 7
Seitz (Emil) house, 1922
Reel 7
Siebrecht Floral Company, 1922
Reel 7
Steffen (S. A.) house, 1929
Reel 7
Stott (E.) house, 1920
Reel 7
Wisconsin Railway, Light & Power Company, 1923
Reel 7
Miscellaneous clients (unidentified)