501 PROSPECT – GOTHIC REVIVAL
The congregation of First Presbyterian Church was formed in 1849. Many of the first pioneers in Beloit were Presbyterian, and they initially worshipped with the Congregationalists. However, the two denominations separated by 1849 because of a number of differences, the most important being the slavery issue. The Presbyterians were sympathetic to the abolitionists and desired the freedom to discuss the issue freely in their church.
The cornerstone for the present church was laid in 1905 and dedicated in 1906. Christian education and office wing were added in 1955. A Gothic Revival church of beige Roman brick and stone detailing. Square crenelated tower at southwest corner, Gothic arched windows.
517 PROSPECT – GREEK REVIVAL
The Rasey House has a unique historical association with the growth of Beloit College. Originally constructed as a fund raising project for the young school, the house was built from a subscription of donated labor and materials. When the house was sold at the end of 1851 to Deacon Samuel Hinman, the sale price helped replenish empty college coffers. Immediately prior to its sale, from June, 1850 to November, 1851, the house was the residence of Professor A. L. Chapin, the College’s first President and the man who designed the school’s first curriculum. The Rasey House is a Wisconsin Registered Landmark and was entered on the National Register of Historic Places December 27, 1974. Now owned by the Beloit chapter of Daughters of the Revolution.
Built of grey cobblestones gathered from the bed of Turtle Creek, the Rasey House is architecturally significant as a well-preserved example of Rock County’s cobblestone houses. Chester Clark was the mason. A one and one-half story building, the house is a simple rectangle in plan. The cobblestones are arranged in thin horizontal rows separated by half-round projecting mortar joints, a type of construction “frequently” used in Rock County, according to architectural historian Richard Perrin, and which “may be seen to good advantage in the Rasey House.” The main facade is a simple composition with three first-floor openings, the southernmost being the doorway, and two second-floor window openings. Stone blocks are used as sills and lintels on all openings in the cobblestone fabric and also as quoins. The side facades have three symmetrical window openings on the first floor, except on the north where the middle window has been covered by a later chimney. The rear facade is masked by an attached one-story enclosed porch. A porch added to the front facade in the 20th century appears to be a bungalow design.
They are come over to this website just placed in a editor’s palms for rewriting.