The Matts House

Part One:  History of the Matts House from 1848-2015.

To start, we looked back at the story of the Josiah and Lydia Matts family and early Verona.  Jesse Charles presented a historical timeline compiled from various sources including interviews, Sally Matts’ documents, Verona Press Articles, and our Kunstman / Behnke / and Curtis Verona history books.

The Matts Family ownership (1848 to sometime before 1927)

Josiah and Lydia Matts traveled from Pennsylvania to Verona (before it was called “Verona”) via wagon with their four year old son William G.L. in 1844 – just four years after the area’s first white settlers.  Josiah had earlier been a school teacher, and had met Lydia while teaching.  They each came from settlements bearing their last names – Josiah from “Matts Hill” and Lydia (Flick) from “Flicksville”, PA.  Lydia was pregnant with their second son Horace during that long wagon ride.

In 1845 they purchased a land grant which comprised most of the East half of our downtown area:  The East half of highway M from Cross Country on the North side down to Badger Mill Creek (near Carnes) on the South.  Lydia’s brother Joseph Flick purchased a similar parcel mirrored on the West side of the road.

Our existing local histories pinpoint 1848 as the year that the Matts family built the Matts house where it still stands today on the NE corner of our main intersection.  These same resources mention it was considered quite a spectacular creation, drawing visitors from surrounding areas.  The bricks were created in a kiln on the Meyers farm on Half Mile Road, more recently known as the Erbach farm, and transported to the site by horse and cart by one of the Meyers boys (who would have been Josiah and Lydia’s nephews, since Lydia’s sister Deborah Flick had married John Meyers and settled there).

Our earliest photograph believed to be of the Matts house shows a porch on the East and South sides.  One detail of great interest is the contrast of the roof trim’s color compared to the lentils above the windows.  The lentils appear to be white, while the cornices and roof trim seem to be many shades darker.  The Matts House has always had white trim in the memories of all our oldest residents – but this suggests it was at one time a darker shade or color.

After he took over ownership of the house in early 2016, Troy Rost contacted us to ask how we thought people would react if he changed the white trim changed to something darker.  Sally Matts looked over this old photograph and gave her blessing, saying that if it’s closer to the original, “who cares what anyone thinks” and go ahead.  We thought it was very cool that Troy was concerned about this detail and had sought our opinion…it showed a real respect for the significance of the building.

Lydia’s sister Deborah (Flick) Meyers and her husband John eventually built a copy of the Matts House across the street (where Walgreens’ parking lot is today) that stood until about 2003.  The bricks were reportedly made in the same Kiln on Half Mile Road.

William G.L. Matts (the little boy in the wagon ride) grew up and enlisted in the Civil War along with his cousin Jesse S. Meyers who grew up on a farm on the west end of town.  Both were captured by the South, two of Verona’s three Civil War P.O.W.s (out of about 106 Verona men who served).  They were both released in a prisoner exchange and eventually returned to Verona.

Other notable Matts family accomplishments include running Verona’s post office out of the Matts House for a period of time in the late 1800s, donating land for the Baptist Church (of which Sally Matts was still a member), selling land at a discount for the Verona Cemetery (where the Matts family now rests), and selling land at a discount to the Chicago Northwestern Railroad – possibly in an attempt to help lure the rail road to Verona.

Josiah and his daughter Emma would both die of typhoid pneumonia within two weeks of each other in 1883. Emma left behind her husband Doctor C.K. Jayne and a two year old child names Wells.  Dr. Jayne would later live in the house currently occupied by the Sow’s Ear.  Her son Wells lived a long life into his 80s.  All three are buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison.

We lose track of exactly when the Matts family left the house…

The Rothlisberger Family Ownership (1927 to the late 1970s)

In 1927, the Matts house was purchased by Fred and Mildred Rothlisberger, who are related to our VAHS member Phil Roethlisberger (although the names are spelled a bit different).  Fred and Mildred purchased the property so they could run a Phillips 66 filling station on the corner.

Mildred was also a teacher at the Verona Graded School.  She continued to live at the Matts House after her husband passed in 1950.  The Rothlisbergers rented out the upstairs to various tenants throughout the years – including the Aunt and Uncle of John Scharer:

John recalls, “I remember being in the Matts House many times.  Betty was a year older than me, but we had a group on that street that got together a lot when we were kids, in the late ‘30s, into the ‘40s.  I do remember going up and down those stairs (inside the house), and I remember going in to the kitchen a lot of times because Betty’s mother would have treats for us…cookies, the usual.  I always thought the place was PALACE.  Well, it was a palace compared to where we lived.  Being in a house like that was quite something.”

Fahey and Schmidt Ownership (late 1970s – 2015)

In the late 1970s, the Matts House and property was purchased by two local men, Jim Schmidt and Bob Fahey.  According to an October 2015 interview with Bob, he and Jim had met around 1969, about the same time Bob had come to Verona.  Bob opened “Suburban Wheels” used car lot on the SW corner of the property, where the filling station’s double garage still stood.

Bob recalled that when they purchased the property from Betty Larsen (we are unsure of the spelling), the Matts House itself was being rented out and an older gentleman lived downstairs.  It is of note that the Rothlisberger’s daughter’s name was Betty – we have not determined if this is the same Betty involved in the sale of the house but it seems likely as we believe Betty was still living there at least in 1972 (according to a recorded 1972 interview with an older resident).

The intersection in front of the Matts Property experienced increasing problems with traffic volume as Verona grew.  Bob recalls that Semis would occasionally hit signs as they negotiated turning North off of East Verona Avenue on to North Main Street.  At one point a government entity took away the corner lot in order to expand the right turn lane.  In July of 1991, the used car dealership (then called “Suburban III”) was torn down. (Verona Press, 9/3/1992)

The 1989 National Register Write-up

In June of 1989, a consulting firm from Illinois was hired to research and create a detailed historical write up of the Matts House and submit a registration form for the National Register of Historic Places.  We are not sure who commissioned the report, as calls to that firm in 2015 were not returned.  The report described the house’s Italianate theme and blend of Greek Revival influences.  It discussed evidence that suggests the East wing of the house was likely added shortly after the original square structure.  The report also calls in to question the origin date of 1848, reporting that the Italianate design is currently not known to have been in Wisconsin before the 1850s.  If the Matts House was built in 1848 as the local histories suggest, it would be among the first examples of this style in Wisconsin.  The house does appear to be present on an 1861 Verona Plat Map.

The State Historical Preservation Officer (SHPO) of Wisconsin wrote on the report that in their opinion it did meet the National Register criteria – but the house did not end up being placed on the register.  It is unknown at what future step in the process the effort was ended.  Because the house was privately owned at the time, approval of the owners would have been necessary to continue the process.

It is a common concern among owners of older properties that listing on the National Register can adversely affect future sales.  Many cities have historic preservation ordinances that govern what kind of repairs and work can be done on National Register properties.  In an October 2015 interview, Bob Fahey reported that he did share this concern back when he owned the house.

The Early 1990s

The Matts house and property was up for sale in late 1991.  Some Verona residents, alders, and mayor Bob Kasieta felt the city should offer to buy it for $110,000 and possibly later sell it to a bidder that would be “interested in restoring it and preserving its historical value” (Verona Press, 11/14/1991).  The fate of the Sharp house was brought up in various Verona Press articles and letters to the editor – including one by Sally Matts.

The late 1990s:  The House of Flowers

The Matts House underwent a major renovation in 1996 to become “The House of Flowers”.  Bob Fahey’s wife Jody had previous experience as a florist and had won an award call “The Orchid Award” (Fahey interview, 2015).  She joined Ronda Wolff and Donna Nichols in starting “The House of Flowers” in the Matts House after substantial renovations were done.

The early 2000s

Eventually the House of Flowers was sold and moved to a location on North Main Street, later to Highway M near Range Trail.  The Matts house again became rental property with various businesses downstairs (such as the Norland Learning Center) and apartments upstairs.

The last renters left the building in summer of 2014, and the land and house were again for sale.  There was a period of time, captured in a photo by travel blogger Laurie Kutil, where a sign was present stating “FREE BUILDING if you can move it”.

In 2015 the City of Verona purchased the Matts House and property for $150,000.  While the parking lot was needed for the downtown plan, the house was not.  On August 10, 2015, Director of Planning Adam Sayre presented the results of a study done by a local construction company on what could possibly be done to rehabilitate the house.  The options presented ranged from a $47,000 plan to prevent further damage, up to a $1.2 million plan to renovate the entire house top to bottom.  The City Council had toured the house and after discussion it seemed unlikely there would be support for keeping the structure.  Adam Sayre reported that six developers had already shown interest in land that contained the house – all of them wanting to knock it down.  The council decided to wait on a final decision in order to give the public time to weigh in on the decision to let the house go.

On August 25, 2017, Jesse Charles (who would later join the Verona Area Historical Society…and write this paper) asked the City council to pause their decision so the historical society could be given time to:

1.      Research the house’s past and provide details on its historical relevancy

2.      Ask the public to give its opinions to the council

3.      Get alternative cost estimates on for repairs

4.      Propose uses for the structure should it be saved

The historical society set up a website, Facebook page, email address, and staffed tables at Miller’s with fliers to help get the word out about the situation facing the house.

On October 12, 2015, The Verona Area Historical Society gave a presentation to Verona’s Common Council detailing the historical relevance of the Matts family to the formation of early Verona, and asking for more time to continue engaging the public and getting alternative estimates from contractors on repairs.  It also reported that a donor, Dorothy Troller (who had run the Verona business CECOR with her husband for many decades) had come forward and offered a $50,000 donation should the house be fixed up to be used as a Museum.

The historical society also requested that in the meantime the city approve funds to fix the leaky roof on the East half of the building before winter came.  A motion to do so passed unanimously.

From October of 2015 through January 2016, members of the historical society met with contractors and restoration experts at the Matts house in an effort to assess the viability of restoring it with donated funds/materials and partially volunteer labor.  An estimate of about $188,000 began to take shape that included the most necessary repairs needed to open up just the ground floor for museum use.  As the historical society spoke with more experts familiar with sustaining historic house museums, it became apparent that keeping a restored house museum financially salient would take more volunteers and recurring sources of income than the society had available at the time.  If they were to succeed in getting the initial restoration work done, the estimate for monthly utilities, insurance, and typical repairs was about $1,400/month.  The Verona Area Historical Society was urged by officers of the Wisconsin Historical Society to consider endorsing a business use for the building rather than take on the project themselves.

In November of 2015, Troy Rost of Lake Effect Properties had contacted the City of Verona and expressed interest in the Matts House.  Troy’s team had led the restoration of the Stamm House in Middleton over the previous few years.

In January of 2016, the Verona Common Council opened up an RFI process for parties interested in owning the Matts house to make official proposals to the City regarding their ideas for the Matts property.  Plans that included saving the house would be given preference.  Two individuals filed submissions, Troy Rost and another local developer who had experience restoring old structures.  In February, the Verona Area Historical Society - having realized the project was too big for them - recommended that the council select the proposal that included keeping the house in its current location (The Rost plan).  They also requested that a deed restriction be put on the house which would prevent future demolition – an idea that was first suggested by City Administrator Bill Burns during an earlier tour of the house.

In April of 2016, the Rost plan and deed restriction was approved by the Verona Common Council.  The city was also given a “first right of refusal” should the house be offered for sale in the future.  The sale to Troy was finalized in October of 2016.

Part Two:  Matts House Present and Future, with Troy Rost 

Troy Rost and a partner formed “Lake Effect Properties”, which buys properties (often ones no one else wants) and renovates them into businesses.

One of their more known recent projects is the “Old Stamm House” in Middleton, WI – built around 1847.  In Troy’s word, “It’s kind of Middleton’s pride and joy kind of like the Matts House is yours”.  He and his partner bought it from Anchor Bank in 2013 as it was in foreclosure.

Troy showed pictures of various iterations of the Stamm House over the decades and described how he peeled back more modern layers to reveal and emphasize many of the building’s historic features.  In the upstairs they found three layers of ceilings, the oldest one going back at least to the 1930s.

His team on the Stamm House was about 3-5 people.  Troy states “the key to these things is to keep the budgets low.  You throw a bunch of people at it and it just doesn’t work.  It doesn’t get done as fast as you’d like, but that’s the key”.

 Before talking about the Matts House, Troy shared with us some of his philosophy on working on old houses and dealing with decisions made by earlier owners.  He has a very non-judgmental attitude towards those previous owners – asking those of us in the room to think about repairs we do on our own houses.  He believes people make the best choices they can with the budget and resources they have at the time.  Compromises and mistakes are made, and one thing he carries with him on these projects is a respect for the previous owners who did the best they could – with full knowledge that someday someone will look back on his time with these historic structures and perhaps give him the same understanding.

Troy found with the Matts House that it is a really great example of a period house with what appears to be original exterior.  This house is no different than others in that it contains revisions by previous owners, compromises they made, and examples of “life happens” type of wear and tear.

Troy again showed our oldest Matts House picture and talked about how he did some investigations into how black and white photographs reflect color tones.  He found some brown underneath the white painting on the columns outside the East door – so he feels pretty good about the decision to paint the trim darker brown.  The brown takes the emphasis off the trim, rusty nails, bird messes etc., and puts your attention on the brick – which is the true star of the building.  It was noted how there are slightly different shades of red throughout the bricks.

Troy’s team’s goals for the exterior of the Matts House:

1.      Repair and stabilize the structure.

2.      Leave as many historic details intact as possible.

3.      Do not try to make the exterior look “perfect”.

a.      The masons did repairs but did not attempt even out every little imperfection in the bricks, this would have taken away a lot of the character.

4.      Do not make it better than original, or “over-improve”.

The interior:  It was apparent that the interior of the house has seen repeated remodeling and gutting since it was built.  There were at least four different generations of wood work present, and not one individual room had consistent woodwork.  The most ornate woodwork was made of pine, which reflects compromises made by earlier owners.  The plaster on the interior brick had at least six different surfaces.  There were signs of many ceiling and wall demolitions over the years.

On the ground floor, removing the ceiling revealed an old historic pipe once used for gas lighting.  Troy was asked if he removed it before covering it up with a newer ceiling, and he said “We are leaving it in.  Why take it out?  It will be fun for the next guy to find.”

Knob and tube electrical was found, some of it still in use.  This is more evidence that the walls and ceilings were gutted around the 1920s since that was the age of knob and tube.  Therefor he does not believe any of the interior walls or ceilings were original.

There are about 10 chimney openings throughout the house, as it seems every room originally had a stove.

Troy’s teams’ goals for the interior of the house:

1.      Repair, recreate historic interior details.

2.      Update outdates systems.

3.      Expose interior brick to create interest and show craftsmanship.

a.      While the interior of the brick was originally covered under layers of plaster, Troy decided to open up the brick to showcase it as a unique feature of the building that draws interest.

4.      Create spaces that are financially viable to create a sustainable long term investment for proper future maintenance.

Troy noted that he realizes there will be future owners and different uses of this building after his time.  If one of those owners wanted to fully restore the house to a period piece house museum, the work he has done would not prevent that.  He stated, “We haven’t done any harm to the building.  You could put the walls back up, re-plaster and it could be a living museum”.

Next immediate steps:

·         Finish replacing windows, and paint.

·         Poor some stoops.

·         Work with the city on street corner, maybe do something interesting with it.

Troy commented that the important thing to know is the structure has now been saved.  It took a lot of time, and people might not have known exactly what was going on – but it had to be done first.  Now he will work on the more obvious details and also decide what to do with the interior.  The city had originally given him 18 months to finish and it’s looking like that will be pretty close, given that at this point the remaining work largely will be done by Troy and his small team.

A grand opening and public open house will probably be held in spring of 2018.  No decisions have been made on what type of business might be the first tenant.

During the question/answer section, Cathy Matts spoke up and said “I just want to tell you on behalf of the Matts family…I want to thank you for all the hard work that you’ve done and it’s going to mean a lot to us when you get it all finished.”  Troy responded with “Thank you, I appreciate that.”

Sources:

• Behnke, Ken.  “Verona Area History 1847-1972”. 1972.

• Curtis, Karl.  “A Sesquicentennial History of Verona”. 1972.

• Faber, Edward.  "Verona, Wisconsin Civil War Veterans 1861-1865" 2011, revised 2014.

• Kunstman, Alice.  "Verona Centennial" 1947.

• Matts Family Documents, provided by Sally Matts Healy.

• Salkin, Paula:  "The Matts Family, Verona Pioneers", Verona Press, Jan 30, 1992.

• Verona Press, various articles.

• Various interviews with Verona residents.