CENTREVILLE SETTLEMENT, INC.

Lutze Housebarn

Watch for an official Virtual Reality walk-thru experience soon of the National Register Lutze Housebarn!

The Lutze Housebarn was built in 1849 by Gottlieb and Fredericka Lutze. The building is dual house and barn under one roof in the Old World German Tradition. This three floor timber structure with brick fruit cellar, is on the National Registry of Historic Buildings, listed as nationally significant, and is being considered as a National Landmark. It is one of three known buildings of it’s kind in the United States, according to the Director of the National Parks Service. It was also listed in 1994 as one of the ten most endangered buildings in Wisconsin worthy of preservation by the Wisconsin Trust for Preservation.

The Lutze Housebarn is part of an Old World courtyard style farm yard that is representative of the tradition of the entire Centerville area. The half timber style Housebarn is unique for its fechtwerk construction and its size.

The family lived on the east end and the livestock on the west end of the building. Large animals were housed on the main floor as well as the cooking activities. As heat rose, it helped to warm the smaller animals and bedrooms on the second floor. The third floor was used for straw and hay storage that acted as insulation.

Centreville Settlement, Inc. is restoring the building to the 1880’s. The majority of the work has been done by dedicated volunteers. A goal of the restoration is not only preservation of the building but the preservation of the building skills and techniques needed to construct the original building. The Lutze Housebarn restoration is the only known project that invites visitor and volunteers to hands-on learning of timber framing, stone masonry, joinery, timber shaping, interior preservation, artifact cataloguing, etc.. Visitors have participated in an archeological dig, documenting for the National Archives, documenting and stored artifacts, and are learning heritage orchardry. They have worked with original tools shaping timbers or placing stones. They have participated in the camaraderie of a work day as the settlers may have experienced, and enjoyed a communal farm style lunch.

Primary Lutze Housebarn restoration goals for 2008:

	Conclude sill timber replacement at east end of south side foundation
	Establish structural support for east (gable) end in order to replace a rotted horizontal timber midway up
	Continue siding the north wall
	Evaluate, repair and stabilize foundation and arched cellar as needed
	Install nogging staves and clay infill on the west end of south wall
	Hew and replace rotted/missing east (gable) end base/sill 27' timber from white oak log
	Hew and install replacement vertical timbers first floor east end (several removed in 1930's)
	Replace three doors and associated trim work
	Install three interior vertical posts in livestock area, remove jacks

We hope you can come and work with us, share your talents, learn new things, and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing what a difference you can make!!

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Last major update: 03/10/2008 Hits since then: Hit Counter