February 2020
Transformation of Quivey’s Grove & Tour
6261 Nesbitt Road, Fitchburg, WI
February 8, 2020 @ 10:00 AM
Our February meeting will be an onsite presentation and tour of Quivey’s Grove in Fitchburg. This wonderful historic home has had many identities over its 160 years – the most recent being Quivey’s Grove restaurant since 1980. This meeting will focus on the large restoration and renovation project of that year, which balanced maintaining historic relevance with the needs of a modern business. Our guest is Arlan Kay, the architect who designed and guided this transformation and preservation. You might recognize Arlan’s name as the person who is helping the Verona Area Historical Society with our current museum project at the Lillesand House!
The schedule will be as follows:
- Saturday, February 8th at 10AM
- Meet at Quivey’s Grove on 6261 Nesbitt Road, Fitchburg
- First, a presentation by Arlan on the 1980 renovation using a real slide projector!
- Followed by a tour of the house and stable.
- Optional: Stay and buy lunch with our group and Arlan.
The following information is from the 1982 application (by Leonard T. Garfield) which lead to the Quivey’s Grove farmhouse being listed on the National Register of Historic Places:
Built in 1856 with sandstone from a neighboring quarry, the John Mann farmhouse (now Quivey’s Grove Restaurant) is architecturally significant both as a representative of the Italianate domestic style adapted to a rural setting and as a fine example of native sandstone architecture in Dane County. Graced with quiet dignity as well as substantial construction, the house is distinguished by the warm color and careful craftsmanship of its thick sandstone block walls, by the classical Italianate proportions and detailing of its architectural features (including the tall windows, stone lintels and bracketed cornice) and by the attractive setting amid a grove of walnut trees. Converted to a restaurant in a sensitive renovation by architect Arlan Kay of Oregon, Wisconsin in 1980, the house retains almost complete exterior integrity and much of the original interior including stone walls, hemlock floors and a maple bannister and newel post.
John Mann, a native of New York State, arrived in Wisconsin in 1850 and operated a livery service in Madison for several years before he bought this farm. Exchanging timber on his property for sandstone from a neighbor’s quarry, Mann built the house and barn as the centerpiece for what became a 130 acre farm. John Mann’s son, Edward, eventually sold the property in 1876, after which it passed through several hands until it was sold to J. P. Comstock in 1886. The Comstock family retained ownership until 1935, and shortly thereafter, it became the home of Dr. and Mrs. William Waskow who lived in it until its conversion to Quivey’s Grove Restaurant in 1980. Today, it is one of the finest sandstone farmhouses still in good condition in Dane County, and its three-acre tree-studded lot helps preserve a sense of its historic context despite the nearby encroachments of spreading urbanization.
The event is free, but if you would like to come please mail SaveVeronaHistory@gmail.com or call 608-577-5525 so we have a headcount. There is also the option to stay and buy lunch with us after, which we encourage.
