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The Northwestern National Bank was constructed in 1888-1889 by Henry Marple. Builders
used red brick and Lake Superior sandstone to create this three story Romanesque Revival
style building. The large windows and arched entrances of the first floor and pairs of double
hung windows on the upper floors are neatly divided by vertical pilasters or columns which
extend slightly from the building’s facade. Other decorative architectural features of the
building include pressed metal trim atop the first floor windows, segmented arches over the upper story windows, and unusual arches over the three main entrances. Exterior walls are
twenty inches thick, and the foundations are cut field stones and mortar.
When opened in 1889 the building housed not only the bank but three real estate companies,
seven law firms, a druggist and two grocery stores. The building was sold in 1944 to F.W.
Hatterscheidt, P.A. Bradbury and Herman Pickus who in 1970 donated it to Brown County to be used as a Museum. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
Renovation A transformation took place at the Museum in 2003.
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The Building 
A transformation took place at the Museum in 2003. 