Ahead of its time

The Tallman-Lincoln house in Janesville features home designs not typically seen in a residence built in the 1850s. Photo by Jennifer Pfaff

It wasn’t an unreasonable request.

All Emeline Dexter Tallman wanted was someone to clean the privy to prevent the heat of a Wisconsin summer day from creating an odoriferous situation in her home.

But the household staff wasn’t interested and replied that only the master of the house could issue such an order. Imagine Tallman’s chagrin when her husband agreed, said docent Tina Love as she led a tour through the historic Tallman-Lincoln home in Janesville.

While the home, now in the care of the Rock County Historical Society, might have witnessed some not-so-progressive moments, it stands as testament to the forethought put into the 1850s building.

Built between 1855 and 1857 by William Tallman, the home spared no expense and boasted the best in lighting and plumbing.

Gas pipes were built into it, although it was decades before the home actually had gas service. When it did, however, it was lit by gasoliers, designed to capture soot before it hit the ceiling.

Brass cisterns in the attic collected rainwater that flowed through pipes, washing the second-floor privy and continuing to bins below, where it was collected and disposed of. It was innovation at its finest.

The bathroom was a luxury, preventing family members from running outside to answer nature’s call. Servants, on the other hand, could use the lower level of the privy, which sits directly beneath the family’s bathroom and connects to the same collection chamber, Love said.

The bathroom is more personalized than today’s typical facility.

“Victorians felt different bum sizes should have appropriate seat sizes, so we have a papa, mama and child, and one for emptying chamber pots,” Love said of the four holes of various sizes cut into a bench-like seating area.

While the master bedroom features a double-basin sink, it is the intricate, hand-painted basin, imported from Italy, in a smaller bedroom that draws the most attention. It was made available to President Abraham Lincoln, who stayed as a guest in the home in 1858.

— Jennifer Pfaff

Boldt takes the LEED

The Boldt Company’s Oklahoma City office achieves a LEED silver rating. Photo courtesy of The Boldt Company

The Boldt Company might be based in Appleton, but the contractor is making a big splash in Oklahoma.

The Boldt Construction Southern Operations Office in Oklahoma City is the first privately owned building in the Sooner State built to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-NC Silver green building rating standards, the company announced.

The 44,000-square-foot building, which is decorated with construction materials recast as artwork, offers preferred parking for hybrid vehicles and carpoolers and boasts a bike rack and shower facility for those who prefer pedal-action to horsepower, said Theresa Lehman, a sustainability consultant, document-control specialist, cost engineer and assistant project manager with Boldt Technical Services.

Low-flow plumbing fixtures and the use of undrinkable water to sprinkle the grounds help reduce water use while constant attention is paid to carbon dioxide levels and other factors affecting indoor air quality.

Those factors combine to create a healthy workplace for the company’s employees and a building with minimal impact on the environment, Lehman said.

— Jennifer Pfaff