And just like that it is time for our final WHAT of 2025. It has been a great year of celebrating Wausau’s architecture and history. Thank you for coming along for the ride!
Today we are on the northwest side of Wausau and we decided it was time to stop for a little something to eat at a local favorite – The Blue Willow at 1111 North 4th Avenue. When you step inside there is a good chance you may just run into your neighbor.
This building was constructed in 1965 as an A & W, which gets its name from founders Roy Allen and Frank Wright. The original construction featured a long carport to allow for car side service. As the 1999 photo (from the Wausau Assessors office) shows the building had the easily recognized roofline (which may not have been original to the building) of an A & W up until it was changed somewhere between 2012-2014.
Roadside Architecture refers to the unique tall roofline, officially called the A & W pagoda style (unofficially known as the Pilgrim Hat), was created by Trachte Brothers in 1965. The first building sporting this design was in Edgerton, Wisconsin.
The Trachte Brothers were metal workers from Madison in the early to mid-1900s, and their metal buildings are found all across Madison’s landscape. They are easy to identify with their metal walls and curved roofs. They are often small shops, gas stations, storage sheds, and manufacturing facilities. Today there is a concerted effort to save these buildings, and many have been repurposed for continued life.
A look through the city directories gave us the following business history:
1965: A & W Drive In
1981: Ye Olde A & W Restaurant
1984: Golden Ladle Restaurant (Dean Lee)
1988: Ivers Restaurant (Brad Iverson)
1991: Golden Ladle (Doug Lee)
1992: The Blue Willow
