Nov. 27—BURLINGTON — The 200 block of South Kane Street has long been known as the site of the historic Meinhardt mansion. After a fire in the early morning hours of Nov. 22, however, the address is now known as the site of a devastating loss of Burlington history.
"It was iconic," said Andrew Lynch, who has lived with wife Wendy Lynch on nearby Duane Street for 18 years.
Andrew Lynch grew up about four houses away from the mansion.
"Everybody knew that house," he said.
"It's just so sad," said fellow Duane Street neighbor Mary Cichocki. "A beautiful home gone."
A City of Burlington Police Department news release says that when fire crews began arriving at 201 S. Kane St. about 3:25 a.m. Nov. 22, they found the three-story, 142-year-old Queen Anne home engulfed in flames.
According to city Fire Chief Alan Babe, no injuries were reported.
The release from BPD says that the home's owner, Robert Staton, was arrested and that police have recommended charges of negligent handling of burning materials; unsafe burning of own building; resisting or obstructing an officer; and felony bail jumping.
According to Lt. Michael Luell, public information officer for the Racine County Sheriff's Office, Staton is currently being held at county jail on a $10,800 cash bail.
'Terrible tragedy'
"I know the whole town is just so angry and frustrated, and it's just a terrible tragedy," Cichocki said.
She said her husband woke up that morning to use the bathroom and exclaimed, "The house is on fire!"
The couple has lived nearby for 17 years, and they watched as crews swarmed the mansion, working to quell the flames throughout the morning.
Cihocki and other neighbors fondly recall the home's previous owner, Jeannie Everett, who bought the mansion in 1972.
Neighbors described Everett as a "steward," someone who kept the home "pristine."
"Inside, it was like stepping back in time," one neighbor recalled.
Everett died in September 2022.
Staton purchased the 5,200-square-foot property from Everett's daughters in July. Online real estate records show he paid $675,000 for the property.
History
According to records from the Wisconsin Historical Society, the home is registered under the Kane Street Historic District.
German born Elisa Riel and her husband Anthony Meinhardt built the mansion in 1882.
Anthony Meinhardt would go on to found Burlington's Meinhardt Bank in 1891 at 189 E. Chestnut St.
Although homes surround the mansion now, it originally was built on a 15-acre estate with gardens, an orchard, a pasture, fountains, a tennis court and a pine grove.
Samuel Curtis Johnson, the founder of Johnson Wax, installed the home's Parquet flooring.
Rich Sorensen walks through the neighborhood regularly and saw the home as standing out amongst the others.
"I don't know much about the history. I just, I found it interesting," Sorensen said. "So many of the houses in the neighborhood, you can see how they've been remodeled over the years, and this one seems so original."
For many in the community, the loss of the mansion is personal.
Wendy Lynch said that "a lot of people ... grew up here and have ties to the house and families that have lived there."
"I have a friend whose granddaughter played in that house," Cichocki said. "She's just heartbroken."
Anyone interested in pictures of the mansion taken through the years can visit the Burlington Historical Society Museum's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/burlingtonwihistoricalsociety.
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