Auto tour of Hill Farms neighborhood, Madison WI

Hill Farms boundaries:

• East:  Segoe Road
• North:  Regent Street/Sheboygan Avenue
• West:   Whitney Way
• South: Mineral Point Way

Source:  City of Madison neighborhoods 

(text boxes, highlights, and arrows added)

Auto tour route arrow designations

• Black:  General, getting to know the neighborhood 
• Red:  Richland Lane (1957 Parade of Homes)
• Orange:  Pepin Lane (1958 Parade of Homes)
• Green:  Juneau Road (1959 Parade of Homes)
• Purple: Marinette Trail (1960 Parade of Homes)

Timeline and description

• 1897.  UW purchases 159 acres of land from H. J. Hill in Town of Madison south of Sauk Road (now University Avenue), current location of Hilldale shopping center.  The area become known as Hill Farm
• Additional UW land purchases bring total acreage to about 600. Approximate borders
• North - University Avenue
• East - Midvale Boulevard
• South - Mineral Point Road
• West - beyond Rosa Road
• 1953.  State legislature authorizes UW to sell Hill Farms.  Proceeds used to purchase new research lands in Arlington.
• 1955.  UW Regents hire consultants to prepare master plan of development.  Naturalistic approach to layout:  long blocks and curvelinear streets to fit rolling topography. 

• 1956.  Sales of lots announced February.  First homes constructed.  Architecture featured popular housing styles of the period, e.g., Colonial Revival, split-level)
• 1957.  Van Hise Elementary School opens
• 1957.  Formation of neighborhood association
• 1957-1960.  Parade of Homes site.
• 1957 - original plate along Richland Lane
• 1958 - Juneau Road
• 1959 - Pepin Place (included Frank Lloyd Wright prefab)
• 1960 - Marinette Trail (first floor family room becomes a more common feature)
• 1958.  Special census report:  755 adults, 891 children, 428 units
• 1959.  Karen Arms garden apartments (11 buildings) completed
• 1959.  Van Hise junior high school addition opens

• 1959-1961.  Construction of offices and headquarters of large companies, including Wisconsin Life Insurance Company, now site of Overlook at Hilldale apartments
• 1960.  Completion of Whitney Way from University to the Beltline.
• 1960.  Hill Farms Swim Club opens
• 1961. Park Tower high-rise apartment, Madison's 1st, opens
• 1961.  Former University trailer park along east side of Midvale Boulevard replaced with 4-unit apartment buildings
• 1962.  12 subdivisions approved by this time
• 1962.  Wisconsin Department of Transportation office building opens
• 1962.  Hilldale Shopping Center opens (October )

Sources:

• City of Madison neighborhood profiles
• The Origins of Some Madison, Wisconsin, Street Name. Part VI.  (Historic Madison, Inc. of Wisconsin)
• University Hill Farms:  A project for modern living.  (Wisconsin Magazine of History, Autumn 2005)
• University Hill Farms Historic District.  (United States Department of Interior.  National Park Service)

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Auto tour of Sunset Village neighborhood.  (12/20/2017)
Auto tour of Glen Oak Hills neighborhood.  (12/17/2017)
Auto tour of Crestwood neighborhood.  (12/8/2017)
Auto tour of Westmorland neighborhood.  (12/7/2017)
Approach and auto tour of Owen Parkway, Hoyt Park.  (12/6/2017)
Auto tour of Indian Hills subdivision,  (12/6/2017)
Auto tour of Pilgrim Village.  (12/5/2017)
Auto tour of Highlands.  (12/5/2017)
UPDATE.  Madison's "Levittown" at 66. (12/2/2017)