Pink Frosting House

Every La Crosse local is familiar with the prominent "pink frosting" house, located at the intersection of Losey Blvd. and King St., just beneath Granddad's Bluff. It resides in a lovely old neighborhood, but because Losey is the main drag through the city, it has become a land mark of sorts.

A decade or so ago, one owner painted the stucco house a more benign terra cotta color. Gasp! There must have been objections, because shortly thereafter, it was once again re-painted pink.

I recently found out that one of our friends from high school purchased the place a few years ago. Apparently, her grandfather was the electrician when it was built in 1927. It's built in the Moroccan style of architecture by Otto Merman. There is a rumor that the home was a speakeasy during prohibition with a bar in the basement and a secret hiding place under the stairway. You can read more history about it here. [Select the April 2009 newsletter .PDF.]