Harold C. Bradley House, Madison

The Harold C. Bradley House is a notable architectural landmark in Madison’s University Heights Historic District. Completed in 1909, it stands as one of just two residential projects in Wisconsin designed by the renowned architect Louis H. Sullivan.

Commissioned by the prominent Bradley family-Harold C. Bradley, a pioneering biochemistry professor at University of Wisconsin–Madison, and his wife Josephine Crane-as a wedding gift from her grandfather, steel magnate Richard Crane, this house was designed by Sullivan’s firm with substantial input from George Grant Elmslie.

Architecturally, the T-shaped layout features hallmark Prairie‑School elements: broad overhanging eaves, sleeping porches cantilevered from the upper story, a porte-cochère at the rear, and thoughtful integration of brick and dark wood siding that harmonize the building with its verdant setting.

Though the Bradleys lived here only briefly-finding the residence lavish and expensive to maintain-the house has since been dedicated to community life. Since 1915, it has served as the chapter house of University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Sigma Phi Society, which still maintains the property today. Inside the home are multiple fireplaces, two libraries, and uniquely designed rooms and fixtures, many of which were originally envisioned by the architects to complement the Prairie aesthetic.

Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in the early 1970s, the Harold C. Bradley House stands not only as a remarkable example of early 20th‑century American architecture but also as a living part of Madison’s scholarly and social fabric.