Steeped in industrial prominence and recognized on the National Register of Historic Places, the legendary George Banta Sr. House at 348 Naymut St stands as one of the most culturally significant grand estates in the Fox Cities region.
Located on prestigious, historic Doty Island in Menasha, Wisconsin (Zip Code 54952), this 4,486-square-foot Queen Anne masterpiece was constructed in 1878. Notably, this exact structure served as the historic birthplace of the world-renowned Banta Publishing Company.
Priced at $749,900, the three-story solid Cream City brick manor features an expansive floor plan spanning four finished levels, containing four bedrooms, three full bathrooms, and two powder room half-baths. Set on a park-like 0.47-acre lot just steps from the water, this meticulously preserved island landmark seamlessly integrates museum-grade Gilded Age character with high-end modern updates.
🏛️ Main Manor Layout & Grand Spatial Flow
Spanning nearly 4,500 square feet of finished living space across four distinct structural tiers, the interior layout is an exceptional showcase of late-19th-century wealth, rich in pristine original architectural accents. Towering ceiling clearances, oversized pocket doors, and large windows flood the grand formal common rooms with natural light.
The home’s layout is engineered to offer an organic balance of formal hosting areas and highly comfortable modern living spaces:
The Ground Floor Common Parlors: A grand entry foyer welcomes guests, transitioning smoothly into expansive formal living and banquet-sized formal dining salons detailed with intricately maintained woodwork.
The Culinary Core: The home features a stunning, fully modernized gourmet chef’s kitchen. This elite culinary space is outfitted with high-end custom cabinetry, expansive stone preparation surfaces, a central social island, and a suite of brand-new, premium professional appliances.
The Upper Residential Wings: The upper floors accommodate four oversized, character-rich bedroom chambers. The plumbing matrix is exceptionally generous, ensuring absolute privacy for family members or guests across the multi-level layout.
The Multipurpose Attic & Finished Lower Tier: The finished upper dormer and lower levels offer fantastic space separation—providing turnkey blueprints for an isolated remote executive office, an expansive home media lounge, or an independent fitness studio.
🌳 Premier Doty Island Grounds & Detached Flex Outbuilding
The estate occupies a level, meticulously manicured 0.47-acre (20,473-square-foot) corner-style lot that creates a private, sanctuary-like outdoor retreat:
The Heated Loft Outbuilding: Supplementing the main manor’s square footage is a detached garage outbuilding. Elevating its functional utility, the second floor features a fully finished, independently heated bonus loft space—perfectly configured for a private artist’s studio, a quiet guest flat, or an isolated work-from-home corporate suite.
The Backyard Oasis: The deep rear grounds feature extensive professional landscaping, an elegant brick-paved driveway, a fully integrated lawn sprinkler irrigation system, and a tranquil, custom architectural waterfall feature built for peaceful outdoor relaxation.
📋 Property Specifications
💰 Price: $749,900
📍 Address: 348 Naymut St, Menasha, WI 54952 (Historic Doty Island)
📐 Interior Size: 4,486 finished sqft (Distributed across 4 fully finished structural levels)
🌳 Lot Size: 0.47 Acres (20,473 sqft / Premium landscaped island parcel)
🛏️ Bedrooms: 4 (Oversized configurations with extensive storage assets)
🛁 Bathrooms: 5 (3 Full Baths / 2 Half-Bath Powder Rooms)
🏗️ Year Built: 1876–1878 (High Queen Anne Architectural Era)
🧱 Construction Fabric: Rare, authentic Wisconsin “Cream City” brick masonry veneer
🏛️ Heritage Placard: Proudly listed on the National Register of Historic Places
🍳 Gourmet Infrastructure: Chef’s kitchen fully equipped with brand-new, high-end appliances
🚙 Outbuildings: Detached garage featuring a fully finished, heated second-story flex studio
🌊 Landscaping Features: Paved driveway, full zone sprinkler system, and a private backyard waterfall
🔍 Key Features & Preservation Value Points Explained
🏛️ Historic Banta Publishing Provenance: Owning a documented National Register home profoundly tied to the industrial heritage of the Fox River Valley carries immense prestige and long-term asset security, anchoring the property as a permanent regional landmark.
🧱 Iconic Cream City Brick Masonry: Built with southeastern Wisconsin’s famous pale-yellow clay brick, the thick structural envelope acts as a massive thermal flywheel. This robust framing significantly mutes exterior sound and provides superior insulation compared to traditional timber builds.
🍳 High-End Turnkey Chef’s Kitchen: Bypassing the stressful, high-cost renovation loops standardly associated with 19th-century properties, the kitchen core has been completely modernized with top-tier appliances and premium materials for immediate culinary utility.
🔥 Heated Auxiliary Garage Loft: The structural inclusion of a finished, heated bonus space above the garage outbuilding delivers invaluable layout flexibility, allowing a modern household to run a discrete commercial studio or isolate remote corporate work away from the main house.
🏝️ Prestigious Doty Island Lifestyle: Living on Doty Island places residents in a premier, tree-lined waterfront neighborhood. The estate sits within easy walking distance of the scenic marinas, walking paths, and yacht harbors of Lake Winnebago and the Fox River.
🚶 Walkable Dual-Downtown Gateway: Strategically positioned on the island, residents enjoy exceptional pedestrian connectivity to the vibrant shops, craft breweries, summer farmers’ markets, and fine dining corridors of both downtown Menasha and downtown Neenah, while maintaining immediate driving access to Highway 41 for streamlined commuting loops to Appleton, Oshkosh, or Green Bay.
Zilow link https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/348-Naymut-St-Menasha-WI-54952/216631744_zpid/?
Listed by: Mark A Mayer Office: 920-739-2121, Century 21 Ace Realty