Garver Cottage - 3300 Sugar Ave.
The brick cottage was built in 1905 as the Madison office of the U.S. Sugar Company, and is now
behind Olbrich Gardens. The cottage was a companion office to the main building, which is in the
Industrial Romanesque style and is located nearby, across the East Side bike path. The company at
its peak processed 500 tons of sugar beets a day, but went bankrupt and closed in 1924. James
Garver bought the property and converted it into a feed mill and office in 1931, and in 1997 it
was purchased by Olbrich Botanical Society. The feed mill and the cottage have been designated
city of Madison historic landmarks, and the renovation of the cottage is the first step in
redeveloping the Garver property. The $248,000 cost was paid for by a donation from Olbrich
Botanical Society and an $80,000 bequest. The windows and exterior woodwork were replaced, the
graffiti-covered brick was tuckpointed, and the solid oak exterior doors were replicated. Among
those who worked on the project were volunteers and MATC students. It is now being used as office
space by Olbrich's horticultural staff.
