Property Record
418-432 E WELLS ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | |
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| Other Name: | Milwaukee Bar Association/This is It |
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| Reference Number: | 113655 |
| Location (Address): | 418-432 E WELLS ST |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
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| Year Built: | 1914 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 200420102021 |
| Historic Use: | retail building |
| Architectural Style: | Commercial Vernacular |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | Last surveyed in 1984 as the Control Data Institute. Window Awnings have been removed from the second story, while the storefront's have been altered. 1984 map code is 141/37 on map numbered 393. Fenestration altered since 1984 survey. 2010: This circa-1914, two-story, commercial vernacular, brick building is topped by a flat, slightly overhanging roof. It features replacement storefront windows on the first level, while the second level carries continuous bays of multiple-pane window arrangements separated by brick pilasters. A thick, corbelled brick and stone detailed stringcourse separates the first and second stories. No information on the original owner was recovered. This building housed a variety of businesses and professional services after its circa-1914 construction date. All fenestration and first floor storefronts date to a period after its initial 1984 date of survey. 2021 - This Commercial Vernacular building was constructed circa 1914. The two-story brick building features a flat roof and a concrete foundation that steps downward as Wells Street slopes west towards the Milwaukee River. The primary elevation faces east towards Cathedral Square and contains four recessed storefront bays separated by faux marble pillars, with entryway doors in the first and third bays. The Wells Street elevation is arranged symmetrically, with three storefront bays on either side of a central entrance that leads to the second story. Storefront fenestration has been replaced throughout. The second story features regularly-arranged tri-partite replacement windows, separated by shallow brick pilasters and resting upon a cast stone sill that wraps both street-facing elevations. A raised brick and cast stone stringcourse separates the first and second stories, with a raised brick stringcourse connecting the tops of the pilasters below the overhanging eaves. 2021 WisDOT survey suggests potentially eligible under Criterion A: History, the west storefront along the Wells Street elevation of the Milwaukee Bar Association building is gay bar called This is It. It is the oldest continuously operating gay bar in the City of Milwaukee as well as the oldest gay bar in the state. Established in 1968, the bar’s windowless façade has remained unchanged since its opening, and the space was only recently expanded into the neighboring storefront to the east. Alterations to the rest of the building, including the replacement of fenestration and storefronts throughout, have taken place within the last 30-40 years. However, the commercial building as a whole still presents and functions as a mixed-use retail and office establishment, with first-story storefront bays, multiple entrances, and second-story offices and apartments. Because of its association with gay culture in Milwaukee and the state, this building may be potentially is recommended as eligible for listing in the National Register under Criterion A: History. |
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| Bibliographic References: | City of Milwaukee Intensive Survey Form--424-432 N. Wells Street; Milwaukee City Directory, 1937. Milwaukee Downtown Connector Arch/History Survey (2010), Prepared by Heritage Research. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |