Property Record
3073 S CHASE AVENUE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Nordberg Manufacturing Company Plant Pattern Shop and Office |
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| Other Name: | |
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| Reference Number: | 230650 |
| Location (Address): | 3073 S CHASE AVENUE |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
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| Year Built: | 1901 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2015 |
| Historic Use: | |
| Architectural Style: | Astylistic Utilitarian Building |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
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| Other Buildings On Site: | Y |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | A 'site file' titled "Nordberg Manufacturing Plant" exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. 2015- "The Nordberg Manufacturing Company Plant consists of a number of buildings constructed between 1901 and 1941. The property is located on a large parcel at the northwest corner of S. Chase and S. Oklahoma Avenues and is a series of both stand-alone and interconnected industrial buildings and offices. The buildings are accessed by a driveway off of S. Oklahoma Avenue. The c.1901 Pattern Shop and Office (AHI No. 230650) is parallel to S. Chase Avenue. The building has been altered and added on to throughout the history of the Nordberg Manufacturing Company. It is a large, three story building with a long, one-story wing on the north elevation. It rests on a poured concrete foundation and is clad in brick. It has a flat roof with a brick parapet and limestone coping. The southernmost portion of the building is clad is red brick and has brick quoins at the corners. The other half of the building is clad in cream brick and lacks ornamental detail. Windows are generally one-over-one replacements with limestone sills. The Nordberg Manufacturing Company was founded by Bruno V. Nordberg in 1886. Nordberg was born in Finland and received his degree in engineering at the University of Helsingsfors in 1879. He immigrated to Milwaukee in 1880 and began to work as a draftsman at the E.P. Allis Company. In 1886 he devised a poppet valve engine and cut-off governor that would increase the efficiency of existing engines. After consulting a friend, Jacob E. Friend, they founded the Bruno V. Nordberg Company to build steam engines, compressors, mine hoists, and steam stamps. By 1890 they formally incorporated as the Nordberg Manufacturing Company. In 1900 the number of employees had grown from the original six to over 300 and the company purchased a 20-acre parcel on S. Chase Avenue, where they constructed the subject property. The machine shop was the first in the world to have a separate motor drive on each machine tool, instead of one. In 1913 the company incorporated diesel engines into their product line. Nordberg died in 1924; however, the Friend family continued to be active in and run the firm. During World War II the firm continued to expand, announcing it was adding a series of eight interconnected structures to enclose more than 35,000 cubic feet for $250,000, and would include machinery for torpedo construction. In 1944 the firm was hired by the United States Navy to construct the largest diesel engine in the country at the time, due to its knowledge in engine design. In 1970 the firm merged with another manufacturing firm, Rex Chainbelt, Inc., and continued production as Rexnord. Industrial production at the plant ceased in 2004. Industrial Properties LLC acquired the property in 2005 and prevented the building from being demolished. By 2013 it was leased by at least seven different tenants, some of which still use the building for industrial purposes." - "Nordberg Manufacturing Plant", WisDOT ID #2060-00-06, Prepared by Mead & Hunt, Inc. (Katie Kaliszewski) (2016). |
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| Bibliographic References: |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |