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Summary
Amity Leather Products Company Factory
723-735 South Main Street, West Bend, Washington County
Construction dates: 1925, 1929, 1933, 1959
Designers: Lockwood Greene, Engineers; Dolke, Fred, Junior
The Amity Leather Products Company Factory is a "textile mill industrial loft," a building type favored for production facilities of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This long, narrow, multistory industrial building was designed to optimize natural light and ventilation. The Amity building is constructed of clay tile with timber and steel framing and a brick finish, making the building fire resistant.
Ornamentation is restricted to the central entry tower, constructed as part of the second addition in 1929. The seven-story tower has applied brick pilasters of varying height and width that give the tower a stepped, zig-zag, Art Deco appearance. While the main parts of the building were designed as large open spaces, the tower contained stairs and an elevator. The fifth floor of the tower originally contained a conference room and the president's office. The sixth floor of the tower provided access to a huge water tank, which provided water to the building's sprinkler system.
Robert Rolfs founded the company in 1915. Rolfs had gained insight into the leather goods industry working for the West Bend's Enger Kress Company, a major producer of pocket books and wallets. The Amity Company grew quickly. By the mid-1930s Amity was the largest producer of leather billfolds in the country. The Amity Leather Product Company occupied the building until 1996, when manufacturing operations were relocated overseas.
The building has been converted to apartments as a Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credit project. Please respect the privacy of its occupants.
Property Details
| Criteria | Architecture/Engineering |
|---|---|
| Area Of Significance | Architecture |
| Period of Significance | 1924-1933 |
| Architectural Style | Modern Movement |
| Architect | Fred Dolke, Jr.,Lockwood Greene, Engineers |
| Resource Type | Building |
| Historic Use | Manufacturing Facility |
Resources Within The Property
| Contributing Buildings | 1 |
|---|---|
| Contributing Sites | 0 |
| Contributing Structures | 0 |
| Contributing Objects | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Buildings | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Sites | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Structures | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Objects | 0 |
Designations
| Historic Status | Listed in the State Register |
|---|---|
| National Historic Landmark Listing Date | Jan 18, 2002 |
| Historic Status | Listed in the National Register |
| National Historic Landmark Listing Date | Jul 11, 2002 |
State & National Registers of Historic Places
The State Register and National Register recognize buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that are significant in national, state, or local history. The State Historic Preservation Office in conjunction with the National Park Service maintains the list for Wisconsin and makes the data available to the public for research and education.
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Email UsAttribution
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Amity Leather Products Company
July 1936
View across street towards the three-story brick factory building, with a taller, square central tower that has symmetrical two-story wings. Identified on the tower as "Amity Leather Products Co.",...
Enger-Kress Pocket Book Factory
May 10, 1910
The text on the front reads: "Enger-Kress Pocket Book Factory, West Bend, Wis." The sign on the roof of the building reads: "Enger-Kress Pocket Book Co." Originally a resort, this building was acqu...
Veterans Avenue at Willow Lane
08000789
Located in West Bend, Washington County
