620 George Street

Summary

John Baeten Store Building
620 George Street, De Pere, Brown County
Date of Construction: 1903

John Baeten, a prominent local merchant, operated his grocery and general merchandise business in this building from 1903 until 1917. Baeten's store was successful, so much so that he needed more space and constructed a one-story addition to the rear of the building in 1914. In 1917 John sold the business to his sons, Albert and Peter Baeten and his son-in-law, Ferdinand Van Dyck. The business continued under their leadership until 1943, then subsequent generations of the family maintained the store through the 1970s when it closed. The Baeten Store was a familiar fixture for multiple generations of De Pere residents due to the long tenure of the store at this location.

The Baeten Store Building is an excellent example of a Commercial Vernacular building. These are relatively simple buildings that are not architect-designed but have specific design characteristics that distinguish them in the commercial streetscape. Often two or three stories tall, the first floor is usually used for retail space while the upper floor(s) are often used for apartments. In this building, one of the second floor apartments was John Baeten's own. Other features typically found on this type of building include wood and cast iron storefronts with large display windows, regularly spaced upper story wood windows, and decoration limited to the main facade. The Baeten Store Building exhibits wall ornament in the form of brick corbeling, slightly projecting brick hoods over the windows and another row of simple brick corbels under the cornice. The cornice is pressed metal and features swag decoration across the length of the facade.

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