1031 Maryland Ave

Summary

Badger State Tanning Company Building
1031 Maryland Avenue, Sheboygan, Sheboygan County
Architects: Juul & Smith
Date of Construction: 1919-1921; small additions: 1926, 1951-56, 1971-73

The Badger State Tanning Company Building, constructed in 1920-1921 with minor additions in the 1950s and 1970s, was a major center of production in Wisconsin’s leather. The building was constructed as one of fourteen tanneries across the country owned by Armour & Company, which formed the Armour Leather Company in 1920 to operate its growing leather interests. By the 1930s, the Badger State Tanning Company was not only the last tannery operating in Sheboygan, it was also a thriving operation, with over 700 workers and daily hide production rate approaching that of the giant Milwaukee tanneries Pfister & Vogel Leather Company and Alfred Trostel & Sons. During the post-World War II period, the company was the largest employer in Sheboygan and one of the largest manufacturers of high-grade leather in the country.

Armour Leather Company’s Sheboygan facility maintained its position in the market through the 1960s. However, by the early 1970s, the national leather industry was once again in trouble, this time due to cheaper imported leather and rising hide costs from import and export tariffs. The Armour Leather Company was sold to Akzona Incorporated in 1970, with its named changed in 1973 to the Armira Leather Company. Armira finally closed the Sheboygan facility in 1983. Two subsequent leather companies operated at the Sheboygan complex through the early 2000s. The buildings serves as a reminder of an early-twentieth-century leather tannery and an important part of Sheboygan’s industrial history.

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