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Summary
Biederstaedt Grocery
851-853 Williamson Street, Madison, Dane County
Date of Construction: 1874
The Biederstaedt Grocery building is a two-story commercial structure in Madison that represents what used to be a common site in the city – the corner grocery. Built in 1874, this red brick building contains two storefronts on the ground floor and living quarters above. The building has a false front in the Italianate style, with a decorative wooden cornice and brackets, and each of the five windows on the second story is topped by segmental brick arches with stone keystones.
Charles F. Biederstaedt built this brick building after a fire destroyed the previous property at this site. He opened a grocery in one storefront and a saloon in the other. In 1890, he leased the building to George C. Breitenbach, who continued to operate the grocery and live in the apartment above with his family. The Breitenbach family ran the grocery for over sixty years, until 1951.
The building, and others like it, served as a community gathering place for the men, women, and children of the neighborhood. Establishments like this were common in nineteenth century Madison, but as of 1977 only nine remained and only one rivaled the Biederstaedt Grocery in age. That business, however, located at 502 West Main Street, had been extensively altered in appearance, its historic integrity greatly compromised. The Biederstaedt Grocery, in comparison, has been slowly restored to its former appearance by the owner, and remains the best example of this type of neighborhood institution in Madison.
Property Details
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Designations
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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