Property Record
507 E MICHIGAN ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Johnson Service Company Building |
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| Other Name: | Johnson Controls |
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| Reference Number: | 106694 |
| Location (Address): | 507 E MICHIGAN ST |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
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| Year Built: | 1902 |
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| Additions: | 1924 |
| Survey Date: | 200420152016 |
| Historic Use: | large office building |
| Architectural Style: | Neoclassical/Beaux Arts |
| Structural System: | Reinforced Concrete |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Herman J. Esser (1902); Buemming & Guthrie (1924) |
| Other Buildings On Site: | Y |
| Demolished?: | No |
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| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | A 'site file' 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, Division of Historic Preservation. An early reinforced concrete structure in Milwaukee. 2015: Built in the Neoclassical Revival style, this brick, seven-story building is oriented to the north (E. Michigan Street) and located in the southeast corner of N. Jefferson and E. Michigan Streets. The main entrance is arched with a concrete panel surround and slightly offset to the west (right). To either side are seemingly columns between which are windows, all tied together by a cornice, immediately above which is a more defined cornice. The second floor consists of nominally arched windows with keystones, above which is a subdued, brick belt course. Thereafter are four floors comprised of squared windows with ornamental keystones, after which is another cornice. The seventh floor consists of windows with scalloped surrounds, immediately above which is an elaborate, bracketed and ornamental cornice that crowns the building. A modern, seven-story addition that is equal size to the original block is attached to the eastern elevation. Warren S. Johnson patented in 1883 a design for an electric tele-thermoscope (a type of thermostat) and established in 1885 the Johnson Electric Service Company with John Plankinton. Johnson would eventually patent fifty inventions in the area of power derived from air, steam and fluid pressure; he died in 1911. The firm's first permanent headquarters and manufacturing building was constructed at the southeast corner of E. Michigan and N. Jefferson streets in 1902 at a cost of $100,000. Designed by Herman J. Esser, the brick-sheathed utilized the Ransome system of reinforced concrete construction that utilized the material for beams, joints and columns. A city designation report cites it as the first office building in Milwaukee built with the material. The company emerged as a national leaded in the thermo-regulation, battery and automotive part manufacturing industries. The building was used for manufacturing at least through the 1950s, a period a period in which necessary changes to the building were facilitated by the firm of Klug & Smith. It is used today as a Johnson Controls office building. Excellent example of a turn of the century factory building in nearly original condition. Utilized Ransome system of reinforced concrete construction. Incorporated in 1885, The Johnson Electric Service Company manufactured electric and pneumatic controls. It also was one of the earliest auto distributers in the city and continues to be a major manufacturing concern in Milwaukee. When it was constructed this building was claimed to be the largest reinforced concrete factory in the Northwest. Photo - Commercial Milwaukee, 1909, p. 138. Last surveyed in 1984 with a map code of 147/23 on map LUQS 396. The top level of the 1924 portion has been altered. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Comm. File - Johnson Electric. Milwaukee's Trades and Industries, p. 155. Commercial Milwaukee, 1909, p. 138. “Johnson Controls Automatic Temperature Control System: A Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark” (American Society of Mechanical Engineers, May 28, 2008), 7. City of Milwaukee Department of City Development, Central Business District Historic Resources Survey, 56–57. Historic Preservation Commission City of Milwaukee, Historic Designation Study Report: Johnson Service Company Building, November 16, 1998, 2-3. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |