Property Record
1300 N Vel R. Phillips Ave (AKA 1300 N 4TH ST)
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | George C. Mansfield Company |
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| Other Name: | Lappin Electrical Co. |
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| Reference Number: | 109065 |
| Location (Address): | 1300 N Vel R. Phillips Ave (AKA 1300 N 4TH ST) |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
| Township/Village: | |
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| Year Built: | 1908 |
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| Additions: | 1919 |
| Survey Date: | 20042000 |
| Historic Use: | industrial bldg/manufacturing facility |
| Architectural Style: | Commercial Vernacular |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Ferry and Clas |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Mansfield, George C., Company Building |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 7/26/2016 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 5/20/2016 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| 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-Public History. Originally the George Mansfield Ice Cream and Butter factory. Addition built by Dahlman Construction. Previously surveyed in 1982 with a map code of 58/12 on a Historic Brewer's Hill-1982 map. Currently comprised of a 1907 main block and what appears to be two additions, this four-story building rests on a raised basement with a stone water table. The building's primary (N. 4th Street) entrance, features a slightly-recessed entry which is embellished by a classical stone surround that includes carved ears of corn. A large brick chimney rises from the southwest corner of the structure and features the current occupant's name, "LAPPIN" along each face. A loading dock at the southeast corner of the facility features square piers with Corinthian capitals. Window openings along the first, second and fourth floors are rectangular, while the third floor examples are embellished with a brick, segmental arch. Fenestration of the fourth floor is underscored with a continuous stone sill with brickwork beneath. The cornice of the main block appears to have been replaced, as the stone cornice of the addition remains intact. Nearly all door and window openings are either infilled with brick, plate glass windows or other modern materials. The subject structure was erected in 1907 for The George C. Mansfield Co., a creamery/dairy business. Mansfield was born in 1837 in Massachusetts, moved to Wisconsin at the age of nineteen and, by 1860, had moved to Johnson Creek. A 1917 county history notes that after establishing a small grocery store, he expanded the business to include creamery and dairy operations. The source continues to note that at some point in his career, Mansfield "owned and controlled the output of sixty creameries in this section of the country." Mansfield passed away in 1901 . Despite the company's ca. 1860s beginnings, the Milwaukee operation was not established until 1902. In 1907, the Mansfields chose the firm of Ferry & Clas to design a new, $20,000 home for their butter and ice cream-making facility. By 1919, the firm needed more space for refrigeration purposes and expanded to the north. That four-story addition cost $140,000 and was erected by the Dahlman Construction Co. The business continued under the Mansfield name until 1927, at which time the operation was taken over by the Gridley Dairy Company. By that time, the subject facility had turned exclusively to the production of ice cream. By the mid-1940s, Gridley was bought out or absorbed by The Borden Co., and the business was named The Gridley Division of The Borden Company. The Borden Ice Cream Co. occupied the buildings until 1959. The property stood vacant for just one year, when the buildings current occupant, Lappin Electric, moved in. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Permit. 1895 Sanborn Atlas. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |