Property Record
425 LAKE AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
Historic Name: | M.M. Secor Trunk Co./Northwestern Trunk & Traveling B |
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Other Name: | George Morris Co. |
Contributing: | |
Reference Number: | 11014 |
Location (Address): | 425 LAKE AVE |
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County: | Racine |
City: | Racine |
Township/Village: | |
Unincorporated Community: | |
Town: | |
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Year Built: | 1887 |
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Additions: | |
Survey Date: | 1980 |
Historic Use: | industrial building |
Architectural Style: | Astylistic Utilitarian Building |
Structural System: | |
Wall Material: | Brick |
Architect: | |
Other Buildings On Site: | |
Demolished?: | Yes |
Demolished Date: | 1987 |
National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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National Register Listing Date: | |
State Register Listing Date: |
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 State Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation. UNUSUAL BRACKETS AT EAVESBRICK SILLS AND SEGMENTAL ARCH LINTELS. DOE 9/20/79. EIS 005-79. Demolished summer 1987. The M.M. Secor Trunk Co., later renamed the Northwestern Trunk and Traveling Bag Manufacturing Co., was one of the largest trunk and traveling bag manufacturers in the Midwest during the late 19th and early 20th century. Martin Mathias (1841-1911), a Bohemian immigrant, founded the company in 1861, and made a point of hiring Bohemian immigrants, many of whom came specifically to work for Secor. Secor pioneered high wages, unionized his workers, and gave paid vacations. He was elected mayor of Racine in 1884 and 1888, ran for mayor unsuccessfully three times and served as school commissioner from 1870-1874. Secor was very colorful and eccentric, as well as being a major industrialist and political figure. |
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Bibliographic References: | 1887 insurance map. Portrait and Biographical Album of Racine County, Wisconsin. Chicago: Lake City Publishing Company, 1892, pp. 273-274. |
Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |