Property Record
3841 W WISCONSIN AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Drott Tractor Company Showroom |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | WRTP/Big Step |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 113805 |
| Location (Address): | 3841 W WISCONSIN AVE |
|---|---|
| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1928 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | 1948 1936 |
| Survey Date: | 19832014 |
| Historic Use: | automobile showroom |
| Architectural Style: | Spanish/Mediterranean Styles |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Stone - Unspecified |
| Architect: | Martin Tullgren & Sons; Albert G. Peter; R. H. Bierman |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
|---|---|
| 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 Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. 2014 The Drott Tractor Company Showroom and Manufacturing Building is a large commercial and industrial building initially constructed in 1928 and designed by the firm of Martin Tullgren & Sons. It is comprised of three connected buildings that rest on an exposed basement clad in brick and concrete block and constructed into the Menomonee Valley Bluff. A metal fence with brick bollards runs along the west and north limits of the property. The main building, the showroom, was constructed in 1928 and is a two-story, Mediterranean Revival building that is clad in several different colors of terracotta. It has a rectangular plan and a flat roof. A decorative red terracotta parapet runs along the roofline. Below the roofline and above the second-story windows is a repeating carved band of circles flanked by feathers. The main entrance is centered on the front (north) facade and has an elaborate arched door surround. Windows on the first story are large, full-height replacement display windows with elaborate surrounds. A 1937 addition is located at the west corner of the original building. It is a rectangular-plan, brick-clad building with no ornamentation and large replacement windows on the west (side) elevation. A 1948 addition is located at the rear (south) of the original building. It also is clad in brick and has no ornamentation. Edward A. Drott was born in Butternut in Ashland County, Wisconsin, in March 1887. At the age of 14 he began to work as a lumberjack. By 1916 he started the E.A. Drott Company to develop and sell heavy machinery, such as tractors and plows. The company initially moved to Wausau then to Milwaukee in 1924. In 1925 Drott changed the company’s name to Drott Tractor Company. In 1928 construction began on the subject property, which was meant to be a showroom for the company’s products that were constructed in the adjacent Menomonee Valley. Drott died in 1956 (1). The company continued until 1969 when it was acquired by TENNECO (2). The building is currently owned by the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | 2014 (1) Bill Hart, “Edward A. Drott,” Marathon County Historical Society, http://www.marathoncountyhistory.com/PeopleDetails.php?PeopleId=146 (accessed 3 February 2015); City of Milwaukee, Department of City Development, 3-12, 3-13. (2) International Drotts, “What is a DROTT,” http://internationaldrottclub.webs.com/ (accessed 3 February 2015). |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |