Property Record
5325 W ROGERS ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | The Kempsmith Manufacturing Company |
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| Other Name: | |
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| Reference Number: | 145090 |
| Location (Address): | 5325 W ROGERS ST |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | West Allis |
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| Year Built: | 1910 |
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| Additions: | 1941 1936 |
| Survey Date: | 2007 |
| Historic Use: | large office building |
| Architectural Style: | Neoclassical/Beaux Arts |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
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| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | This building is part of a large industrial complex, see AHI # 145690. Klug & Smith Company is cited as the contractor in 1941, while Selzer-Ornst Company is cited as the contractor in 1936. Eschweiler & Eschweiler designed the 1936 addition/alteration to the office building. Located at the corner of S. 54th and W. Rogers streets, the subject facility includes a Neo-Classical, brick, three-story office building (1910, 1936, 1941; AHI#145090) and a long, one-story, brick, saw-tooth roof factory/machine shop (1910, 1941, 1945, 1990; AHI#145690) along S. 54th Street. The office building rests upon a limestone foundation, features segmentally arched window openings and is adorned with limestone accents and banding. Meanwhile, the factory building carries a long series of large, multi-pane, industrial-style windows. According to the most recent Sanborn map and a current aerial image of the site, other buildings that are not visible from the road include general storage buildings and former engine and packing house structures. This industrial/manufacturing facility was originally constructed by the Kempsmith Manufacturing Company, which manufactured milling machines. Organized by Frank Kempsmith and two of his associates in 1888 in Milwaukee, the firm was first known as the Kempsmith Machine Tool Company. Kempsmith sold the company to Frank Wollaeger and Howard Browning in 1901,who then changed the name to the Kempsmith Manufacturing Company. Increased business activity required a larger facility and the company moved to the subject site in 1910. At that time, four main buildings were constructed and included the subject machine shop, a fire-resisting pattern shop, a power plant and the aforementioned three-story office building. By 1927, Kempsmith shared the site with the Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation and, by 1951, the plant was occupied by the Black Hawk Manufacturing Company. The property is currently owned by Roadster Rogers LLC. No information was found to substantiate eligibility regarding Criterion B. However, with regard to Criterion A and C, this facility appears to remain well intact and stands as an example of an early industrial/manufacturing plant in West Allis. It has the potential to offer substantial historical significance with regard to the early industrial concerns of the city. Further research is required to determine that significance and access to the property is needed to verify the composition and integrity of its other structures. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of West Allis, 1927 & 1927-1951; Building Permits 23 July 1936 (alteration to office & pattern shop); 29 January 1941 (office & shop addition). Burbach, Historical Review of West Allis, (1927), 97-99; #28;Kempsmith Company,#29; West Allis Press, 8 August 1919; #28;Kempsmith Manufacturing Company,#29; Evening News, 13 May 1918, Both articles located in Business Binders #19; K, Located in WAHS; Sanborn Map Company, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map #19; West Allis, Wis. (1927; 1927, updated to 1951). |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |