751-765 N JEFFERSON ST | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society

Property Record

751-765 N JEFFERSON ST

Architecture and History Inventory
751-765 N JEFFERSON ST | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society
NAMES
Historic Name:George Watts and Sons Building
Other Name:Watts Gift Gallery and Tea Room
Contributing: Yes
Reference Number:16197
PROPERTY LOCATION
Location (Address):751-765 N JEFFERSON ST
County:Milwaukee
City:Milwaukee
Township/Village:
Unincorporated Community:
Town:
Range:
Direction:
Section:
Quarter Section:
Quarter/Quarter Section:
PROPERTY FEATURES
Year Built:1925
Additions:
Survey Date:1984
Historic Use:large retail building
Architectural Style:Spanish/Mediterranean Styles
Structural System:
Wall Material:Stone - Unspecified
Architect: Martin Tullgren & Sons
Other Buildings On Site:
Demolished?:No
Demolished Date:
NATIONAL AND STATE REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
National/State Register Listing Name: East Side Commercial Historic District
National Register Listing Date:9/23/1986
State Register Listing Date:1/1/1989
National Register Multiple Property Name:
NOTES
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.

This is an elaborate Mediterranean-style commercial building designed by Martin Tullgren & Sons of Milwaukee, and was built in 1925-1926. Another map name is 4th Aldermanic District 246 map.

A two story showroom for George Watts china store. The facade is an ornate mottled yellow terra cotta with many fanciful and stylized designs of animals and plants.

George Watts emigrated from England in 1870 at age 21 and began working for glassware and porcelain merchant Thomas Massey. Watts became the shop’s sole owner in 1890, and George Watts & Sons remains one of Milwaukee’s oldest retailers, still operated by family descendants.
Bibliographic References:BUILT IN MILWAUKEE, LANDSCAPE RESEARCH, P. 90. MCL Nomination Buildings of Wisconsin manuscript.
RECORD LOCATION
Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin

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