Property Record
302 N BROADWAY ST / 300 E BUFFALO ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Baumbach Building, Cohen Bros. |
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| Other Name: | Buffalo Building; Baumbach Building |
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| Reference Number: | 16561 |
| Location (Address): | 302 N BROADWAY ST / 300 E BUFFALO ST |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
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| Year Built: | 1899 |
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| Additions: | 1900 |
| Survey Date: | 1984 |
| Historic Use: | industrial building |
| Architectural Style: | Chicago Commercial Style |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Eugene R. Liebert |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Baumbach Building |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 3/3/1983 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | This five-story building is of mill construction and made of brick. For details see NRHP nomination form. The sturdy octagonal corner pier, topped with a carved capital featuring human faces, is one of the downtown area's most frequently photographed architectural vignettes. The block's fourth story is a brick arcade, and a heavy, bracketed, highly ornamental terracotta cornice tops the two public facades. The dignity of this structure speaks to the skill of its German-born designer, Eugene Liebert. Originally the building housed a factory where workers made clothing for lumberjacks and miners. Today the building is used for offices and residential condominiums. The Baumbach Building has retained a high quality of design and details. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE: Owned by Ernst von Baumbach, the son of a distinguished German immigrant, this building was first occupied by Cohen Bros., a men's clothing manufacturing and wholesale firm, established 30 years earlier by newly-arrived Germans. The firm employed 150 people and specialized in lumberjack's and miner's outfits. By 1916, the adjacent Phoenix Knitting Co. used the builidng for stock rooms, a dining room and knitwear production. By 1940, warehousing uses dominated. In 1946, Midwest Lamp & Novelty Co. (successor to Cream City Lamp & Shade, est. 1922), remodeled the building and has since used it for plating, shade manufacture, assembly and storage operations. An office and storage building was added to the north in 1957, but was demolished in 1983. The fifth floor skylight has been covered and the first floor display windows are blocked up, but the arched upper windows and terra cotta ornamentation make this one of the more distinctive buildings in the Third Ward. The building is currently undergoing renovation to shops and housing. This building is also a contributing resource of the Historic Third Ward Historic District (listed: 3/8/84). a.k.a. 310 E. Buffalo St.??? |
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| Bibliographic References: | A. Building Permit. B. Historic Third Ward Historic Walking Tour, Historic Third Ward Association, 2009. C. Buildings of Wisconsin manuscript. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |