Property Record
108 S POLK ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | |
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| Other Name: | WEINBRENNER FACTORY |
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| Reference Number: | 21873 |
| Location (Address): | 108 S POLK ST |
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| County: | Lincoln |
| City: | Merrill |
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| Year Built: | 1937 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1991 |
| Historic Use: | industrial building |
| Architectural Style: | Astylistic Utilitarian Building |
| Structural System: | Unknown |
| 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: | 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. Company was founded in 1892 by Albert H. Weinbrenner in Milwaukee. In the 1930s additional shoe factories were built in Marshfield, Merrill, and Antigo. By 1940, all manufacturing had been moved from Milwaukee. The Antigo plant closed in 1986. [A] The Weinbrenner Shoe Factory is significant under Criterion A as an excellent example of a twentieth century industrial complex which still maintains its original use today. Albert Weinbrenner and Joseph Peffer had opened their first shoe store in Milwaukee in 1892. The Weinbrenner Shoe Company had grown over the years and built plants in other Wisconsin cities. In March 1936 Merrill businessmen invited the company to establish a plant in Merrill, and by December 1936 the factory was completed at the south end of Polk Street, with production beginning in January 1937. A heel and sole plant was added in 1941, and a new warehouse was built in 1947. These new additions allowed the Merrill factory to handle the shoes produced by the Marshfield and Antigo branches of the Weinbrenner company. During World War II, the Merrill plant made shoes for the navy. In 1947 the company produced men's work and dress shoes and children's shoes. By 1954 the Weinbrenner Shoe Company ranked as Merrill's largest industry, employing over 400 people. In 1960 Textron, Inc. of Providence, Rhode Island, purchased all of the Weinbrenner plants. In 1966 the Weinbrenner Shoe Company joined the Toronto-based Bata Shoe Organization and in 1969 transferred headquarters to Merrill. In 1970, when Weinbrenner became a division of Bata Shoe Company of Belcamp, Maryland, the Weinbrenner Corporation was dissolved. |
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| Bibliographic References: | [A] Merrill Foto News, 2/26/92 A. Lincoln County History and Biographies. Merrill: Lincoln Co. Biographies, 1947. B. lSchoenke, Lester H. The History of the Weinbrenner Shoe Company. 1983. Unpublished pamphlet, located at the Merrill Historical Society. C. "A Pictorial Intriduction to Merrill, Wisconsin." 1954. Pamphlet located at Merrill Historical Societys. D. Merrill Centennial 1883-1983. Merrill: 1983. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |