Property Record
1442 N. Memorial Dr.
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Belle City Malleable Iron Co. Office |
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| Other Name: | Racine Steel Castings Co. Office |
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| Reference Number: | 244098 |
| Location (Address): | 1442 N. Memorial Dr. |
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| County: | Racine |
| City: | Racine |
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| Year Built: | 1923 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2022 |
| Historic Use: | small office building |
| Architectural Style: | Twentieth Century Commercial |
| 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: | The office of the Belle City Malleable Iron Company is located at 1442 N. Memorial Drive at the southwest corner of Kewaunee Street and N. Memorial Drive (formerly Forest Street). Historically, this building stood across the street from the company's expansive foundry operations. Constructed in 1923, the office building was expanded to more than twice its original size between 1933 and 1951 through a large addition to its west (rear) elevation. A garage building, located south of this on the same lot, was constructed at approximately the same time as the company's office building (1923) with the capacity for 12 vehicles (this building appears on Sanborn maps as a private garage while city directories include it as part of the Belle City Malleable operations). Although Belle City Malleable ceased its malleable iron operations in 1970, the building continued to serve as the employment office for its subsidiary company Racine Steel Castings (which became Racine Steel Castings Division of Evans Products Company of Portland, Oregon in 1971 after acquisition by this entity). Racine Steel Castings operated through the 1970s, maintaining a workforce of several hundred men at the former Belle City Malleable site. The company permanently closed in 2002 by which time its Racine workforce had dwindled to 164 individuals. |
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| Bibliographic References: |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |