Property Record
423-427 W JUNEAU AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | GIPFEL UNION BREWERY |
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| Other Name: | |
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| Reference Number: | 27218 |
| Location (Address): | 423-427 W JUNEAU AVE |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
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| Year Built: | 1853 |
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| Additions: | 1892 1871 1912 1952 |
| Survey Date: | 20002010 |
| Historic Use: | brewery/distillery/winery |
| Architectural Style: | Federal |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | Yes |
| Demolished Date: | 2009 |
| 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, Division of Historic Preservation. HABS WI-248. In 1895, Casper Hack had a bakery here. 1892 - Two story added. 1905 - plate glass store windows. 1912 - one story added. R. Siebert & Son was the builder. This property is comprised six phases of construction; the earliest of which dates to 1853. The main, three-story, brick block is representative of the Federal style of architecture and features stepped parapet gables as end walls. The first floor of the original block's primary facade carries a largely intact storefront to the east; however, the western half has been boarded over. Five, regularly-spaced sash windows occupy the upper two floors. Ornamentation of the building is limited to the corbeled and denticulated cornice. Subsequent additions to the main block include the following: (1) a one-story, brick storefront [1871] to the west; (2) a one-and-one-half story, frame malt house and ice house [pre- 1876]; (3) a flat-roof, two-story, brick wing with basement [1892]; (4) a flat-roof, one-story, brick wing without basement [19121; and (5) a one-story, concrete block unit [1952]; the latter two of which are found along the rear facade of the malt/ice house wing.15 A brewing establishment was begun at this location by David Gipfel in 1843; however, the main block of the subject structure was not erected until ten years later. By no later than 1851, David's son Charles took over brewing operations and named the venture the "Union Brewery." The elder Gipfel passed away on 13 December 1856. By 1872, the business began brewing white beer; Charles retired from active brewing in 1893 and passed away in April of 1905, at the age of 81. The brewery ceased operations in 1897. Thereafter, the upper two floors of the building were converted for residential use and the first floor was continually occupied until the 1980s; most recently by Berther Bros., a restaurant supply company. Currently the structure stands vacant. The Gipfel Union Brewery, built in 1853, is believed to be the only commercial example of the Federal style of architecture in the City of Milwaukee. As well, the Gipfel Union Brewery was one of the oldest and longest-lived of the independent breweries which flourished into the 1890s. Thereafter, the smaller breweries were forced to close from competition with the likes of Pabst, Schlitz, et. al. Indeed, this portion of Juneau Avenue was historically known as Brewery Row, for it stretched from Pabst on the west to Schlitz on the east. The structure was HABS-documented in 1969 and, on 16 July 1985, the building was designated as a city landmark. |
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| Bibliographic References: | BUILT IN MILWAUKEE, LANDSCAPE RESEARCH, P. 74. MILWAUKEE DAILY REPORTER 10/26/1995. MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL SECTION E 11/6/1996. MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL 8/12/1996. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 2/24/1998. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 2/26/1998. 1895 city directory. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 9/23/1999. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 9/12/1999. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 11/5/2009. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |