Property Record
210 E MICHIGAN ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | State Bank of Wisconsin (Bank of Milwaukee Block) |
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| Other Name: | INSURANCE EXCHANGE BUILDING |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 27221 |
| Location (Address): | 210 E MICHIGAN ST |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
| Township/Village: | |
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| Year Built: | 1856 |
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| Additions: | 1858 |
| Survey Date: | 1984 |
| Historic Use: | bank/financial institution |
| Architectural Style: | Italianate |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Limestone |
| Architect: | ALBERT C. NASH |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | State Bank of Wisconsin |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 3/8/1984 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| 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-157. This building is also a contributing resource in the East Side Commercial Historic District (listed 9/23/86). Locally designated 11-17-87. HABS WI-157. Fair example of an important early Milwaukee building. East wing has original elaborate window surrounds but appearance of other portions of building has been ruined by their removal. This building was considered to be the finest in Milwaukee when it was constructed for the State Bank of Wisconsin in 1857. These two buildings are the only remaining examples of the stone-clad Italianate style commercial blocks built before the Civil War. The State Bank of Wisconsin Block (west half) and the adjacent Bank of Milwaukee Block (east half) were separate four and a half story structures joined by a masonry party wall. Remodeling in 1903 unified the structures with a common entrance through the Bank of Milwaukee building. Additional reconstruction work done in the 1950s and 1970s stripped the corner building of the finely carved window caps that were similar in appearance to the spectacular ones that adorn the Bank of Milwaukee Block next door. "This building was originally erected by the State Bank of Wisconsin, a firm that, through various reorganizations, occupied it until 1930. At that time the bank merged with the Wisconsin Marine and Fire Insurance Company Bank to form the Marine National Exchange Bank. One of Milwaukee's older buildings still in use, the Insurance Exchange reflects the enthusiasm for richly decorated architectural forms that emerged in the mid-19th century and reached a climax in such structures as the nearby Mitchell and Mackie buildings. The Newhall House, once occupying the site immediately to the east, was connected to this building at the upper stories. At the time of the Newhall House fire in 1883, this connection provided means of escape for hotel employees whose rooms were on upper floors." Pagel, Mary Ellen & Virginia Palmer for the University of Wisconsin Extension Division, Guides to Historic Milwaukee: Juneautown Walking Tour, 1965. |
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| Bibliographic References: | THE DATE OF CONSTRUCTION IS FROM THE NR NOMINATION. ZIMMERMAN, The Past in Our Present, v. 2, pp. 1-3. MILWAUKEE HISTORIC BUILDINGS TOUR: JUNEAUTOWN, CITY OF MILWAUKEE DEPARTMENT OF CITY DEVELOPMENT, 1994. Richard W.E. Perrin, "Milwaukee Landmarks," Milwaukee, 1968, pp. 56-57. Wisconsin Academy Review XVII, No. 4, Winter 1970-71, 4,5. Zimmerman 24. Milwaukee Writer's Project pg. 446. Buildings of Wisconsin manuscript. Pagel, Mary Ellen & Virginia Palmer for the University of Wisconsin Extension Division, Guides to Historic Milwaukee: Juneautown Walking Tour, 1965. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |