Property Record
231 W MICHIGAN ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Public Service Building |
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| Other Name: | Wisconsin Electric Public Service Building |
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| Reference Number: | 27234 |
| Location (Address): | 231 W MICHIGAN ST |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
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| Year Built: | 1903 |
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| Additions: | 1926 |
| Survey Date: | 2000 |
| Historic Use: | large office building |
| Architectural Style: | Neoclassical/Beaux Arts |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Herman J. Esser |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Public Service Building |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 5/20/1998 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 10/17/1997 |
| 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, State Historic Preservation Office. SEE ZIMMERMAN 182. HABS WI-275. Fifth floor was added in 1926. ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: Large rectangular Neoclassical building constructed of limestone and pressed brick, with a variety of moldings. A projecting pavilion marks the main entry; two medallions illustrate streetcars, one horse-drawn and the other electric. Builder was the American Bridge Co. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company was organized in 1896, consolidating several existing trolley systems. In the following decade it extended service to most of the city and established interurban lines between Milwaukee and its suburbs and other Wisconsin cities. Construction of the firm's main terminal began in 1903 and was completed in 1905. The building contained general offices, the terminal station, hospital and training facilities, and the interurban's car house. Electric railways in Milwaukee reached their zenith by the second decade of the 20th century, after which they declined over a long period until their final demise after World War II. The building then became offices for the electric railway's successor, the Wisconsin Electric Power company. The historical marker on the west wall of the building, erected by the Milwaukee County Historical Society in 1976, reads: The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Lignt Company opened its terminal here in 1905. The first car entered this building Jan. 1, 1905. The first floor was the terminal area, with two waiting rooms and thirteen car tracks; it was then the largest terminal of its kind in the U.S. At one time the system extended west to Watertown, north to Sheboygan, south to Kenosha and southwest to Burlington and east Troy. The final line was abandoned June 30, 1951. |
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| Bibliographic References: | THE HISTORIC NAME, DATE OF CONSTRUCTION, AND ARCHITECT'S NAME ARE FROM SOURCE A OF THE ISF. BUILT IN MILWAUKEE, LANDSCAPE RESEARCH, P. 84. MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL 12/3/1995, P. 3B. Building Permit Records. Milwaukee Landmarks Commission. Historical Marker: Milwaukee County Historical Society Latus, Mark and Mary E. Young. DOWNTOWN MILWAUKEE (Milw. Landmarks Commission,1978) p. 104 |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |