| 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.
Associated Individuals: Fred Borgwardt was a undertaker and embalmer (1902-).
Excellent Colonial Revival style store/flat. Especially note broken scroll pediment over gable window and semi-hexagonal bay window with pressed metal decoration.
Modern storefront appears to be reversible.
Established in 1885 as a business in furniture and upholstered goods as well as undertaking.
"The Borgwardt name proudly emblazoned on the front of this building is one long associated with Milwaukee's South Side. Fred J. Borgwardt was 9 years of age when he came from Germany with his parents, Fred and Sophia Borgwardt and settled in Milwaukee. Probably influenced by his carpenter father, Fred took up cabinetmaking and then went into the furniture business, first in partnership with George I. Prasser and then on his own in 1885 when he was 26 years old. One local history indicates that his store carried a large stock of fancy parlor and bedroom furniture as well as sideboards, wardrobes, office, hall and library furniture. Selling caskets was also an important part of Borgwardt's business, as it was with most furniture dealers at that time. As a result, it was easy for him to make the transition into the, then, up-and-coming profession of undertaking. Borgwardt studied at the Clark Embalming School and, finally, in 1897, he discountinued selling furniture to concentrate exclusively on undertaking.
In 1902 Borgwardt constructed this new building to house his undertaking business. Before the advent of the residential style funeral home that we know today, many funeral parlors operated out of storefronts like this one. This was possible because, until the 1920s, most funeral events take place in the deceased's home or at a church rather than at a funeral home. Borgwardt and his family lived in the flat above the store, a practice common among merchants since the Middle Ages.
The long narrow building follows another tradition set by Northern European merchants, as well, by having its gable end facing the street richly ornamented to reflect the identity and prestige of its owner. Local architect Charles L. Lesser captured the essence of the German Renaissance and Baroque Revival styles by using S and C scrolls to create the sensuously curvilinear profile of the gable. The dramatic broken pediment crowning the gable can trace its origins back to the townhouses of 17th century merchants in such German cities as Lubeck, Greifswald and Luneburg.
Fred J. Borgwardt did not long enjoy his beautiful new building. He died suddenly in 1909 at the age of 50, but his sons carried on his undertaking business, eventually moving it to 1817 W. National Ave. in 1923. His descendants still operate undertaking establishments in suburban Hales Corners and Wauwatosa today." MILWAUKEE ETHNIC COMMERCIAL AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS TOUR, CITY OF MILWAUKEE DEPARTMENT OF CITY DEVELOPMENT, SEPTEMBER 1994.
Resurveyed in 2021 by UWM-CRM. This two story German Renaissance Revival style commercial building was constructed in 1902. Brick piers divide the first story facade into two distinct areas: the storefront and the upper floor entry door. The street level storefront consists of wood framed windows with subdivided transom lights. The wood and glass entry door is recessed. A modern door with a three-light transom is located at the east end of the facade. The first floor is capped by a painted metal cornice with decorative corbels. The second story has a three-sided oriel containing a central fixed light flanked by modern double hung windows. The lower portion of the oriel has a painted metal frieze with foliate designs. To the left of the oriel is a single modern double hung window. The second story is capped by a painted metal cornice with dentil course. The uppermost story of the building is a richly shaped Flemish gable and contains a pair of modern double hung windows with a painted metal surround, swagged frieze panels, and a name plate reading BORGWARDT. The entire composition is capped by a dramatic broken pediment surrounding a narrow urn and supported on scrolled corbels. |
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