Property Record
830-832 S 5TH ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | LAMERS BLOCK |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 41998 |
| Location (Address): | 830-832 S 5TH ST |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
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| Year Built: | 1883 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 19881973 |
| Historic Use: | retail building |
| Architectural Style: | Italianate |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | ANDREW ELLESON |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Walker's Point Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 12/19/1978 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | SEE WALKER'S POINT FILE. The Lamers Block was built in 1883 at a cost of $4,500. [B, C, D] One of the earliest enterprises to be housed in this building was a boots and shoes store. [A]. 1973: "This brick building was erected for Matthias Lamers, a Dutch cobbler, in 1883. Mr. Lamers first came to the United States from Holland, and in 1855 came to Milwaukee to open a boot and shoe store--the first of its kind in Walker's Point. Alterations and Additions (as of 1973): Permit No. 5160, October 21, 1901, a bay window was built by William Ziemann under the direction of Architect Otto E. Uehling, at a cost of $950. Permit No. 3314, February 18, 1946, the front section of the store was redone (no description given) by builders Bumik and Son. Other permits on file record plumbing installations and the addition of interior partitions, etc." A Guide to Historic Walker's Point, 1978: "Born in Buxtahusen, Holland in 1827, Matthias Lamers came to Milwaukee in 1855. A year after his marriage to Mary Van Boakholdt, he opened the first boot and shoe store on the south side. Lamers purchased this property in 1866 for $1,000 and completed building construction in 1883. Several of his children took over the business after his death in 1896 and the building remained family-owned until 1944. The two-story yellow brick building, set on a limestone foundation, has a heavily-scaled metal cornice topped with Grecian scallops and "pineapple" finials. The first floor was remodeled in 1901. Otto C. Uehling, the architect of St. Stephen's Church down the street, and the Levy and Kahn building up the street, is listed as the architect of this remodeling." |
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| Bibliographic References: | A. "History of Milwaukee" 1881, p. 1453. B. INSCRIPTION. C. MILWAUKEE SENTINEL 3/9/1883, 5/1. D. Milwaukee Sentinel 3/4/1883. E. MILWAUKEE HISTORIC BUILDINGS TOUR: WALKER'S POINT (COMMERCIAL), CITY OF MILWAUKEE DEPARTMENT OF CITY DEVELOPMENT, 1994. National Register Nomination Form. Palmer, Virginia A. and Wietczykowski, Mary Ellen, Walker's Point: Two Walking tours, Milwaukee, 1972, 31. Peterson, Peg, "Matthias Lamers Building," Walker's Point Preservation District Inventory prepared for Land Ethics, Inc., Milwaukee, 1970, and sources cited. Historic Walker's Point, Inc., A Guide to Historic Walker's Point, 1978. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |