Property Record
50 W 6TH AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | South Side Flouring Mill |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | H P SCHMIDT MILLING CO |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 70058 |
| Location (Address): | 50 W 6TH AVE |
|---|---|
| County: | Winnebago |
| City: | Oshkosh |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1883 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 20052019 |
| Historic Use: | mill |
| Architectural Style: | Astylistic Utilitarian Building |
| Structural System: | Wood Beam |
| Wall Material: | Stone - Unspecified |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | Y |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | 2005-FIXED ARCHED WINDOWS WITH CONCRETE SILLS. ONE-STORY MODERN ADDITION WITH WEATHERED CLAPBOARD. GRANERY RESTAURANT & BAR? DOE 4/26/86. 1978 This mill is constructed of limestone (fock faced finish). Segmental arches appear over window and door openings. This is the largest of the stone commercial/industrial buildings in Oshkosh and remains relatively unchanged. The addition to the east is one story in height and covered with pressed tin. The original mill on this site dates back to the mid-nineteenth century and was built by a Mr. Mace. H.C. Gustavus bought the mill in 1875 naming it the South Side Flouring Mill. In 1883 he built the present structure. Seven years later, Gustavus sold the mill to H.P. Schmidt who renamed it the Brooklyn Rolling Mills and, finally H.P. Schmidt Milling Company (C). This for well over 100 years, this site - has served as a grain milling center for the community and, with the river at its back, for the region via lake and river shipping. It is the sole remnant of the early grain milling industry in the city. Fox River Valley Industrial Survey The South Side Flouring Mill, a wood frame mill, burned down in 1883, and the owner, H. C. Gustavus, rebuilt the mill in stone the same year at 50 West Sixth Street in Oshkosh. Seven years later, the flouring mill was sold to H. P. Schmidt, who renamed it the Brooklyn Rolling Mills briefly and then the H. P. Schmidt Milling Company. The three-story limestone mill remains relatively unchanged from its original appearance, with the only alterations existing at the monitor along the roof and the single-story additions to the east. The mill stopped producing flour in 1945 but continued grinding grain for animal feed until it closed in 1982, the only remaining grain mill in Oshkosh for most of the twentieth century. In 1984, the property was renovated as the Granary Restaurant. The South Side Flouring Mill is significant under Criterion C: Architecture as an excellent example of a nineteenth stone flour mill. It is also significant under Criterion A: History in the area of Industry for its role in the Oshkosh milling industry. The period of significance for the property would extend from 1883 to 1945. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | Plaque in gable end. SHS Iconographic Collection. Souvenir of Oshkosh Fire & Police C. 1902. OSHKOSH OF TODAY, 1898, p. 111. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |