Property Record
144 N WATER ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | W.S. Seaman Co. - Furniture Manufacturing |
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| Other Name: | Badger-Becker Printing |
| Contributing: | No |
| Reference Number: | 81009 |
| Location (Address): | 144 N WATER ST |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
| Township/Village: | |
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| Town: | |
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| Year Built: | 1891 |
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| Additions: | 1945 |
| Survey Date: | 19842016 |
| Historic Use: | warehouse |
| Architectural Style: | Astylistic Utilitarian Building |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Crane and Barkhausen |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | Yes |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Historic Third Ward District |
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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: | See HAER form. M in the photo codes is short for MVIS. This one-story brick factory building had its top three stories removed in 1945. Because of this drastic alteration, the building has been listed as a non-contributing element for its loss of integrity. It is scheduled to be demolished in September of 1998. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE: This one-story building was originally the four-story factory of W. S. Seaman Co., a furniture manufacturing firm established in the 1870s. In 1906 the firm moved to a building on Virginia Street near numerous lumberyards and by 1910, Adolph Weber's confectionary firm moved into this building. Weber made candy here for over 15 years, making additions to the rear that extended it to almost 140 feet in length. By 1940, the Wisconsin Workshop for the Blind, located across the street, used the building for a warehouse. The top three stories were razed in 1945 and in 1952 the current owner, a printer, moved in. The W. S. Seaman Co. specialized in telephone supply manufacture and later in the manufacture of automobile bodies at three small plants. 1945 - Top three stories removed. 2016-demolished |
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| Bibliographic References: | A. Menomonee Valley Industrial Survey form. B. Building permits. C. Historic Third Ward Walking Tour, Historic Third Ward Association, 1998. Historic Third Ward Historic Walking Tour, Historic Third Ward Association, 2009. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |