Property Record
1872 N COMMERCE ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Co. Powerhouse |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | Lakefront Brewery |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 83374 |
| Location (Address): | 1872 N COMMERCE ST |
|---|---|
| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1908 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 198220162021 |
| Historic Use: | industrial bldg/manufacturing facility |
| Architectural Style: | Astylistic Utilitarian Building |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Kirchhoff & Rose |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: Fair example of large cream brick warehouse. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: 1982: The Front Building was probably originally part of Conrad Brothers Tannery. This firm was established in 1870 as Perffer and Conrad Brothers and in 1892 had a capacity of 1500 hides per week. Three story brick rectangular building with windows inset in raised brickwork. Flat roof. 2010: Permits were reviewed, as were Sanborn maps (1910) as the building was part of HMI's Spaces & Traces sprint tour. This structure was built in 1908 by the Continental Realty Co. as a powerhouse for the Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company. the architects were Kirchhoff & Rose. 2021: This 3-story industrial building was constructed in 1908 as a powerhouse for the Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company and has served as the Lakefront Brewery since 1998. It is rectangular in plan with cream brick walls and a flat roof. The front elevation faces northwest and is asymmetrical in composition due to an uneven fenestration pattern. Due to its situation below street grade, an L-shaped pedestrian ramp has been added at the center of the façade to provide access to the raised entrance. The front elevation is divided into six slightly recessed bays with decorative arcaded corbelling capping each bay. Historically, each bay contained a large segmentally-arched window opening containing a metal-framed, multi-paned window; these window openings were later infilled. New rectangular window openings were added at the second and third stories of the two easternmost bays. New windows have been added to the original openings in the three westernmost bays, although the new windows are rectangular in design and, consequently do not match the segmentally arched openings. A vehicular bay is located at the eastern end of the first story of the façade. Historic photos also suggest that a stepped parapet has been removed from the center of the façade and a row of radial smokestacks has been removed from the roof. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | Previously mis-identified as the Schuster Service Building (Conrad Bros. Tannery), 1894 Sanborn; Comm. File- Conrad; Milwaukee of Today, 1892. Permit, 20 February 1908 Municipal Journal & Engineer, 5 February 1908, page 181, "Plans are being prepared for a powerhouse to be erected by the Continental Realty Company near the Commerce Street Station of the Milwaukee Electric Railway." |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |