Property Record
6430 W NATIONAL AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Otto Conrad Office Building |
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| Reference Number: | 9244 |
| Location (Address): | 6430 W NATIONAL AVE |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | West Allis |
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| Year Built: | 1923 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 20072019 |
| Historic Use: | small retail building |
| Architectural Style: | Commercial Vernacular |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Clapboard |
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| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | Previously surveyed in 1980. The storefront windows have changed, therefore an update survey card was submitted in 2007. This small, one-story building is sheathed with narrow clapboard and features an intact storefront including a central, recessed entry along West National Avenue. Another large window is located along South 65th Street, as are two smaller examples, the latter of which are accented by flat and projecting hoods with bracket trim. A short pent topped with wooden shingles and underscored by decorative wooden brackets runs around the perimeter of the structure, just beneath the false wood-sheathed parapet. No historic photos of this building could be found; however, its current appearance is consistent with 1920s, vernacular commercial/office structures of this size and massing. Built in 1923, this structure originally served as the office of real estate man Otto Conrad. It also served as the office of Conrad's lumber company, as well as for his son's real estate business, the David Conrad Company. By 1927, the structure was utilized by Beecher Smith for his real estate business, which he operated with his wife Bonnie. And, by 1932, the building was home to grocer Mrs. Anna Bregan. Although vernacular in style, the structure retains an intact storefront, including windows and the wooden bulkhead. Although painted over, the upper-level prism glass appears to be intact as well. 2019 - Resurveyed - altered appearance with replacement siding and the uncovering of historic prism glass transom. "This one-story small office building was constructed in 1923. Originally, it was the office of Otto Conrad, a local businessman involved in real estate and lumbering. In the 1930s, it became a grocery. The building has a mostly rectangular footprint with a slightly angled façade that parallels the diagonal W. National Avenue. The façade is symmetrical with an intact three-part storefront configuration that includes a wood bulkhead with recessed panels, a recessed central entryway between display windows, and a prism glass transom. Between the transom and flat parapet is a wood-shingled pent roof with decorative brackets. In recent years, narrow clapboard siding has been replaced with wide aluminum siding." |
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| Bibliographic References: | Permit dated 10 July 1923. Original permit for 6430 W. National Avenue, dated 10 July 1923; no cost cited, Otto Conrad noted as owner, David Conrad cited as contractor; West Allis City Directory, 1927, 1932. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |