Property Record
234-36 N BROADWAY ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Wellauer and Hoffman Co., Breslauer & Co. |
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| Other Name: | The Broadway |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 98328 |
| Location (Address): | 234-36 N BROADWAY ST |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
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| Year Built: | 1893 |
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| Additions: | 1894 |
| Survey Date: | 1984 |
| Historic Use: | warehouse |
| Architectural Style: | Romanesque Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Henry C. Koch and Co. |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| 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: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation-Public History. 1894 - Six story addition. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: Six story, painted brick Romanesque Revival, original first floor with massive polished granite corner column at entrance. Three story pilasters flank each window, capped at the 4th floor by round arches. Fifth floor is separate window arcade. Architecturally significant as an imposingly large warehouse which retains its original first floor appearance. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This building and its southern addition were constructed in 1893 and 1894 for the Wellauer & Hoffman Co., wholesale grocers, coffee roasters and specialty jobbers, established in 1876, and the three structures to the south were constructed for Breskauer & Co., importers and distillers of wine and liquor. The building replaced the 4-story building destroyed in a fire. In 1906 the wholesale grocery firm relocated to a new warehouse 1 block east; by 1908, David Adler & Sons Clothing Co. had leased the building for the manufacture of men's clothing. By 1932 the 1st & 2nd floors were used for furniture showrooms, the 3rd for Columbia Knitting Company's manufacturing operations, and the upper floors were vacant. For the next 40 years the building accommodated a variety of firms, which produced such items as oil filters, candy, slipcovers, printing plates, diving equipment, and the building was also used for the storage of wholesale groceries, cosmetics and knit products. In 1987, the four structures were renovated and renamed The Broadway, a complex of 105 luxury apartments. In 1998, it was converted into condominiums. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Permit. 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 |