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Property Location
| Location (Address) | 11700 W CAPITOL DR |
|---|---|
| County | Milwaukee |
| City/Village | Wauwatosa |
| Township | |
| Unincorporated community | |
| Town | |
| Range | |
| Direction | |
| Section | |
| Quarter Section | |
| Quarter Quarter Section |
Property Features
| Year Built | 1942 |
|---|---|
| Additions | 1947, 1958, 1973, 1983 |
| Survey Date | 2016 |
| Historic Use | industrial bldg/manufacturing facility |
| Architectural Style | Astylistic Utilitarian Building |
| Structural System | |
| Wall Material | Brick |
| Architect | |
| Other Buildings On Site | |
| Demolished | No |
| Demolished Date | |
| Additional Comments | A.O. Smith Company was incorporated in 1904 as a producer of automobile frames and proceeded to become the largest producer of automobile and airplane frames and water heaters in the United States during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. They also produced small motors and metal farm silos. During World War II, the company played a large part in wartime manufacturing including establishing a large propeller manufacturing plant in what would become Wauwatosa in 1942. After the end of the war the plant was no longer needed and was sold to Harley-Davidson Motor Company in 1947 as the main machine shop site for the Milwaukee based motorcycle manufacturer. Harley Davidson expanded and renovated the plant numerous times in 1958, 1973, 1984, and 1997. In 2012, much of the former manufacturing plant was sold to U-Haul Self-Storage. |
| Bibliographic References | ‘History,’ A.O. Smith website. <www.aosmith.com/About/History/> accessed January 27, 2017. “Urban spelunking: Uncovering a WWII "Easter egg," On Milwaukee website. <onmilwaukee.com/buzz/articles/lost-ww2-propeller-uncovered.html> accessed January 18, 2017. Mead & Hunt. Milwaukee Industrial Properties Intensive Survey. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Historical Society, 2016. |
National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings
| National/State Register Listing Name | Not Listed |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date | |
| State Register Listing Date | |
| Contributing |
Architecture & History Inventory
The Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory (AHI) is a digital source of information on historic buildings, structures, and objects that have been surveyed by the State Historic Preservation Office in Wisconsin. Each property has a digital record providing basic information about the property and images.
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3700 W. Juneau Ave. (1147 N. Thirty-eighth St.)
86003850
Located in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County
3025 W Hopkins St & 3533 N 27th St
100008256
Located in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County
228 South 1st ST
100005901
Located in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County
Manufacturing Automobile Frames, 1954
1954
Workers at the A.O. Smith Corporation in Milwaukee assembling frames for Cadillac automobiles. In 1902 Arthur O. Smith, son of the company's founder, produced the first pressed steel automobile fra...
3700 W Juneau Ave
86003850
Located in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County
