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Property Location
| Location (Address) | 729-733 PARK AVE |
|---|---|
| County | Columbia |
| City/Village | Columbus |
| Township | |
| Unincorporated community | |
| Town | |
| Range | |
| Direction | |
| Section | |
| Quarter Section | |
| Quarter Quarter Section |
Property Features
| Year Built | 1902 |
|---|---|
| Additions | |
| Survey Date | 1975,2018 |
| Historic Use | brewery/distillery/winery |
| Architectural Style | Commercial Vernacular |
| Structural System | |
| Wall Material | Cream Brick |
| Architect | |
| Other Buildings On Site | |
| Demolished | No |
| Demolished Date | |
| Additional Comments |
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. This property is a locally designated landmark. In 1870, the Kurth Brewery was the largest of three breweries in Columbus, and was known as “John H. Kurth & Co.” The company owned two ice houses, a grain elevator near the depot, beer distribution warehouses in Tomah, Portage, and Luxemburg, three saloons in Columbus, and at least seventeen others in south-central Wisconsin. John Henry took over operations in 1880 from his father, Henry John, and soon after another son, Christian, joined the business. By 1900, the brewery complex took up the front of the entire block with a bottling department across the street. Founded by immigrants from Hesse-Kassel in central Germany, the company produced one hundred barrels of its “creamy, dreamy” beer each day by 1914. It also began marketing malted barley as a sideline, and soon its malting operation ranked among the country’s largest, making it a leading consumer of Wisconsin's barley crop. On Juny 20, 1916, the elevator and malt house were destroyed by fire. During the Prohibition, the company converted its operations to the production of soda pop. But after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, mass-marketed beers began to dominate the industry, weakening small local breweries. In 1949, the Kurths brewed their last barrel of beer. Only the office building and beer cellar remain from the original brewery complex, which once included a grain elevator, a malthouse, two icehouses, an electric plant, a cooperage, a bottling plant, and warehouses. The surviving utilitarian office building, constructed of yellow quarry-faced limestone, features flat stone lintels and a heavy stone cornice supported by a row of classical modillions. Along the neoclassical parapet, a remnant of the original sign spells out "Kurth" in metal letters. Inside, the taproom looks exactly as it did when it opened in 1903. The cherry and oak bar is trimmed with classical molding and pilasters. At the oak backbar, fluted Doric columns, a heavy entablature, and a shallow cabinet frame a three-part mirror. Oak wainscoting along the walls, a large oak ice box, original light fixtures, and historic signs complete the period setting. Today, the Kurth family operates the building as a part-time tavern. |
| Bibliographic References | Date of construction: NR nomination. COLUMBUS HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE TOURS, COLUMBUS HIATORIC LANDMARKS AND PRESERVATION COMMISSION, 1994. Take a Walk on Main Street: Historic Walking Tours in Wisconsin's Main Street Communities, Wisconsin Main Street Program, 1998. Columbus Historic Architecture Tours, undated. |
National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings
| National/State Register Listing Name | Kurth, John H., and Company Office Building |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date | Dec 02, 1993 |
| State Register Listing Date | Jan 22, 1998 |
| 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.
Questions?
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Email UsAttribution
For a credit line: Wisconsin Historical Society, Creator, Title, Unique Identifier.
The Unique Identifier can be found at the top or bottom of the page for each item. The name of a downloaded file is NOT the unique identifier.
For bibliographic citations please consult the UW-Madison Libraries Citation Research Guide to ensure compliance with appropriate style guidelines.
Access Property Records
Some properties have more materials (correspondence, clippings, historical information, etc.) not in the digital record. If a 'Site File' exists, it's noted in the 'Additional Comments' field. Contact us for an appointment to view these materials.
Bock Beer, Label
Bock beer label featuring a drawing of a goat's head, wheat or barley stalks, and hops. Bock was brewed and bottled by the Kurth Company of Columbus, Wis.
