This week’s mystery face is on a building in the east town area of downtown. It is an angel which should hopefully narrow it down a bit. Does anyone recognize this angel and know which building it is on??
On North 19th Street, just north of Wisconsin Avenue lies a building that is the home of Channel 12. It has a modern appearance but at the core of the building remains a garage and stable that was built over 100 years ago for the estate of Charles Norris which was located on Grand Avenue next to the Pabst Family mansion. The Norris family were known for their business which provided provisions for ships in 19th century Milwaukee. Charles married the daughter of Daniel Wells Jr.
The stable was built in 1909 by H.C. Koch & Son, the architect of Milwaukee’s City Hall. Obviously this was one of his smaller projects. A description of the stable from the Western Builder of October 1909 is as follows:
We publish a photograph of the fireproof horse barn and automobile garage recently completed for Mr. Chas. W. Norris, 1906 Grand avenue, Milwaukee. The building was designed by Architects H. C. Koch & Son and was built by S. J. Brockman, all of Milwaukee.
Concrete is used liberally in the construction. The floors and roof are of reinforced concrete, the reinforcement of the roof being furnished by the Trussed Concrete Steel Co., of Detroit. Steel roof trusses are also used as roof supports. The walls are brick and hollow tile plastered on the outside with white cement. Green tiles serve as roof covering. There is no wood in the building excepting the doors, windows and harness cases. The general dimensions are 81×46. There is electricity, a small hot water heater and plumbing.
The conveniences include space for six or seven autos and horse carriages, a large washroom, three box stalls and two smaller ones, a hayloft, and in the basement a place for chickens, dog kennels, etc. Among the sub-contractors were Biersch & Niedermeyer, tile roofers, and Dearsley Bros., plumbers.
The view from the south parking lot shows the building as it now appears. Although much changed and added onto the original structure still can be seen. Now the real question is whether there are still chickens kept in the basement?
Fear not, the Monday Mystery is finally here! After a much needed overseas jaunt I have just now returned to catch up with work that needs to be done. So, we’ll keep it simple for all of you that may have had too much to eat this holiday weekend and are still digesting!
This week’s mystery face is on a short two-story building on the east side of downtown. It is a pretty well known 1920s era building with plenty of ornamental terra cotta including this pair of gryphons. Where is the building in this week’s mystery?
Dragons are everywhere but most times where you seldom look. These small terra cotta dragons sit near the top of a downtown building’s corner turret. They aren’t too visible from the street unless you have the binoculars out or have a good telephoto lens on your camera. The building is in East Town and is another red brick building. Any guesses before I need to give some more clues?
This week’s mystery will be a little easier. To celebrate a Badgers victory we will show a Milwaukee badger in all of its glory. What downtown building on the west side of the river has this little badger?
Today’s mystery picture is on a building on the west side of downtown. This interesting image shows the making of wine and is a little decrepit because it has been on this building for a long time. There is only one business in the building and it is a well known business that draws many visitors from around the world. What might this building be and where is it located??
The Harnischfeger Mansion out on 35th & Wisconsin has recently been listed for sale by Shorewest. It’s hard to say whether it is a steal at $349,900 because it is a fixer-upper. It would need lots of attention to bring it back to its original glory after years of abuse and neglect but it still has some interesting features.
Anyone interested?
Halloween Monday Special! Ok, this mystery face isn’t too scary but you might have to get out the binoculars to see this well, as high as it is. This cherub is on a downtown building in East Town and have a unique corner ornamentation. The entire top floor has reddish terra cotta all around – the only thing missing is the cornice which has been removed sometime in the distant past.
Who can guess the building where this mystery face is located??
This west side building has a variety of interesting monumental figures on the frieze along its top. This particular section shows ancient workmen. If you are a fan of Method Man you probably have plans to be here soon. Where is this building?
Today’s mystery shows a cherub on a downtown building in red terra cotta. This is one of two that holds a banner saying the Germanic name of the building. This is in the “old world” section of downtown – any guesses?
