Eschweiler Buildings


Click the image to learn more. The Eschweiler Buildings on the Milwaukee County Grounds, such as this abandoned Milwaukee County School of Agriculture and Domestic Economy building, have been the focus of historic preservation efforts.

The Eschweiler & Eschweiler architectural firm was one of the most prolific in Milwaukee’s history,[1] designing everything from community spaces, private homes, and places of worship, to industrial factories and commercial buildings. Some of their most notable buildings include the Milwaukee Gas Light Building, the Milwaukee Arena, the Wisconsin Telephone Co. Building, the Milwaukee County School of Agriculture and Domestic Economy, and many Historic Water Tower Neighborhood mansions.

Alexander C. Eschweiler opened the firm in 1892;[2] his three sons joined him in 1924.[3] In contrast to their nationally famous contemporaries, the Eschweiler firm was more traditional in style, with a few examples of modernism in the Art Deco aesthetic.[4] Though many Eschweiler buildings have been demolished, and some surviving buildings have suffered character-damaging renovations, dozens remained standing in the early 21st century.[5]

Footnotes [+]

  1. ^ “Eschweiler, Alexander Chadbourne 1865-1940,” Dictionary of Wisconsin History, Wisconsin Historical Society, accessed October 8, 2013, http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=1287&term_type_id=1&term_type_text=people&letter=E.
  2. ^ Richard Davis, 50 Years of Architecture: Being an Accounting of Sorts on the Work Done in Half a Century by a Father and His Sons: The Name of These Men is Eschweiler: They Have Been Builders All Their Lives (Milwaukee, WI: Hammersmith-Kortmeyer Co., 1943).
  3. ^ “Eschweiler, Alexander Chadbourne 1865-1940,” Dictionary of Wisconsin History, Wisconsin Historical Society, accessed October 8, 2013, http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=1287&term_type_id=1&term_type_text=people&letter=E.
  4. ^ Landscape Research, Built in Milwaukee: An Architectural View of the City (Milwaukee, WI: City of Milwaukee, 1983), 90-91, 142.
  5. ^ Whitney Gould, “Exhibit Celebrates Elegance, Wit of Eschweiler,” JSOnline, last modified August 6, 2007, accessed October 8, 2013.

For Further Reading

Davis, Richard. 50 Years of Architecture: Being an Accounting of Sorts on the Work Done in Half a Century by a Father and His Sons: The Name of These Men is Eschweiler: They Have Been Builders All Their Lives. Milwaukee, WI: Hammersmith-Kortmeyer Co., 1943.

“Eschweiler, Alexander Chadbourne 1865-1940.” Dictionary of Wisconsin History. Wisconsin Historical Society. Accessed October 8, 2013. http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=1287&term_type_id=1&term_type_text=people&letter=E.

Gould, Whitney. “Exhibit Celebrates Elegance, Wit of Eschweiler.” JSOnline. Last modified August 6, 2007. Accessed October 8, 2013.

Landscape Research. Built in Milwaukee: An Architectural View of the City. Milwaukee, WI: City of Milwaukee, 1983.

See Also

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Images

Exterior view of the West Allis Wadhams Gas Station. The small pagoda-style building features a bright-red pagoda roof and glass walls in white-colored frames. The station sits on a green lawn under the blue sky.
Sepia-colored high-angle shot of John W. Mariner Building's facade. The building's architecture resembles the Art Deco style. The skyscraper consists of a six-story structure sitting on a street corner. This image shows two sides of the building. Display windows are installed almost throughout the ground floor of the building's left side and a small part on the right side. These windows flank the corner entrance. The central corner of the building is rounded.
Sepia-colored long shot of the Wisconsin Telephone Company Main Exchange building from a distance. The structure has two towers that are connected by a bridge located high above the ground. Each tower feature multiple rectangular windows.