Director

On January 9, 1896 the citizens of Waukesha read the results of a special election in the newspapers: their village officially became a city. As some at the time said, “the biggest village in the country became the newest little city.” High on the list of reasons that village leaders brought the issue to a vote was access to state funds for road paving improvements. Since incorporation as a city, there have been 31 mayors, several hundred city alderpersons, and thousands of professional staff. The city government is charged with overseeing a number of vital services. The scope and number of the services have changed, grown, and increased since 1896. The 1899 city directory listed 10 major employees: Mayor, Clerk, Treasurer, Comptroller, Engineer, Attorney, Chief of Police, Chief of Fire Dept., Assessor, Heath Commissioner, and City Physician. In addition, standing committees and commissions helped regulate the city government. A visit to the city website, waukesha-wi.gov, shows the tremendous growth of the city of Waukesha since 1896. The city government also reflects the social, economic, and cultural issues of the time. Racial discrimination, gender equality, equal rights, accommodations for those with disabilities, and environmental issues, are just a few of the issues the city has taken on. The Common Council remains the heart of city government. Citizens have the right to voice concerns to a duly-elected alderperson. This basic principle has not changed. And despite the challenges faced by all of us, the city of Waukesha remains a vibrant and exciting place to live. There is no other place like Waukesha.This property has served as the seat of city government since 1930, when the former Waukesha Municipal Hospital was put to use as City Hall. After 36 years the growing city - and by extension city departments - had outgrown the former hospital building. The second city hall building was dedicated in 1967. It was a prime example of mid-century municipal architecture, and featured a floating stair in front of a mural designed and installed by Franklin Boggs (artist-in residence at Beloit College.) After 54 years, the city had outgrown their city hall building yet again. The current City Hall was opened in 2021 during the City's 125th Anniversary Year.

Completed in 2021, this building is the seat of government for the City of Waukesha. Featured in the first floor are the Council Chambers and Treasurers Office. The building is home to the City's Administrative Offices, and various departments. This property has served to house two previous city hall structures, the first built in 1914 (originally built as Waukesha Municipal Hospital) served as City Hall from 1930-1966. The second City Hall was dedicated in 1967, built just north of the "old" city hall location at this same address Delafield St.

Waukesha City Hall

Starting at Waukesha's City Hall, this tour is a will take you through a variety of sites related to the city's history. 

Sites include:  Schuetze Building & mill race, Wilber Lumber Company, Saratoga Mill, Kimball’s Sawmill, Hygeia Spring, Thompson Malted Milk Plant, Mary Todd Lincoln Steps, Keeley Institute #1, Acme Spring, Spence Tower, Blair House & Woolen Mill, Original Waukesha Motors Building, Weber Brewery, First Wisconsin Railroad.

Although named for it's owner, the Blair House was constructed in 1876 by Samuel Dodd. It is a prominent example of Italianate style residential architecture. The original building is two stories, with single story porches and a single story wing to the northeast. In 1977 a one story addition was added to the garage wing.Samuel Dodd immigrated from England in 1863, and came to Wisconsin by way of New York. He arrived during an incredible period of growth for the town - with the economic prosperity of the Springs Era feeding new construction in the city. Dodd is referred to as a carpenter and contractor, and even an architect in the 1890 Waukesha Directory. He worked on projects at Carroll College, the Industrial School, and the Northwestern Depot.From the property file for the Blair House, WHS: Architectural and Historic Inventory:William E. Blair "pioneer industrialist and businessman...native of Dundonald, Ayrshire, Scotland...arrived in Prairieville 1845 (and) trained as a machinist. He entered into partnership with Amos McLachan to produce agricultural implements. He opened a foundry in 1851 and purchased WD Bacon's machine shop in 1853. The Blair Foundry was the largest industry in the village during this period."1 1855 - Blair founder of Waukesha County Bank1866 - Waukesha County Bank president | founded Waukesha County Manufacturing Company (woolen mill) which he remained president until his death in 1880.Political Activity:5 terms - village Trustee4 terms - village President3 terms - state senator.Freeman 7 Sept 1968:Blair established a threshing machine plant and Blair's Iron Works. He was an original stockholder and director of the Waukesha County Bank, now First National Bank. He was a director and president of Waukesha County Manufacturing Co, a woolen mill that was the largest manufacturing enterprise in Waukesha between 1866 and 1880. The home was willed to the city by his son, Henry. Freeman 2 Dec 1989:Built in 1876On National Register of Landmarks 1983Henry Blair died and it was passed onto the city of Waukesha in 1957Freeman 6 Aug 1957:Conditions of the willHenry's life accomplishments

The old Italianate-style brick home was in the early 20th century by Waukesha Mayor Henry E. Blair.It later served many medical facility, and in the mid-20th century a meeting place for the Blue Heron Girl Scout Council (now part Girls Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast GWISE). Recently the home was sold to private owners and is being restored and remodeled as Spring City Bed and Breakfast.

Blair House

With a reputation as a city of springs, by the 1880's the Waukesha Water Utility faced immense pressure to improve the municipal water service. An ordinance in November 1886 granted the New England Construction Company of Boston, MA a 20 year contract to build and operate the city's first utility service. Their pump station was located at North and Delafield, and fed eight miles of water main line and eighty fire hydrants throughout the city. They also built a 40' x 40' wrought iron reservoir tank at this 4th street site.In 1907, the City put a special referendum before voters to make the utility public - it passed 1131 for and 248 against. A water utility commission took control of the water utility and over the next two decades the city began a policy of drilling additional shallow wells to feed the utility. In 1929, it was decided that a deeper well was needed for the growing community and demand for water. A 1630 foot deep well was drilled at Mooreland Blvd and was added to the main service. This well operated by pumping directly into the mains, bypassing the above ground reservoirs.By 1931, the water utility commission hired Civil Engineer Arthur P Kuranz as the Superintendent. Enlisting the services of Martin C White, architect on staff at the Wilber Lumber Company, the Water Utility began a program of deep drilled wells with a surface reservoir on site that allowed water to be held. The result was successful, as the well capacity was more than doubled. The first such reservoir was installed at the Mooreland Blvd well, with another soon after at the Baxter Street well.With the success of these projects, Kuranz looked to further secure water and called for the design and construction of a reservoir on the 4th street property that could hold 1 million gallons of water, or enough to supply the city for 24 hours in an emergency. White again provided the architectural design. He had to consider the location of the new tower, a fairly prominent location as it was on a high hill in a residential area of town. Though some opposed the design, the 50 ft diameter, 46 feet tall circular Art Deco reservoir built with a reinforced concrete system consisting of both a 10 inch inner and a 4 inch exterior concrete shell was well received in the end.White recounted the effect of his unusually styled building in the city:<blockquote>Three new structures - the last and largest (the Fourth Street Reservoir) - just completed - built in recent years by the water department or the City of Waukesha, Wis., demonstrate the striking architectural possibilities of monolithic concrete even when applied to structures that are strictly utilitarian in character. All the structures, though located in residential areas of the city and at first violently opposed by the residents, are now regarded as definite neighborhood assets. In the matter of economy the results obtained at Waukesha are equally gratifying.1</blockquote>As hoped for, the result of the new reservoir was an improvement in the fire safety rating for the city - resulting in a 5% reduction in rates for commercial and industrial districts in the city. This expansion supported the city's water supply needs through the end of World War II. In 2003, the building was purchased from the city of Waukesha and converted into private residence.

A rare example of Art Deco in the City of Waukesha, this unique private residence began as a water tower. Prior to it's construction, a wrought iron reservoir tank was built at this 4th street location. With demand for water increasing in the city, projects to modernize the city's water infrastructure included construction of more reservoirs for storing water. After the success of other reservoirs in the city, construction began in 1934 to replace the Fourth Street Reservoir with a design by architect Martin White. Though some residents were opposed to the new design, in the end it was well received.

Fourth Street Reservoir

The brewing site located on North Street was first owned by Henry Meyer, but found success under second owner Stephen Weber as the West Hill Brewery. Weber expanded the original buildings, taking advantage of the lagering caves Meyer built into the hillside behind the building.The second generation of owners changed the name to the Bethesda Brewing Company, taking advantage of the reputation of the Bethesda Spring Company. It was the third generation under Killian Weber who finally reincorporated as the Weber Brewing Company in 1903. The business survived prohibition by switching to bottling milk. Its beers included: Old Fashioned, Weber Waukesha, and Weber Special.By 1958 larger production breweries and competition for distribution led Weber and Fox Head, Waukesha’s other hometown brewery, to merge. Although the North Street brewery production was closed, much of Stephen Weber’s improved building is still intact, including the original lagering caves.

Weber Brewery

The number of elementary schools serving the city fluctuated in the 20th century. Population growth in the mid-20th century added several other elementary campuses to the school district. By 1980, the residential population in the city center had begun to shrink and Barstow’s enrollment dropped to just 151 students. The school was closed. Students were divided between Hawthorne and Blair Schools. The building was sold and developed into the present Barstow Office Center. The interior was renovated, and brick archways were added to entrances on the north and south sides.

In 1917, Park schools stone building was replaced by a new brick building. By 1929, the early 20th century population boom led to the school being enlarged. At this time, it was also renamed "Barstow School" in honor of Waukesha resident and Wisconsin governor from 1850-1852, William Barstow. By the 1980's, population had declined in this part of Waukesha and the school board decided to close the school building.

Barstow School 

George H. Wilbur was born in 1839, in New York. In 1861 he enlisted in the army and served in the Civil War, fighting in several battles including the battle of Shiloh. Wilbur then entered the lumber business as a bookkeeper, eventually becoming a partner and manager at T.H. Judd &amp; Co. The self-named Wilbur Lumber Company later incorporated that company. When Wilbur passed away in 1922 he left the company to his son, Ross H. Wilbur, who ran the company until his death in 1947. The company then passed on to Hawley W. Wilbur, one of George's sons and a former mayor of Waukesha.The Wilbur Lumber Company employed people from many backgrounds and skill sets. Stephen Bollogh, for example, immigrated from Austria settling first in St. Louis, Missouri before relocated to Waukesha. Bollogh lived on Hartwell Avenue with his wife and children, and worked at the Wilbur Lumber Company. Bollogh died in 1941 at the age of 82, and is buried in the St. Joseph cemetery. Little is recorded about Mr. Bollogh, but other individuals are highly documented. Martin F. White, for example, is known to have worked as a staff architect for the Wilbur Lumber company, and eventually became assistant treasurer. He was instrumental in the design and construction of Waukesha's fourth street water reservoir, as well as designing the home of Hawley W. Wilbur. White spent fifty years working for the Wilbur Lumber Company, and eventually passed away in 1975 at his home in Wauwatosa.The lumber company was prosperous but not without challenging times. In 1947 a three year old girl, Sandra Hannon, told her grandfather that she saw a fire. The grandfather called the fire department, and the firefighters soon arrived at the Wilbur Lumber Company. The lumber company's silo had caught fire, and while the concrete structure remained intact the fire did cause around $20,000 at the time in damages. As an interesting side note, the silo originally belonged to the Waukesha Canning Company and previously contained the peas for canning.In 1955 the Wilbur Lumber Company was knocked down to make room for the Waukesha State Bank, and in 1962 the lumber company closed their jobbing department. Morgan Sash and Door Company, based in Broadview, Illinois, purchased the company, and while some of the staff were transferred, other employees were laid off. Ultimately the Wilbur Lumber Company went out of business in 1970, leaving behind a decades-long legacy of industry in Waukesha.

George H. Wilbur established The Wilbur Lumber Company in 1895, and ran it until his death in 1922. At one time the company supplied 500 dealers, and was a major feature of the industrialized Fox River corridor. In the 1950's some of the buildings on the site were knocked down to make way for other structures, and in 1970 the company officially went out of business. The Wilbur Lumber Company lives on in the memories and recollections of Waukesha residents.

Wilbur Lumber Company

John Gale Jr. established the Saratoga Mill Company in 1839 when he obtained the land rights from Alonzo R. Cutler. Soon after, the mill construction fell to William A. Barstow, who called the mill Barstow Mill. The mill took over a year to build, due to the scarcity of labor in the area and the difficulty in transporting materials to Waukesha from the east. Once the mill began operation, however, its flour proved to be popular due to its high quality. The mill utilized a smutting machine, the only one in Wisconsin, which separated the grain from the smut, or dirt. This led to a brighter, white flour, preferred over the grey flour more commonly found in the area. The smutting machine provides an example of the growing importance of industrial technology in the area and the growing need for workers who understood the new machinery.The Saratoga Mill's creation gave the area an economic boost, and created the basis for the industrialization of this section of the Fox River. Waukesha, or Prairieville as it was called at that time, began to experience a period of rapid growth after the mill's construction as the mill soon gained a reputation as the biggest and best in the area.In 1850 the mill was sold to Thomas Williams, and again in 1855 to R. N. Kimball. Kimball called the mill the Forest City Mill, and about seven men worked there. Kimball owned the mill until 1876, when Benjamin Boorman bought it. By the time that Boorman obtained the mill, the Springs Era had begun in Waukesha. People came from around the country to partake in the healing powers of the Waukesha springs, giving Waukesha the nickname the "Saratoga of the West." Boorman took inspiration from that nickname and renamed it Saratoga Mill. The Gutheil family then bought the mill, and owned it from 1905 to 1920. In 1925 the Northwestern Wrecking Company purchased the mill and demolished it, making way for new industries in the area.

The Saratoga Mill is considered one of the first industries in Waukesha, established in 1839 by John Gale Jr. and later associated with William A. Barstow. The mill no longer stands, it was demolished in 1925. None the less The Saratoga Mill ushered in a period of rapid growth in the area, and provides a glimpse into the importance of industry in Waukesha's history.

Saratoga Mill Company

The idea for the livestock sales pavilion was presented around 1913 in the Waukesha Freeman. In his inaugural address to the city counsel, Mayor Dopp encouraged the businessmen of Waukesha to work together with the interests of the purebred sales in mind. The different cattle associations were able to come together and formed the Waukesha County Livestock association.After looking at 21 different locations, they settled on the site facing the Fox River near the Barstow Street dam. The pavilion cost around $19,000 to build and consisted of a stable and dairy showroom. The main showroom was constructed of brick with an arched ceiling supported by steel tresses. Above the main entrance and continuing into the dairy barn was a mural which included life size pictures of the county's most popular dairy breeds.The initial purpose of the Waukesha Livestock association was the funding and construction of the sales pavilion and arena for public purposes. It was comprised of 2 directors each from the Guernsey &amp; Holstein association; 1 each from Jersey and Brown Swiss associations.; and 2 businessmen.  The association also organized sales, registered purebreds, guaranteed disease free stock, and encourage improved cattle breeding techniques.Between completion of construction of the pavilion, in 1918, and 1959 the Waukesha County Sales Pavilion was an international location of dairy sales. The five main dairy breeds sold at the pavilion were Holstein-Friesians (commonly called Holstein), Guernsey, Brown Swiss, Jersey, and Ayrshire. The annual dairy show was started in 1918 by then county agent J.E. Stallard and a committee of live stock breeders for 4-H members to show their calf's. After it's success, the committee decided to hold a show for the older stock and the first show was held in March 1919. Annually in March, the pavilion was packed as spectators watched from the balcony as the best of the dairy animals were paraded around the ring for judging and prizes. The high quality of cattle bred in Waukesha was especially noted at the 1920 National Dairy Show held in Chicago, IL when Waukesha stock took 5 of the 6 grand champion titles (no Brown Swiss were entered that year).By 1920, the show added swine, sheep, farm crops, milk and cream judging contests and became known as the Waukesha County Dairy and Agriculture Show. Along with junior departments, women's departments were added as the show grew every year. The March timeframe of the show did add a difficulty in 1923, when the show was postponed due to a snow storm. Other difficult years were in 1933 when the show was held the day after F.D.R closed the banks for a week and in 1945 when some objected to holding the show with the ongoing war. The pavilion also hosted a Home Show and the Green Market.In January of 1960, the Waukesha County Live Stock Breeders association disbanded and put the Sales Pavilion up for sale. It was purchased by Joseph H and Lila Korber for use as a furniture store and then in early 1977 was sold to Porters of Racine and opened under the name Creighton Barrows Warehouse. In 1984, the property was purchased by Michael Guerino with the intention of making it into a restaurant and banquet hall, but he abandoned the project after about a year. After being vacant for nearly a decade, the pavilion was demolished in 1990 to make way for developer Bryce Styza's River's Edge apartment complex.

With more cattle than people and more Guernsey cattle than the island of Guernsey, Waukesha county earned nicknames like "Cow County, USA" and the "Guernsey capital of America". From 1920 through the mid-century, the Waukesha Dairy Pavilion was the epicenter for the agrarian economy of the county. Half of the milk produced in Waukesha was sold to creameries, condenseries, cheese factories, and a malted milk factory in the county and the other half was sold as liquid milk to Milwaukee and Chicago. During the 1920's and 1930's, it was the home for the annual agricultural fair and dairy shows; as well as a Green Market. The location of the former home of the Waukesha Dairy Pavilion was on the banks of the Fox River near the Barstow Street dam which is the location of the River's Edge apartments today.

Waukesha Dairy Pavilion site

The first Sears store in Waukesha opened in 1932. By 1948, a new location for Sears had been found which, according to then manager Roland H Goldammer, was necessary or the store would possibly have to leave Waukesha. To accommodate the new store, two houses along Barstow with a total of 6 tenant families were given notice to vacate by July 31st, 1950.Construction was delayed with a government ban on non-defense building in January of 1951, but was underway by April of 1951. The building was opened on December 6th, 1951 after a rush to complete the building for the holidays. The new three floor store included a basement for storage and two floors of retail space. All of the departments were able to be enlarged and a mail order department was added.Some local memories from the store:I think of the Sears store in Waukesha as an appliance store, but they also carried men’s work clothes, furniture, and home furnishings. The added floor space in the new store allowed them to add paint, sporting goods, men’s furnishings, hardware, auto accessories and lighting fixtures. I remember my grandfather walking to Sears every Friday night to use their radio tube tester, hurrying home by 9 pm with a bag of popcorn from the shop on the 5-Points to watch boxing on TV.﻿Sears closed their Waukesha store on June 7, 1977 when, like other major retailers, they changed their focus to promoting their mall stores at Brookfield Square and Southridge. By July, all traces of Sears had been removed. The large Sears sign suspended on the front of the building was taken down and the extensive signage painted on the brick walls had been sandblasted into history.

Sears and Roebuck Co. was founded in 1886 and opened a store in Waukesha in February of 1932 at 280 W Main St, just east of the 5-Points. At some point they opened a second farm store at 220 W. Main St. However, the store most remembered locally is the building at 919 N. Barstow St. Sears remained in the Barstow St. location until 1977 and this is the location of Discount Liquor today.

Sears - Roebuck Store | Discount Liquor

Constructed in 1962, the Schuetze Recreation Center is named after Mr. Charles F. Schuetze “Father of the City of Waukesha’s Park System”, who served as president of the Park Board from 1926 through 1955. During this period, the following Parks were acquired and developed: Bethesda, Buchner, Frame and Horeb Springs. The Schuetze Recreation Center offers recreational experiences that promote health and wellness and offers the opportunity for residents to gather through rental opportunities and special events.

Waukesha Unlocked - Sunday History Tour

Waukesha City Hall

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context