S & R Cheese Company
2-18 East Main Street, Plymouth, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin
Architect: Wacker and Wiemann; Henry Schwalberg
Date of Construction: 1891-1912; 1943
The S & R Cheese Company building was originally three separate brewery buildings at 2-6 East Main Street, 10-12 East Main Street, and 16-18 East Main Street that were later joined together. These industrial buildings were originally constructed between 1891 and 1912 by the Plymouth Brewing Company. The S & R Cheese Company purchased and occupied the building in 1943, after which it served as its headquarters and primary manufacturing facility.
The building, combining three distinct parts aligned along East Main Street, is constructed of light colored brick masonry walls with a mixture of various loft column structural systems including steel, concrete, and timber on the interior. The exterior appearance has elements of the late-nineteenth century Italianate style.
S & R Cheese was responsible for several technological advancements in the industry. They were among the first cheese companies to embrace the use of milk trucks for bulk transportation, patented a cheese curd machine and curd mixing and kneading machine, and experimented with the cheese making process, particularly the curing of Romano cheese. The Sartori family was responsible for the advancement of the profession as founding members of the Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association and the American Producers of Italian-Type Cheese which later merged with the National Cheese Institute and is now part of the International Dairy Foods Association. The property’s significance continues to approximately 1970, when S & R Cheese was the largest producer of mozzarella and provolone cheeses in the United States and began exporting its products internationally. |