Property Record
250 N WATER ST / 207 E BUFFALO ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Hoffman and Sons Building |
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| Other Name: | Marshall Building |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 110938 |
| Location (Address): | 250 N WATER ST / 207 E BUFFALO ST |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
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| Year Built: | 1906 |
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| Additions: | 1911 |
| Survey Date: | 1984 |
| Historic Use: | warehouse |
| Architectural Style: | Commercial Vernacular |
| Structural System: | Reinforced Concrete |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Ferry & Clas; Claude A.p. Turner-engineer; John Geist |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
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| National/State Register Listing Name: | Historic Third Ward District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 3/8/1984 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
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| Additional Information: | 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. This six-story building has a load-bearing fireproof construction with arcaded, segmentally-arched reveals for fenestration. It is a simple design of excellent proportions and elegant brickwork. Sixth floor added in 1911. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE: Established in 1876 the wholesale grocery firm of Wellauer & Hoffman Co. was located on the southeast corner of Boradway and Buffalo Streets. By 1906 the firm had been renamed John Hoffman & Sons and its new five-story building one block to the west was nearing completion. Hoffman's coffee roasters were located on the sixth floor (added in 1911), and a sugar pulverizer was on the fourth floor. Beginning in the late 1920s, Hoffman & Sons shared space with various manufacturers. In 1948, Geo. Bockl, a local developer, signed a 99-year lease and named it the Marshall building after his son. In 1949, Roundy, Peckham and Dexter, a wholesale firm located on the same block, bought out Hoffman & Sons, and continues to use Hoffman's Old Time label. The building is now used primarily for offices. In 2002 the building was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark (NHCEL). According to the nomination papers, it is the oldest extant example of flat slab concrete construction in the world. Claude A.P. Turner, a pioneer of reinforced concrete construction,was the structural designer of the Marshall Building. It is the oldest extant example of Turner's "mushroom" flat-slab system, in which large concrete columns with distinctive mushroom-shaped capitols support a flat slab floor. This replaced an earlier concrete beam and column system. Turner's system allowed wider spans and uninterupted ceilings, transforming the design and construction of reinforced concrete buildings. |
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| Bibliographic References: | A. Building Permit. Historic Third Ward Historic Walking Tour, Historic Third Ward Association, 2009. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |