Property Record
300 W JUNEAU AVE (FORMERLY 310 W JUNEAU AVE)
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | William Frankfurth Hardware Co. |
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| Other Name: | Sydney Hih Building |
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| Reference Number: | 111165 |
| Location (Address): | 300 W JUNEAU AVE (FORMERLY 310 W JUNEAU AVE) |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
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| Year Built: | 1880 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2000 |
| Historic Use: | hardware |
| Architectural Style: | Commercial Vernacular |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | Yes |
| Demolished Date: | 2012 |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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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-Public History. Original cost was $8,000. The William Frankfurth Co. was established in 1862 and became one of Milwaukee's largest hardware stores. It remained in operation for over 100 years. Rising five stories in height, this brick commercial building features a moderately altered storefront level; the display windows have been removed and re-sized, but the multiple-light glass transom remains intact, albeit painted. The upper four stories feature three bays of fenestration; the uppermost level of which carries single panes of glass. The second, third and fifth levels feature similar square-arch windowheads while the fourth floor windows are topped with a pointed arch head along with patterned brickwork. Brickwork brackets are located beneath the attic story and a bracketed cornice tops the building. A metal fire escape fronts three of the five levels. William Frankfurth & Co., merchants in wholesale hardware, was established in 1861 or 1862. Frankfurth came to the United States from Germany in 1849 and moved to Milwaukee in 1850. A news brief in the Milwaukee Sentinel indicates that in 1870, Frankfurth erected a store block on W. Water Street and, by 1875, he completed a four-story, brick block on 3rd Street (previously immediately north of the Senn Block). Finally, regarding the subject structure, a permit notice was printed in the Sentinel which notes that Frankfurth was to erect a five-story, brick store on the north side of Chestnut Street (now Juneau), between 3rd & 4th Street at a cost of $8,000. By 1885, a city directory advertisement shows a sketch of a Frankfurth establishment; however, the business is noted as existing on Clybourn Street. Thereafter, a variety of tenants occupied the structure; most recently, Beck's Books. No significant information was found in regard to any of the tenants after Frankfurth. William Frankfurth appears to have been a prominent name in Milwaukee hardware business and, for a time, operated a variety of locations for his hardware business. Nevertheless, no significant information was found in regard to his business and its prominence within the city as a whole. As a result, the subject structure is not considered eligible under Criterion A or B. In regard to Criterion C, the commercial building is a good representative example of 1 880s commercial architecture, despite the first-floor alterations. However, the City of Milwaukee does retain a substantial number of ca. 1880s commercial buildings; most specifically along N. Water Street and W. Wisconsin Avenue. As well, these other examples retain a higher degree of integrity and/or have been sensitively restored to their historic presence. Therefore, the former Frankfurth Hardware Store is ineligible under Criterion C. As discussed in the initial discussion for 300 W. Juneau Avenue, future potential remains in regard to this structure's association with the complex of four buildings known as "Sydney Hih." |
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| Bibliographic References: | Milwaukee Sentinel 3/5/1880, 8/3. Milwaukee Illustrated 1877, p. 85. Milwaukee Sentinel 3/4/1880. http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/arts/sydneytimeline09-d86bv82-165432946.html |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |