Property Record
2711 W WISCONSIN AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Marc' Big Boy 27th Inc. |
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| Other Name: | Marc's Big Boy |
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| Reference Number: | 113893 |
| Location (Address): | 2711 W WISCONSIN AVE |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
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| Year Built: | 1968 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 19832014 |
| Historic Use: | small retail building |
| Architectural Style: | Contemporary |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Stone Veneer |
| Architect: | Ronald C.Wiggins |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
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| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | Zielinski Bros. Inc. was the builder. 2014- "Marc’s Big Boy restaurant is a one-story commercial building constructed in 1968. It has a rectangular plan and is clad in a masonry veneer. It has a flat roof with a tall metal parapet. On the main (north) facade is a wide overhang that extends across the entire elevation. On the east side, the overhang makes a front gable shape supported by wood brackets. The main entrance is centered on the facade and has a glass and metal door. Windows are generally large, fixed plate glass that appear to be original, though metal grating has been added on the interior. The building is no longer a restaurant and is currently vacant. The Big Boy restaurant franchise started in California in 1936, when Boy Wian sold his car to purchase a hamburger stand. In the late 1950s the Milwaukee movie theater owner Ben Marcus met Wian and purchased regional franchise rights to the Big Boy name. Eventually the Marcus Corporation had over 60 “Marc’s Big Boys” operating in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois. It is unknown when the subject Big Boy went out of business." -"W Wisconsin Ave, 20th St-35th St", WisDOT #2190-00-00, Prepared by Mead & Hunt, Inc. (2014). |
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| Bibliographic References: | 2014 (1) "History of Big Boy,” Bob’s Big Boy, http://www.bigboy.com/careers/story/ (accessed 29 December 2014). (2) "An Original ‘Big Boy’ Plastic Sculpture from Marc’s Restaurant, ca. 1971,” Wisconsin Historical Society, http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=1028 (accessed 29 December 2014). |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |