900 N 46TH ST | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society

Property Record

900 N 46TH ST

Architecture and History Inventory
900 N 46TH ST | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society
NAMES
Historic Name:American Hair & Felt Company
Other Name:Ozite
Contributing:
Reference Number:117998
PROPERTY LOCATION
Location (Address):900 N 46TH ST
County:Milwaukee
City:Milwaukee
Township/Village:
Unincorporated Community:
Town:
Range:
Direction:
Section:
Quarter Section:
Quarter/Quarter Section:
PROPERTY FEATURES
Year Built:1910
Additions:
Survey Date:19802012
Historic Use:industrial building
Architectural Style:Astylistic Utilitarian Building
Structural System:
Wall Material:Brick
Architect: Unknown
Other Buildings On Site:
Demolished?:No
Demolished Date:
NATIONAL AND STATE REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
National/State Register Listing Name:Not listed
National Register Listing Date:
State Register Listing Date:
NOTES
Additional Information:Owner status; Graef, Anhalt, & Schloemer & Assoc., Inc.

Although this building was likely built by the H. W. Johns-Manville Company, which owned and operated their plant immediately to the east, the American Hair & Felt Company appears to be the earliest occupant.

The American Hair & Felt Company was founded in 1864 by a group of Chicago and Milwaukee tanners in an effort to find a practical use for cattle hair, a tanning industry by-product. A number of applications were found including as a lining for military uniforms; gun wadding for bullets; insulation in rail cars (prior to refrigeration); and as an underlayment for carpets. Indeed, the company possessed a number of patents issued under "felt manufacture," "ammunition," and "carpet cushion." Later changing its name to the Ozite Corporation, the company later pioneered the use of synthetic fibers. Although headquartered in Chicago, the American Hair & Felt Company utilized the subject building for the manufacture of their products into the 1970s.
Bibliographic References:Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps.
RECORD LOCATION
Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin

Have Questions?

If you didn't find the record you were looking for, or have other questions about historic preservation, please email us and we can help:

If you have an update, correction, or addition to a record, please include this in your message:

  • AHI number
  • Information to be added or changed
  • Source information

Note: When providing a historical fact, such as the story of a historic event or the name of an architect, be sure to list your sources. We will only create or update a property record if we can verify a submission is factual and accurate.

How to Cite

For the purposes of a bibliography entry or footnote, follow this model:

Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory Citation
Wisconsin Historical Society, Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, "Historic Name", "Town", "County", "State", "Reference Number".