Property Record
1175 W BROADWAY AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | O. H. Maurer Sash and Doors |
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| Other Name: | Klingbeil Lumber Co. |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 123958 |
| Location (Address): | 1175 W BROADWAY AVE |
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| County: | Taylor |
| City: | |
| Township/Village: | Medford |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | 31 |
| Range: | 1 |
| Direction: | E |
| Section: | 28 |
| Quarter Section: | NW |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: | SW |
| Year Built: | 1925 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 20012012 |
| Historic Use: | lumber yard/mill |
| Architectural Style: | Boomtown |
| Structural System: | Balloon Frame |
| Wall Material: | Drop Siding |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | Y |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | 2001: The Klingbeil Lumber Company and Ace Hardware Store includes three large buildings. The hardware store and home center is located in a low, one-story, Front Gable structure that was erected for the Klingbeil establishment in 1973. The other two buildings probably were built for the Otto Maurer window sash and cabinet factory c. 1928. They stand west of the hardware store, one behind the other, near the intersection of STH 64 and CTH Q. Both retain a high degree of integrity. Otto Maurer opened a sash and cabinet shop on this site c. 1928, later converting it into a lumber yard. The two large frame buildings likely were erected for his business; the front building is said to have housed the machine shop. In 1939, R.A. Klingbeil purchased the property, operating it as a lumber yard and working as a building contractor. Klingbeil's sons, Reinhart and Ray, took over the Klingbeil Lumber Yard in 1952. The business prospered and in 1973, the Klingbeils added the current home center building. Presently, the home center includes the Klingbeils Ace Hardware franchise while the c. 1928 structures are used for storage. 2012: The two extant buildings historically associated with O. H. Maurer’s sash and door business, and later the Klingbeil Lumber Company—the shop building and storage building—are located at the present-day intersection of STH 64 (West Broadway Avenue) and CTH Q in the City of Medford. They are contained within a larger parcel currently owned by Klingbeil Land, LLC and occupied by Klingbeil Ace Lumber & Building Supply. Based on Taylor County tax assessment records, both buildings appear to have been constructed between 1924 and 1925. The buildings were originally used by Maurer for the manufacture of finished wood products. R. A. Klingbeil acquired the property in 1939 after it developed into a retail lumber yard, and continued the business under the name Klingbeil Lumber Company. The shop building was used as retail and machining space, and also had a second floor apartment. The storage building, located directly north of the shop building, was used for lumber storage. A third building was located immediately to the west of the shop building that was likely a garage and/or additional storage area. It was demolished after the 1940s (exact date unknown). The shop building is a two-story frame structure with a “boomtown” facade that faces south toward STH 64. It has a rectangular footprint, concrete slab foundation, wood drop siding, and medium-pitched gable roof with boxed eaves. The symmetrical facade is five bays wide with a central double door flanked by pairs of vinyl-clad wood sash replacement windows. The windows have false muntins that simulate a nine-over-nine configuration on the ground floor and six-over-six on the floor above. The east and west sides of the building have replacement windows of the same type and configuration. The front room of the shop building’s lower level was formerly a retail space. A STH 64 widening project in 1998 resulted in the removal of the front 12 feet of the building—the facade was reconstructed using original materials, but nearly all of the original retail space was lost. It is now approximately eight feet wide and functions as a storage space. The room is mostly unfinished with a plywood floor and exposed foil ceiling insulation. A pocket door that appears to be original to the building separates the retail space from the rear machining space. This open room has a concrete floor and wood board wall and ceiling coverings. Some of the old tools and equipment are still in place, though they have not been used for at least 30 years. The second floor, which was originally an apartment, is accessed by a stair in the front room. No indicators of its past use as a living space are present. Fixtures have been removed, and the area is now mostly used for miscellaneous storage. An exterior staircase to the second floor seen in a historic photo of the property has also been removed. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Architecture/History Survey 2001, Elizabeth Miller 2012: Bill Klingbeil, interview by Mead & Hunt, Medford, Wis., 25 January 2012 |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |