Property Record
2924 120TH AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Merkt Cheese Store |
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| Other Name: | Bobby Nelson Cheese Store |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 141518 |
| Location (Address): | 2924 120TH AVE |
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| County: | Kenosha |
| City: | |
| Township/Village: | Paris |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | 2 |
| Range: | 21 |
| Direction: | E |
| Section: | 24 |
| Quarter Section: | SE |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: | SE |
| Year Built: | 1932 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | |
| Historic Use: | large retail building |
| Architectural Style: | Twentieth Century Commercial |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Stucco |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | Yes |
| Demolished Date: | 2023 |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | The Twentieth Century Commercial style Bobby Nelson Cheese Shop, located at 2924 120th Avenue in the Town of Paris, was established in 1949. Situated off of Interstate 90, the small cheese shop catered primarily to tourists, visiting Wisconsin from the south. The store, which sells cheese, pickled products, and various encased meats, has an interior decorated with memorabilia and paintings, and a large iconic historic sign outside. An associated mail-order business shipped products from Wisconsin to the rest of the country since the 1960s. Established by Bobby Nelson, a former professional wrestler and Milwaukee Police Officer, the shop carried only specialty items made in Wisconsin. The shop remained small throughout its history. Nelson operated the cheese store until he retired in 1979. The business was sold and continued to operate, under his name until it closed in 2019. September 2006-This circa 1950s, stylistic utilitarian, flat roof commercial building is covered with stucco and exhibits almost no ornamentation. The main (east) facade is comprised of an offset entrance flanked by two picture windows on the left (south) and one on the right (north). A metal awning spans the length of the main facade's fenestration. Additional picture windows pierce both sidewalls. A gabled block extends from the rear (west) of the building and a pyramid roof garage is located immediately north of the structure. A large neon sign stating #28;Bobby Nelson Wisconsin Cheese#29; rests at the front of the property. This building was constructed in the late 1950s as a cheese store that sold Merkt Cheese. It was then sold to Bobby Nelson in the mid 1960s. Nelson was a Milwaukee Police officer and professional wrestler during the 1950s and early 1960s and is credited with inventing the full and half nelson wrestling moves. After retiring from both professions, Nelson purchased and operated the subject cheese store until 1979, when he sold it to Phyllis Giovanelli. Nelson died in 2004. |
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| Bibliographic References: | “Bobby Nelson Cheese Shop closing after 70 years,” Kenosha News, July 26, 2019. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |