Property Record
1913 S 57TH ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Sam Hersh Investment Building |
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| Reference Number: | 145343 |
| Location (Address): | 1913 S 57TH ST |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | West Allis |
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| Year Built: | 1928 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2007 |
| Historic Use: | apartment/condominium |
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| Wall Material: | Brick |
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| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | Primarily oriented to W. Burnham Street, the two-story, Period Revival-style, commercial/apartment building located at 5701-07 W. Burnham Street is comprised of two building phases; a corner block built in 1928, with an addition to the west in 1929. The entire structure consists of four storefronts, each of which is outlined by a smooth stone surround. The entire building is accented by red barrel-tiled pents with bracket trim that alternate with a flat parapet with stone coping. Fenestration along the second floor includes banks of windows arranged in pairs and in tripartite groupings and are underscored by plain stone sills. Round-arched openings along the west half of the first level provide access to the apartments above. An open-air balcony accented by stone columns and a false ironwork balconet is located along the second floor of the west block. The adjacent Period Revival-style apartment building at 1913 S. 57th Street, known as Burnham Apartments, is oriented on an east/west axis. Red brick faces the structure#25;s primary facade, while common brick, painted a salmon color, is evident along the side walls. The central entry is comprised of a single door set between battered and stone-trimmed, pier-like elements. A solid stone lintel tops the doorway and within it reads "BURNHAM." A metal railing runs above the door and fronts a recessed area within which is a large window. This second-level opening is trimmed with a flattened archway with a stone keystone and accents. Located along both levels and to either side of the central entrances is a tripartite, sash window grouping, between which is a rectangular section of patterned brickwork. All four window openings are underscored by a plain stone sill, while the upper-level openings are topped with a pent overhang that is covered with barrel tile and feature carved wooden brackets. Windows along the visible south side consist of sash windows arranged singly and in pairs. Both buildings were designed by architect Paul Bennett and built by real estate developer Sam Hersch between 1928 and 1929. Regarding the commercial building, the corner block (containing two stores and three apartments), which also extends along both W. Burnham and S. 57th streets, was built in 1928, while the two-store, six apartment addition to the west was added in 1929. The first known tenant of the storefront level of the 1928 block was Hansenmiller's Rexall Drug Store and Ferber's Fruit & Vegetable Market, while barber Chester Drake operated out of one of the storefronts of the 1929 addition. The eight-unit apartment building was constructed in 1928 and the estimated cost was cited as $20,000. The structure continues to function as an apartment complex. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Original permit (two stores, three apartments) for 5701-07 W. Burnham Street, dated 19 April 1928, est. cost $18,000; Permit for addition (two stores, six apartments), dated 8 April 1929, est. cost $20,000; West Allis City Directory, 1929, 1932; Original permit for 1913 S. 57th Street, dated 19 April 1928. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |