Property Record
5300 N MARLBOROUGH DR
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Whitefish Bay Village Hall & Police Department |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 189201 |
| Location (Address): | 5300 N MARLBOROUGH DR |
|---|---|
| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Whitefish Bay |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1970 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2011 |
| Historic Use: | city/town/village hall/auditorium |
| Architectural Style: | Other Vernacular |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | VILLAGE HALL Early in its history, Milwaukee County consisted of two townships divided at what is now Greenfield Avenue. What is now Whitefish Bay was in the former Town of Milwaukee, south of Greenfield Avenue was the Town of Lake. The prime reason behind Whitefish Bay’s formation and incorporation as a village was the subject of education. By the 1890s, the area’s closest school was located in the present City of Glendale east of the Union Cemetery between Lydell Avenue and Port Washington Road, a several mile walk for some of the settlement’s children. Attempts were made to change the Town of Milwaukee school district’s existing boundaries to result in a closer school; however, these attempts were unsuccessful. As a result, these residents sought incorporation and the right to form their own school district. On June 7, 1892, the Village of Whitefish Bay was incorporated. Fred G. Isenring was elected the first Village President; William T. Consaul, A. Ehlers, I. Lefeber, Lewis Scheife, Ernst Timpel, and Dr. Thaddeus W. Williams were elected the first Village Trustees. The first village board meetings took place in a rented room at Lewis Scheife’s grocery store and later in the Fleetwood School. For more information on Fleetwood School, refer to Chapter 8 Education. A building dedicated to serve as village hall was purchased from A. A. Pinet in October of 1902. Located at 908 E. Lexington Boulevard, it originally was used as a saloon, and had stood vacant for a period of time. After being moved to the north side of Fleetwood Place, just south of where the Fleetwood School stood, it was used as the Whitefish Bay Village Hall until 1921. At that time, it was relocated to 314 E. Beaumont Avenue by Lewis Scheife and converted into a private residence. In 1922, a new one-story, brick village hall with attached tool garage designed by architect Martin Tullgren was constructed on a site located at 801 E. Lexington Boulevard. Soon after, the police department and jail moved into this building as well. Within six years additional space was required for the newly formed fire department and additional administrative offices. 200 feet of land west of the hall was purchased, and the building that had occupied it was demolished. In 1931 a two-story addition designed by architect Roy O. Papenthien was completed as well as a second floor addition onto the original one-story building. With these additions the village administration, police department, fire department, department of public works, inspection departments, and municipal court were all housed under the same roof. Living quarters for the firemen were added in 1936. A library opened in this building’s basement the following year. By 1950, several of these departments had outgrown the facility resulting in the creation of a civic center plan for the redevelopment of the former railroad and street car right-of-way that ran east of Marlborough Drive. By 1955, a new fire station and library were constructed. For more information on the Whitefish Bay Public Library, refer to Chapter 8 Education. After a proposal to convert it into a community and senior center was deemed financially infeasible to make the building meet state and village building codes. In 1970, the old village hall was demolished, and the land sold as three residential lots. The present Whitefish Bay Village Hall and Police Department was constructed in 1970 by Peters Construction Company at the cost of almost $380,000. The building also houses the emergency operating center for the North Shore Zone A Civil Defense. During the late 1920s, the City of Milwaukee was making an effort to annex many of its surrounding suburban communities. The proposed annexation of Whitefish Bay was tied closely with the negotiations over water supply in 1927. The majority of Whitefish Bay residents at the time considered immediate annexation bad for the village, yet many were open to the idea of future annexation. The issue came to a climax with the next election, in which a two-to-one majority of anti-annexation candidates were elected. To this day, the village remains incorporated covering an area of approximately 2.4 square miles and is governed by a village board of part-time trustees, a president elected for a 3 year term, and a full-time village manager. POLICE DEPARTMENT Prior to 1922, law enforcement in Whitefish Bay was provided by a Village Marshall. That year, a chief of police and several patrolmen were hired forming the Whitefish Bay Police Department. The police department and a jail were housed in a non-extant building constructed by Charles Langschwager in 1898 on a triangular piece of land purchased for approximately $30 at Lancaster Avenue and Kimbark Place. In 1931, an addition to the village hall designed by architect Roy O. Papenthien was completed, creating a new home for the police and other departments. With these additions the village administration, library, police department, fire department, department of public works, inspection departments, and municipal court were all housed under the same roof. By 1950, several of these departments had outgrown the facility resulting in the creation of a civic center plan for the redevelopment of the former railroad and street car right of way that ran east of Marlborough Drive. By 1955, a new fire station and library were constructed. Today, the police department occupies space in the Whitefish Bay Village Hall and Police Department, constructed in 1970. Whitefish Bay’s Police Department maintains a mutual aid agreement with departments of the neighboring North Shore communities. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | Building permit records on file at Whitefish Bay Village Hall. Herzog, Lewis W. Notes on Whitefish Bay. On file at the Whitefish Bay Public Library, Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. Whitefish Bay Historical Research Project. Volumes 2 & 27. Mimi Bird Collection, Whitefish Bay: Whitefish Bay Public Library Whitefish Bay – Then and Now. Milwaukee, Wisocnsin: League of Women Voters of the North Shore of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, 1970. Village of Whitefish Bay website. <http://www.wfbvillage.org> |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |