Property Record
4545 W BROWN DEER RD
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | |
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| Other Name: | Badger Meter |
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| Reference Number: | 238932 |
| Location (Address): | 4545 W BROWN DEER RD |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Brown Deer |
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| Year Built: | 1951 |
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| Additions: | 1956C. 1960C. 1965C. 1975C. 2000 |
| Survey Date: | 2019 |
| Historic Use: | large office building |
| Architectural Style: | Contemporary |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Concrete |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | Y |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | 2019 - The sprawling corporate campus of Badger Meter sits on 21 acres of land and consists of two major building complexes, which are now connected through a series of additions: a 1951 manufacturing facility on the eastern end of the campus abutting the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad and a 1956 office and research headquarters on the western end of the campus (see Figures 4 and 5). A large pond and modern fountain, also completed in 1956, sit north of the office building and adjacent to Brown Deer Road/STH 100. Historic aerials show that major additions were made to the manufacturing facility c.1960 and c.1965, and to the office and research building c.1975 and c.2000. The campus is surrounded by a black metal security fence and is accessed on the northwest side by a driveway that leads to a modern guard station with a flat roof, clad in light-colored brick and sited on a concrete island. The two-to-three-story 1951 manufacturing facility is rectangular in plan. It features a flat roof of varying height with a blue fascia. The walls are clad mainly in stucco, with the second story faced partially in metal replacement siding, and accented with blue paneled door and window surrounds. The front (north) facade features a protruding central vestibule with double glazed doors in a recessed entryway. The entry is flanked by a tripartite fixed window to the east. The second story of the central entry features three groupings of asymmetrical fixed-over-awning windows. Fenestration mainly consists of groupings of three fixed-over-awning windows. The office and research building constructed in 1956 is connected to the side (west) elevation of the manufacturing facility. It is clad in brick and features a multi-height flat roof with a metal fascia that is flush with the building. The front (north) facade and side (east and west) elevations are defined by the ribbon windows that span from the ground level to the third story and terminate at the fascia. Each set of six ribbon windows is separated by a brick pilaster. Additional wall segments along the rear of the building are perforated by rows of ribbon windows along the first and second stories. The historic main entrance, located on the front facade, consists of an asymmetrical entrance with glazed double doors and a two-panel fixed transom. A central block of large stone panels accents the first and second stories, and a two-tiered flat metal awning extends above the entryway. Badger Meter produces flow measurement devices. The company originated in 1905, when German immigrants Albert E. Gumz and Albert W. Wingender invented a “frost-proof” water meter capable of withstanding Milwaukee’s freezing winter temperatures. By the postwar era Badger Meter had grown considerably and needed space for a large corporate headquarters, which it found in Brown Deer on the northern outskirts of Milwaukee. The company constructed the original 42,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in 1951. The office and research building were part of a $1 million campus expansion in 1956. During the second half of the twentieth century, Badger Meter continued to produce flow measurement products and acquired manufacturing companies in order to enable the growth and expansion of their product line. Since 2001 Badger Meter has opened manufacturing plants in the Czech Republic and has acquired companies in California, Arizona, and Switzerland. The company is a market leader in liquid flow technology, manufacture, and marketing. |
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| Bibliographic References: | “Badger Meter Company Timeline: A History of Growth and Innovation,” Badger Meter, n.d. https://www.badgermeter.com/company-timeline/. Milwaukee County Land Information Office. “Aerial Imagery of Milwaukee County,” 2019. https://lio.milwaukeecountywi.gov/Html5Viewer/index.html?viewer=MCLIO-Map. "Architecture/History Survey of STH 100 (W. Brown Deer Road) from N. 91st Street to WCL Railroad, City of Milwaukee and Village of Brown Deer, Milwaukee County, WI. April 2019. WHS Project #19-1247, Prepared by Mead & Hunt, Inc." |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |