Property Record
201 Morse St
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Antigo Brewery |
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| Other Name: | Sartori Cheese Factory |
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| Reference Number: | 246320 |
| Location (Address): | 201 Morse St |
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| County: | Langlade |
| City: | Antigo |
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| Survey Date: | 2023 |
| Historic Use: | brewery |
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| Wall Material: | Brick |
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| Other Buildings On Site: | Y |
| Demolished?: | No |
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| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | 2023: The extant bottling works building was constructed by Antigo Brewery at the southwest corner of Edison Street and 9th Avenue circa 1910. It is a one-story rectangular plan building of masonry construction. The east elevation is divided into three evenly spaced bays and the north elevation is divided into five evenly spaced bays. Each bay consists of a corbelled, recessed wall section. The brick exterior has been covered with a cementitious stucco skim coat that obscures the depth and profile of the brick detailing. The window openings are covered with plywood and a vehicular bay at the northeast corner of the building has been enclosed with grooved wood paneling. A series of one and two-story flat roof brick additions have been constructed along the south and west elevations of the former bottling works building between circa 1950 to 1998 during which time the facility was expanded under the operation Kraft Foods. The industrial complex at Edison Street and 9th Avenue was originally developed by the Antigo Brewery Company between 1896 and 1919. Following the onset of Prohibition, the brewery produced near beer for a short time. The Kraft Cheese Company, a Chicago based company, was interested in expanding and chose Antigo as the location of its second plant. In 1923, Kraft acquired and converted the former brewery into a cheese factory. Kraft was a major employer in the City of Antigo until it discontinued operation in 1993. Upon Kraft’s departure, local workers continued operation of the cheese factory as a workers' co-operative, Antigo Cheese Company. In 1995, the co-operative’s Parmesan was ranked number one in the Italian Grana division for the Wisconsin State Fair’s Governor’s Sweepstakes Cheese and Butter Contest. In 2006, Sartori Food Corporation, based in Plymouth, WI, acquired the Antigo Cheese Company, which had gained a reputation as a manufacturer of Italian cheese. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Robert M. Dessureau, History of Langlade County, Wisconsin: from U.S. Government Survey to Present Time with Biographical Sketches (Antigo, WI: Berner Bros. Publishing Co.), 83. Sanborn Insurance Maps 1898, 1904, 1909, 1919. “Peeps at our Past July 29,” Antigo Daily Journal 29 July 2020. “Newsline: Sartori Food Acquires Antigo” Dairy Processor News 1 August 2006. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |