Property Record
706 E MAIN ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | WISCONSIN CENTRAL CAR SHOPS |
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| Other Name: | |
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| Reference Number: | 27629 |
| Location (Address): | 706 E MAIN ST |
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| County: | Waukesha |
| City: | Waukesha |
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| Year Built: | 1886 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1979 |
| Historic Use: | repair shop/roundhouse |
| Architectural Style: | Astylistic Utilitarian Building |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Cream Brick |
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| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | Yes |
| Demolished Date: | 0 |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. REPAIR SHOP FOR LOCOMOTIVES AND OTHER ROLLING STOCK OF WISCONSIN CENTRAL RAILROAD. The Wisconsin Central Car Shops were constructed in 1886. The nucleus of the complex was a large gable roofed block approximately 100' by 250'. Veneered with cream brick, the facade of this building includes two rows of blind windows above which are the name and date stones. The gable end rises into a parapet capped by a band of coping. This building was the original machine shop. The large turntable was located south of this building. To the north of the machine shop was a one story brick structure. This structure housed the woodworking and planning operations. These structures were vacated in 1900, and remained vacant until Werra Aluminum Foundry Company opened in 1913-14. The plant complex expanded during the 1910's-20's, but the original buildings dating from 1886 remain. The large turntable, locomotive house has been demolished. In 1886, the Wisconsin Central Railroad moved its chief division headquarters to Waukesha and built its "Great Waukesha Shops" which included 5 acres of tracks, a twelve-stall roundhouse, and repair shops. The shops opened in 1887 and were closed down just thirteen years later in 1900 when the division headquarters were moved to North Fond Du Lac. The shops remained vacant until 1913 when they were purchased by Conrad Werra, a pioneer in the aluminum casting industry. Werra was a German who emigrated to this country in 1888. In 1896, he opened his own iron foundry in Two Rivers and, a few years later while at home recuperating from an injury, he experimented in casting aluminum. In 1900, he opened the Aluminum Foundry Company in Manitowoc where, in 1902, he is credited with casting the first aluminum automobile engine block which became the industry standard until the 1920's. In 1910, his plant was purchased by the Aluminum Company of America (Alcan). He managed the plant until 1913 but then moved to Waukesha to start his own foundry again in the old car shops. In the 1920's and 1930's, Werra 's primary product was architectural detailing and ornamentation. The plant sold to General Casting Company in 1937. |
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| Bibliographic References: | (A) H. Russell Zimmermann, The Heritage Guidebook, 1976. (B) Name and date stone in gable end. (C) Griswold, Willard S., "Waukesha Central Was the last of Three Railroads to Enter Waukesha, " Freeman Centennial Edition, Sec. I-1, p. 14, 1959. (D) Phillips, Charles, "Cast in Aluminum," Landmark, WCHS. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |