| 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. R. HOEPPNER WAS THE BUILDER.
This structure is a fine example of an early 20th century residence designed in the English Arts and Crafts mode.
2015- "The Brumder House is located at the northeast corner of W. Wisconsin Avenue and N. 31st Street. The house fronts south onto W. Wisconsin Avenue and is sited atop a rise with a moderate setback, separated from the street on the south and west sides by a tree-lined terrace and sidewalk. A set of concrete stairs with a metal handrail leads from the sidewalk on W. Wisconsin Avenue to the main entrance, and a second set leads from the sidewalk on N. 31st Street to a side entrance on the west elevation. The property currently functions as a bed and breakfast.
The Brumder House is a two-and-one-half-story, cross-plan, Arts & Crafts residence constructed in 1910 and attributed to Milwaukee architects H.P. Schnetzky & Sons and Alexander Eschweiler. The house rests on a brick foundation and the walls are of red brick laid in a Flemish bond with stone accents. The steeply pitched gable roof is covered in wood shingles and the eaves feature exposed, carved rafter tails, and carved brackets and bargeboards in the gable ends. Three large, elaborate, brick chimneys with stone accents project above the roofline. Windows throughout are double-hung units with nine-over-one and 12-over-one sash, although a number of window openings have one-over-one replacement sash. Windows are found in single, paired, and triple configurations and feature heavy, flat stone lintels and sills. On the front (south) facade and southern portions of the east and west (side) elevations, stone belt courses separate the upper, lower, and basement levels and incorporate the window sills.
The asymmetrical front (south) facade features a prominent projecting gable on the east side, while a flat roof porch spans the west side. The brick porch has stone accents and features Tudor arch openings on the south and west (side) elevations and a canted buttress at the southwest corner. The porch shelters the main entrance, which consists of a glazed wooden door flanked by full-height sidelights. A large polygonal brick bay window projects from the south gable's lower story, beneath a shallower wood bay window on the upper story. Both the lower bay window and porch feature brick balustrades with pointedarch cutouts and stone caps.
A polygonal bay is located on the east (side) elevation at the southeast corner in the junction between the south and east gables. A small gable dormer is located on the east slope of the north gable wing and has walls clad in wood shingles with stickwork in the gable end. The west (side) elevation features a polygonal porch with similar Tudor arch openings and balustrade found on the front porch. The porch is located at the junction of the east gable and north wing, and a west-facing cross gable projects from the north wing directly above the porch. It shelters a secondary entrance to the lower story, and a modern replacement door immediately north of the porch provides access to the service stairs. A rear entrance to the kitchen is located on the rear (north) elevation, and a metal fire escape provides egress from the windows in the peak of the north gable. A handicapped-accessible ramp extends from the rear entrance to a concrete sidewalk leading from the adjacent church.
Interior
The main entrance on the front (south) facade opens onto a small vestibule, separated from the foyer by a glazed wood door (see the attached floorplan). The sitting room, dining room, and study open onto the foyer, which has a coffered ceiling and wood wainscoting on the lower half of the walls. Wood floors and crown molding remain throughout the lower floor of the house. The foyer also contains the grand staircase to the upper floor, which features an oak railing with paneled, square posts and round-arch balusters. The study is located at the southwest corner of the foyer, accessed via wood pocket doors with a wood filigree valence, and retains the original glass-front, built-in cupboards on the west wall and a fireplace with a cream brick hearth with a dentilled oak mantel. The sitting room is accessed from the south side of the foyer and retains pocket doors and a filigree valence similar to that of the study. The projecting south bay window features leaded-glass transoms, and the fireplace on the east wall has a white marble hearth and wood mantel supported by carved Corinthian columns. A glazed door at the northeast corner of the room leads to the dining room via a small solarium located in the side window. The dining room is also accessed from the east end of the foyer and features wainscoting and crown molding. A large fireplace is located at the east end of the dining room and displays an ornate Tiffany-style glass and tile mosaic depicting a rose of Sharon bush by noted designer George Mann Niedecken. Doorways from the northeast corner of the foyer and the northwest corner of the dining room lead to the kitchen/service area, which was not accessible during the site visit but appeared to have a number of modern fixtures. A hallway at the northwest corner of the foyer has a tile floor laid in a decorative Greek Key pattern and leads to a restroom and side door.
The second floor is accessed via the main staircase, lit from the west side by three leaded-glass windows. A round arch wood balustrade separates the stairway from the landing on the south and east sides, and a hallway continues to the north and also provides access to the service stairs leading to the third floor. Both the second and third floors are comprised of guest suites, which were occupied and not accessible at the time of the site visit, although the owners stated that most rooms retain historic fireplaces. Since 2008 each guest room also contains a large, in-room, whirlpool tub with marble and tile surround.
Stairs to the basement level are located beneath the main staircase, accessible via a door at the northwest corner of the foyer. Originally a recreation space, the basement has been converted into a small theater with the seating area located beneath the first-floor sitting room, a stage at the north side, and a bar area at the northwest corner. The seating area retains the large brick fireplace on the east wall. Remaining peripheral basement spaces are now used for storage and costume and prop areas, although the layout of these spaces appears to be unaltered and the coal bin retains its sliding door."
-"George Brumder, Jr. House", WisDOT #2190-00-00, Prepared by Mead & Hunt, Inc. (2015).
2014- "The George Brumder, Jr. House is a two-and-one-half-story Arts and Crafts home constructed in 1910 and designed by H.P. Schnetzky. It has a T-shaped plan and is clad in red brick. It has a cross gable roof clad in asphalt shingles with a projecting prominent front gable clad in asphalt shingles. Two prominent red brick chimneys are visible on the east side of the home. Gables have incised vergeboards, exposed rafters, and decorative brackets. A large, red brick porch with Tudor arches and limestone accents is on the west side of the main (south) facade. Above the porch is an open-air porch with red brick and limestone balustrades. Concrete steps with red brick and limestone bollards lead to the porch. The doorway appears to retain its original simple sidelights. To the west of the door is a ribbon of three windows with the original nine-over-one, double-hung wood sash. The east side of the facade has a large, three-sided, projecting, also with a small open air porch on the second floor. Windows on the projecting bay are one-over-one, double-hung replacements, but the historic stained glass transoms have been preserved. The majority of the remaining windows are replacement one-over-one, double-hung sash.
The house was constructed by George Brumder, the country’s premiere German newspaper publisher, for his eldest son William. The house was completed shortly before Brumder’s death in 1910. For an unknown reason, William did not move into the house, but his younger brother George Frederick Brumder, Jr. did. The family remained in the house until 1920 when, according to the current owners, the house was sold to Chicago native Sam Pick, a noted bootlegger in the area who ran a speakeasy out of the ballroom in the basement. The house is currently a bed and breakfast."
-"W Wisconsin Ave, 20th St-35th St", WisDOT #2190-00-00, Prepared by Mead & Hunt, Inc. (2014).
2024: Locally designated. |
|---|
