Property Record
925 E WELLS ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | BUENA VISTA FLATS |
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| Other Name: | CUDAHY TOWER APARTMENTS |
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| Reference Number: | 42461 |
| Location (Address): | 925 E WELLS ST |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
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| Year Built: | 1908 |
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| Additions: | 1928 |
| Survey Date: | 20042021 |
| Historic Use: | apartment/condominium |
| Architectural Style: | Neoclassical/Beaux Arts |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Terra Cotta |
| Architect: | FERRY AND CLAS; HOLABIRD AND ROOT-1928 |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| National Register Listing Date: | |
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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. Fred Pabst (3/3/1869-2/21/1958) lived in apartment A as of 1941. He was the president of the Pabst Corp. from 1921-1932 and chairman of the board of the Pabst Brewing Co. from 1939-1954. The Cudahy actually consists of two distinct sections, built twenty years apart. The seven-story south end was called Buena Vista Flats when it opened in 1909, its large windows and deep-indented light courts provided every unit with sunshine and fresh air. Its white-glazed brick cladding made use of what was then an innovative new material. The fourteen-story north tower added in 1928-1929 has white-glazed terracotta to match the older building. But its taut exterior, illustrating the fading classicism of the 1920s and 1930s, contrasts with the boldly modulated elevations of the former Buena Vista Flats. The disparity suggests the revolution in taste that occurred in the early twentieth century. Although joined on the interior since 1929, the two buildings have maintained separate identities. Complete history in Wisconsin inventory form. Previously surveyed in 1984 with map code 136/17. Map name was 393. 2021 - This Neoclassical apartment building was constructed in 1908 (south portion) with an addition in 1928 (north portion). The south portion of the building is six stories tall, clad in white glazed brick and glazed terra cotta, while the northern tower complex is clad in similar materials and rises 14 stories. The southern portion has a recessed courtyard entrance along Prospect Avenue as well as a secondary entrance along Mason Street. The raised basement is clad in a rusticated coursed stone beneath an ornate entablature supported by scrolled brackets. Upper stories feature multi-story bays of oriel windows and recessed porches flanked by latticework panels. A stringcourse with egg and dart molding separates the sixth and seventh stories. An elaborate cornice featuring dentils and egg and dart moldings, with lion heads perched atop wide modillions caps the seventh story. Decorative elements surrounding doorways and porches include garlands, festoons, scrolled brackets, and molded terracotta panels containing animal imagery and mythological characters. Windows throughout are generally replacements, consisting of casement windows in the oriel bays, and one-over-one and two-over-one double hung windows found elsewhere. A penthouse has been constructed atop the seventh story and is set back from the building’s edge. The northern tower, constructed 20 years after the southern portion, features similar materials and forms to the original with the most distinctive difference being the 14-story tower topped with a square copula at its peak. The primary entrance to the northern addition is located on Wells Street, and consists of a central entryway beneath a decorative terra cotta panel and slightly-projecting Neoclassical surround supported by scrolled brackets. A molded terra cotta stringcourse separates the second and third stories. Windows throughout are regularly arranged in plain stone surrounds containing 8-over-1 double hung sashes. Cornices are located above the tenth and thirteenth stories, with modest terra cotta moldings and shallow dentils. Decorative elements are generally more restrained than those found on the southern 1908 portion of the apartment complex. |
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| Bibliographic References: | MILWAUKEE HISTORIC BUILDINGS TOUR: YANKEE HILL, CITY OF MILWAUKEE DEPARTMENT OF CITY DEVELOPMENT, 1994. Latus and Young, p. 15. MCC Research. Wisconsin Inventory Form. Zimmermann, The Heritage Guidebook, 54. Buildings of Wisconsin manuscript. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |