| 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.
Glass block windows, attached garage.
William Gear was a pioneer in the industrialization of dairy products in the early twentieth century. Operating a milk depot out of their First Street home in 1916, the Gears rapidly expanded, building a modern creamery and purchasing Valley Creamery Company in 1922. By 1928 Hugh Gear was erecting a modern dairy and ice cream plant on the site of the Henry Hewitt, Sr. home on Washington Street. The First Street plant was later replaced by the Art Moderne William Gear Dairy, while the Washington Street plant was demolished to make room for offices.
The William Gear Dairy is historically significant for its association with the pioneering family of dairy industrialization in Menasha.
This utilitarian building with its Streamline Moderne front wing once housed Gear Dairy, a milk and ice-cream plant. By 1915, Wisconsin led the nation in the production of milk, cheese, and butter, and much of it was processed in factories like the Gears’. Like many Wisconsin dairy producers, the Gear family first operated a milk depot out of their home, beginning in 1905, and eventually transformed their operation into a modern industrial creamery. Responding to urban population growth and expanding demand after World War II, the Gears doubled the size of their factory and replaced on old office wing with this sleek, fashionable structure.
The Gear Dairy Plant is located in a mixed commercial residential area of Menasha. A two story rectangular brick Art Moderne structure, the plant has a flat roof, the bonding is American, and the foundation is concrete. A garage is attached to the western side of the building. Decorative features include windows made up of Art Deco glass cubes.
The William Gear Dairy is a fine example of Art Moderne architecture, along with its association with the prominent Gear Family.
Fox River Valley Industrial Survey
Charles and William Gear established the Gear Dairy in Menasha in 1883, which claimed the first local house delivery service in the city. In 1903, the dairy moved to a non-extant building at the corner of First and Milwaukee Streets. The business expanded to provide other products besides milk, including cream, buttermilk, half and half, and even eggs. This expansion led the company to an interest in mechanized and automated machines, and the dairy became one of the first regionally to introduce sealed milk bottling, pasteurization, homogenization, and added vitamins during the early and mid-twentieth century.
The Gear modern industrialized creamery required a modern industrialized building, and the company constructed a new facility at 333 First Street in Menasha in 1949. The Art Moderne style two-story brick dairy had a wing of garages to one side and in the rear to service the dairy’s fleet of delivery trucks. The William Gear Dairy was purchased by Morning Glory Dairy, a larger operation, in 1967.
The William Gear Dairy is significant under Criterion A: History in the area of Industry for its role in the Menasha dairy industry. The period of significance for the property would extend from 1949 to 1967. |
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| Bibliographic References: | A. Sanborn Perris Map of Menasha, 1916. Menasha Record; August 8, 1922, page 2.
B. Ibid,; February 17, 1928, page 1. Ibid.; August 29, 1928, page 1.
Circa date of building from assessor's records; confirmed by 1926 (updated to 1948)--not yet new building.
Buildings of Wisconsin manuscript. |
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