Summary
Lohman Funeral Home and Livery Stable
804 W. Greenfield Avenue and 1325 S. 8th Street
Milwaukee, Milwaukee County
Architect: Herman Paul Schnetzky, Eugene R. Liebert
Date of Completion: 1890 and 1893
The Lohman Funeral Home and Livery Stable complex began as a single-family house built in 1890 and a separate livery barn completed in 1893. Both structures were built for prosperous Milwaukee businessman Louis Bohne, who sold them in 1894, seemingly due to economic problems. Each then functioned as a rental property, housing various occupants before the Lohman Funeral Home was established.
The Lohman Livery Stable is the largest and best surviving livery stable in Milwaukee. It is likely that it is the stable that prompted the property's development into a funeral home. In 1896, brothers Herman and Henry Lohman rented the stable for their livery business. In the nineteenth century, funeral directors often entered the trade through related careers, such as carpenters who periodically built coffins for funerals. The Lohman brothers probably began by renting out carriages and hearses, gradually expanding their business as demand for more elaborate funerals grew. They opened a funeral home in 1918, utilizing both the stable and the Bohne house.
The Bohne residence was originally a Queen Anne style house with clapboard siding. In the twentieth century, people began to want luxurious memorial services in beautiful settings instead of the gloomy ceremonies in private homes or churches, and the funeral industry adapted to these new tastes. In 1931, an extensive remodel designed by Charles R. Lesser completely encased the Bohne house in brown brick veneer with Mission style gables and added a chapel to the rear, transforming it into a fashionable Mediterranean-style building. This house was among many elegant and architecturally elaborate funeral homes that appeared in Milwaukee at this time. The Lohman Funeral Home is distinguished by its Mediterranean features such as a massive two-story pavilion, ornate gables trimmed with cast stone, a Spanish tile roof, iron work and Baroque-style twisted columns.
The Lohman Funeral Home and Livery Stable buildings are private property. Please respect the rights and privacy of the occupants.
Property Details
Resources Within The Property
Designations
State & National Registers of Historic Places
The State Register and National Register recognize buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that are significant in national, state, or local history. The State Historic Preservation Office in conjunction with the National Park Service maintains the list for Wisconsin and makes the data available to the public for research and education.
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BEHIND N 90 W 16840-42 ROOSEVELT DR
8184
Located in Menomonee Falls, Waukesha County
2770 N 5th ST
100002175
Located in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County
