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2600 N 32ND ST

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Property Record

2600 N 32ND ST

Historic Name:
Kiel Furniture Co.

Other Name:
Master Lock Company

Reference Number:
111591

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Property Location

Location (Address)

2600 N 32ND ST

County

Milwaukee

City/Village

Milwaukee

Township

Unincorporated community

Town

Range

Direction

Section

Quarter Section

Quarter Quarter Section

Property Features

Year Built

1909

Additions

C. 1965,C. 1967,C. 1972,C. 1977,C. 1980,C. 1981,C. 1920,C. 1928,C. 1953,C. 1957,C. 1960

Survey Date

1980,2016

Historic Use

industrial bldg/manufacturing facility

Architectural Style

Commercial Vernacular

Structural System

Wall Material

Brick

Architect

Van Ryn & Degelleke

Other Buildings On Site

Demolished

No

Demolished Date

Additional Comments

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. Architectural Statement: Master Lock is a sprawling network of offices and manufacturing plants which cover 6 acres on the City's northwest side. Functional in design and form, they were constructed over a period of 25 years. Historical Statement: Master Lock was founded in 1929 by locksmith Harry E. Soref. He invented the principle of the laminated padlock by which layer upon layer of hard-wrought steel plates are riveted together under pressures up to 300,000 pounds. The result is a case stronger than a block of steel. The first factory was located on N. Plankinton and has grown to be the world's largest producer of padlocks with over 210,000 feet of manufacturing space at the N. 32nd Street site. Soref was Chairman of the Board until his death in 1957. Philip E. Yolles, who provided the principal backing, was the first president. In 1970, American Brands purchased the controlling stock for $75 million. 2016 - Main factory is four-story brick building with an elaborate stone trimmed entry on west facade. Replacement windows and several additions on east and south constructed between c.1950 and c.1990.

Bibliographic References

Milwaukee Sentinel, November 26, 1961. Milwaukee Journal, October 22, 1970. WAA.

National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings

National/State Register Listing Name

Not Listed

National Register Listing Date

State Register Listing Date

Contributing

industrial bldg/manufacturing facility Commercial Vernacular

Milwaukee
County

Milwaukee
Community

1900-1909
Decade

National and State Register Listing

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Architecture & History Inventory

The Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory (AHI) is a digital source of information on historic buildings, structures, and objects that have been surveyed by the State Historic Preservation Office in Wisconsin. Each property has a digital record providing basic information about the property and images.

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Review and Compliance Rehabilitation Tax Credits State Archaeologist State & National Registers of Historic Places Wisconsin Historic Preservation Database

Attribution

For a credit line: Wisconsin Historical Society, Creator, Title, Unique Identifier.

The Unique Identifier can be found at the top or bottom of the page for each item. The name of a downloaded file is NOT the unique identifier.

For bibliographic citations please consult the UW-Madison Libraries Citation Research Guide to ensure compliance with appropriate style guidelines.

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