Mitchell Building
About this property
The Mitchell Building is an ornate five-story bank and insurance building designed by E. Townsend Mix in Second Empire style and built in 1876 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Alexander Mitchell was a Scottish immigrant who came to the U.S. in 1839. By 1876 he was a successful businessman - president of the Wisconsin Marine and Fire Insurance Company Bank, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, and the Northwestern National Insurance Company. He had also served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin's 4th District. Around that year he commissioned this new office building to house his bank and insurance companies. It replaced Mitchell's previous Marine Bank building and is believed to sit on the site of the home of Solomon Juneau, who founded Milwaukee in the 1830s. Mitchell hired prominent Milwaukee architect E. Townsend Mix to design his new building, and Mix came through with a 5-story rectangular block, in then-popular Second Empire style, with its first-story walls of gray Minnesota granite and upper walls of limestone, trimmed with multiple elaborate cornices and window hoods, with a complex mansard roof and an ornate central tower. Masonry contractor John Roberts carried out Mix's design. Francis A. Lydston decorated inside with frescoes. The interior was said to be as elaborate as the exterior, with marble floors, wainscot, and elegant staircases, but much of that has disappeared with remodeling. On completion in 1878, Mitchell's bank and insurance company took residence in the building. The bank remained until 1930. In 1879 the Mackie Building was begun just next door, also built by Mitchell, designed by E. Townsend Mix and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today the exterior of the Mitchell Building remains highly intact, and stands as an example of Second Empire style in Milwaukee.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Mitchell Building listed on the National Register?
Mitchell Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 2, 1973.
What type of historic resource is Mitchell Building?
Mitchell Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Mitchell Building?
The period of significance for Mitchell Building is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Mitchell Building?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Mitchell Building will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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