Germania Building
Encyclopedia
The Germania Building is an eight-story historic Beaux-Arts/Classical Revival building at 135 W. Wells St. in Milwaukee
, Wisconsin
. It was built in 1896 for George Brumder
to house the headquarters of his burgeoning publishing
empire. The 8-story, 90000 square feet (8,361.3 m²) building was designed by German-trained architects Schnetzky & Liebert and was, at the time of its construction, the largest office building in the city of Milwaukee. In addition to its characteristic copper pickelhaube
domes, the building was graced by a 10 feet (3 m)-tall, three-ton bronze statue of Germania
on a plinth
over the door. In 1918, the building's name was changed to the Brumder Building in response to anti-German sentiment
during World War I
, and the statue was removed discretely in the night. Efforts to trace the fate of the statue, which was stored for a while by sculptor Cyril Colnik, have proven futile, with one theory claiming that it was melted down for scrap during World War II
, and another speculating that it may have gone to the Smithsonian Institution
, and possibly still be there.
Seventeen years after Brumder's death in 1910, the printing presses were removed from the basement levels of the building, giving the city its first underground parking garage. The name was changed back to the Germania Building after a significant renovation in 1981. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
in July of 1983.
In early 2007, the building was sold to a Milwaukee-based investor group led by Santino "Sonny" Bando, for slightly more than $4 million (approx. $44/sq. ft.) from a suburban-Chicago-based investment trust. The building had suffered a decline in tenants and a foreclosure sale in 1990 but was, at the time of the sale, 95% occupied, according to Bando. One of the reasons Bando cited for buying the building was the fact that he and his investors also own another of downtown Milwaukee's historic office building, the Iron Block Building (205 E. Wisconsin Ave.), which they bought in 2004. Bando said he likes those types of buildings "because you can't really build them anymore."
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. It was built in 1896 for George Brumder
George Brumder
George Brumder was a German-American newspaper publisher and businessman born in Breuschwickersheim, Alsace-Lorraine, France. He was the fifteenth of sixteen children born to Georg and Christina Brumder. In 1857, at the age of 18, Brumder immigrated to Wisconsin with his older sister, Anna Maria,...
to house the headquarters of his burgeoning publishing
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
empire. The 8-story, 90000 square feet (8,361.3 m²) building was designed by German-trained architects Schnetzky & Liebert and was, at the time of its construction, the largest office building in the city of Milwaukee. In addition to its characteristic copper pickelhaube
Pickelhaube
The Pickelhaube , also "Pickelhelm," was a spiked helmet worn in the 19th and 20th centuries by German military, firefighters, and police...
domes, the building was graced by a 10 feet (3 m)-tall, three-ton bronze statue of Germania
Germania (personification)
Germania is the personification of the German Nation or the Germans as a whole, most commonly associated with the Romantic Era and the Revolutions of 1848, though the figure was later used by Imperial Germany. She is usually shown wielding the "Reichsschwert" . Additionally, she is sometimes shown...
on a plinth
Plinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
over the door. In 1918, the building's name was changed to the Brumder Building in response to anti-German sentiment
Anti-German sentiment
Anti-German sentiment is defined as an opposition to or fear of Germany, its inhabitants, and the German language. Its opposite is Germanophilia.-Russia:...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and the statue was removed discretely in the night. Efforts to trace the fate of the statue, which was stored for a while by sculptor Cyril Colnik, have proven futile, with one theory claiming that it was melted down for scrap during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and another speculating that it may have gone to the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, and possibly still be there.
Seventeen years after Brumder's death in 1910, the printing presses were removed from the basement levels of the building, giving the city its first underground parking garage. The name was changed back to the Germania Building after a significant renovation in 1981. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in July of 1983.
In early 2007, the building was sold to a Milwaukee-based investor group led by Santino "Sonny" Bando, for slightly more than $4 million (approx. $44/sq. ft.) from a suburban-Chicago-based investment trust. The building had suffered a decline in tenants and a foreclosure sale in 1990 but was, at the time of the sale, 95% occupied, according to Bando. One of the reasons Bando cited for buying the building was the fact that he and his investors also own another of downtown Milwaukee's historic office building, the Iron Block Building (205 E. Wisconsin Ave.), which they bought in 2004. Bando said he likes those types of buildings "because you can't really build them anymore."