Wisconsin Historical Society: Placed the Teweles and Brandeis Grain Elevator on the State Register of Historic Places

Contact: Kara O’Keeffe, Wisconsin Historical Society
kara.okeeffe@wisconsinhistory.org

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin – The Wisconsin Historical Society placed the Teweles and Brandeis Grain Elevator (Sturgeon Bay, Door County) on the State Register of Historic Places on August 18, 2017.

The Teweles & Brandeis grain elevator is an excellent, highly intact example of a grain processing and storage building of a type that was once frequently encountered in communities in Wisconsin and in many other Midwestern states. This elevator was built in 1901 for the firm of Teweles & Brandeis, who were locally important Sturgeon Bay dealers in produce and other agricultural products, and it is located on the west shore of Sturgeon Bay in the city of the same name. The intact survival of this elevator is in itself a factor that supports the potential listing of the elevator in the NRHP. In 1901 there was already one grain elevator of similar design on the eastern shore of Sturgeon Bay that had been built in 1884 and in 1903 another elevator of similar design was built close by to the one owned by Teweles & Brandeis. Today, however, none of these other elevators is extant and the Teweles & Brandeis grain elevator is now the only surviving example in Sturgeon Bay of this increasingly rare and highly threatened building type. It is also the best example of its type in Door County. Changes in the processing and manufacturing of agricultural products and changes to land use along the shoreline within the boundaries of the city of Sturgeon Bay have resulted in the demolition of all of the other historic buildings located on these shores and elsewhere in the city of Sturgeon Bay that were once associated with these industries. As a result, the Teweles & Brandeis grain elevator is now the only surviving historic resource in the city that can attest to the city’s historically important role in support of Door County’s agricultural production. The elevator’s significance is further strengthened by its highly original exterior and interior.

The State Register is Wisconsin’s official list of state properties determined to be significant to Wisconsin’s heritage. The State Historic Preservation Office at the Wisconsin Historical Society administers both the State Register and National Register in Wisconsin.

To learn more about the State and National Register programs in Wisconsin, visit www.wisconsinhistory.org.

About Wisconsin Historical Society: The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit wisconsinhistory.org.

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