A. D. German Warehouse

The A. D. German Warehouse is a Frank Lloyd Wright designed Mayan Revival warehouse that was constructed in Richland Center, Wisconsin in 1921. Wright was born in Richland Center in 1867. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.[2]

A. D. German Warehouse
A. D. German Warehouse is located in Wisconsin
A. D. German Warehouse
LocationRichland Center, Wisconsin
Coordinates43°20′0″N 90°23′4″W / 43.33333°N 90.38444°W / 43.33333; -90.38444
Built1921
ArchitectFrank Lloyd Wright
Architectural styleMayan Revival
NRHP reference No.74000122[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 31, 1974

The design of the warehouse resulted from a required bill payment to Albert Delvino German by Wright.[3] Designed as a warehouse for "storing and selling wholesale goods" the space was to include a "teahouse restaurant, retail shops, and an art gallery."[3] Construction on the building began in 1917 with completion in 1921. Facing one of the main streets in Richland Center, the building is mostly concrete, veneered in brick with a Mayan-inspired concrete frieze "derived from masks of the rain-god Chac".[4]

The building exceeded its original construction estimate[5] and later housed a gift shop, tearoom, art gallery and the Frank Lloyd Wright Museum under then-owner Harvey Glazner. Glazner, who died in March 2011, had kept the lower floor of the building as the shop and Frank Lloyd Wright Museum, but the building was not consistently open to the public.

In November 2015, the A.D. German Warehouse Conservancy (ADGWC)[6] retained the services of Isthmus Architecture, Inc.,[7] preservation specialists from Madison, Wisconsin. A condition assessment was performed and preservation plan was created for the building in 2017.

Tours of the building are available May–October by appointment through the ADGWC.[8]

edit
 
A.D. German Warehouse circa 1975-1976

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "177 e. Haseltine St., 300 S. Church St | National or State Registers Record". January 2012.
  3. ^ a b Storrer, William Allin. The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion. University Of Chicago Press, 2006, 185.
  4. ^ Anthony Alofsin. Frank Lloyd Wright: The Lost Years, 1910-1922: A Study of Influence. 1992. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 233.
  5. ^ "A.D. German Warehouse | Richland Center | Wright in Wisconsin".
  6. ^ "Home". Adgermanwarehouse. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  7. ^ "Isthmus Architecture - Building Restoration, Rehabilitation and Renovation". Isthmus Architecture. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  8. ^ "Tours". Adgermanwarehouse. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  • Storrer, William Allin. The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion. University Of Chicago Press, 2006, ISBN 0-226-77621-2 (S.183)
edit