The Mesker Brothers Iron Works and George L. Mesker & Co. were competing manufacturers and designers of ornamental sheet-metal facades and cast iron storefront components from the 1880s through the mid-twentieth century. The Mesker Brothers Iron Works was based in St. Louis, Missouri, and was operated by brothers Bernard and Frank Mesker. The George L. Mesker Company was operated by a third brother, George L. Mesker, and was based in Evansville, Indiana.[1] The Mesker brothers were the sons of John Mesker who operated a stove business in Evansville and later galvanized iron for buildings. The three brothers learned their iron-working skills from their father.[2]
The companies' products are often referred to as "Meskers." The companies also produced tin ceilings, iron railings, stairs, roof cresting, ventilation grates, iron awnings, skylights, and freight elevators.[3][4][5]
The Meskers marketed their products through catalogs displaying their designs. The catalogs were so successful they expanded print runs from 50,000 to 500,000 one year later.[5] According to a 1915 catalog, there were Mesker storefronts in every state, including 4,130 in Indiana, 2,915 in Illinois, 2,646 in Kentucky, and even 17 in the territory of Alaska.[2]
A number of their works are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[6]
Works
editWorks by the Meskers include:
- T.J. Abbott Building, Golconda, Illinois[1]
- Buster Meat Market, Main Ave. Challis, Idaho (Mesker Bros.), NRHP-listed[6]
- One or more works in Corydon Historic District (Boundary Increase), Roughly bounded by Summit, Maple & Walnut Sts., College Ave., Chestnut, Capitol, Poplar, Water, Beaver & Mulberry Sts. Corydon, Indiana (Mesker, George L. & Co.), NRHP-listed[6]
- One or more works in Edinburgh Commercial Historic District, roughly bounded by Thompson and Main Sts., the alley N of Main Cross St. and the Conrail RR tracks Edinburgh, Indiana (George L. Mesker & Co.), NRHP-listed[6]
- J. T. Ferguson Store, 11 E. Main St. Wilkesboro, North Carolina (Mesker Bros. Front Builders), NRHP-listed[6]
- Goedert Meat Market, 322 Main St. McGregor, Iowa (Mesker Bros.), NRHP-listed[6]
- Gunning–Purves Building, 311 Main Street, Friendship, Wisconsin (George L. Mesker & Co.), NRHP-listed[7]
- Hopkinton Supply Co. Building, 26-28 Main St. Hopkinton, Massachusetts (Mesker, George L.), NRHP-listed[6]
- Hotel Mann, Virginia, Illinois (Mesker Bros. Iron Works)[1]
- Joseph Jackson Hotel, 2420 S. Main St. Vallonia, Indiana (Mesker. George and Co.), NRHP-listed[6]
- One or more works in Jellico Commercial Historic District, roughly along North and South Main Sts. Jellico, Tennessee (Mesker, George), NRHP-listed[6]
- Jones, J. W. Jones Building, 104 Main St., NE Blackfoot, Idaho (Mesker, Marcus), NRHP-listed[6]
- Len Jus Building (Mason City, Iowa)
- One or more works in Morgantown Historic District, Approx. 4.5 blocks centered on Washington St., bet. Marion St. and E of Church St. Morgantown, Indiana (Mesker, George L. & Co.), NRHP-listed[6]
- One or more works in Mount Vernon Commercial District, Main St. from Church to Richmond Sts. *Mount Vernon, KY (George L. Mesker & Co.), NRHP-listed[6]
- One or more works in North Vernon Downtown Historic District, bounded by Sixth and Chestnut Sts., Keller St., Fourth and Main, and Jennings North Vernon, Indiana (George L. Mesker & Company), NRHP-listed[6]
- Morris Roberts Store, Off U.S. 30 Hagerman, Idaho (Mesker Bros.), NRHP-listed[6]
- J.C. Schmohl Building, Galena, Illinois[3]
- Vollmer Building, Walnut St. Genesee, Idaho (Mesker Bros.), NRHP-listed[6]
- Josephine White Block, 737-739 Cranston St. Providence, Rhode Island (Mesker Bros.), NRHP-listed[6]
- Wilkesboro-Smithey Hotel, Broad and E. Main Sts. Wilkesboro, North Carolina (Mesker Bros. Front Builders), NRHP-listed[6]
- York Dispatch Newspaper Offices, 15 and 17 E. Philadelphia St. York, Pennsylvania (George L. Mesker), NRHP-listed[6]
- Grainfield Opera House, Grainfield, Kansas, NRHP-listed[6]
- Masonic Hall, 632 Main St, Alamosa, Colorado (Mesker & Bro.)[8]
Their work features identically in the History of South Dakota, the History of North Dakota, the History of Montana, and the History of Nebraska.
Gallery
edit-
Geo. L. Mesker & Co. catalog, 1904 -
Grainfield Opera House, Grainfield, Kansas -
Josephine White Block, Providence, Rhode Island
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References
edit- ^ a b c Darius Bryjka (April 2006). "Sibling Rivalry Good for Illinois Architecture: The Meskers' Sheet-Metal Businesses". Historic Illinois. Archived from the original on September 22, 2008.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b Rich Davis (February 26, 2008). "Putting steel into the city Evansville's Mesker buildings". Evansville Courier & Press.
- ^ a b "Sheet Metal Facades by Mesker Companies". Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
- ^ Got Mesker? Identification Guide to Sheet-Metal Facades and Building Components Manufactured by Mesker Brothers Iron Works and George L. Mesker & Company, gotmesker.com
- ^ a b "Mesker Brothers Iron Works Records, 1879-1953 (11 volumes on 3 microfilm rolls)". State Historical Society of Missouri Research Center, University of Missouri-St. Louis. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Gunning-Purves Building". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ^ Bryjka, Darius (May 6, 2013). "Colorado list reaches 100". Mesker Brothers. Retrieved November 18, 2022.