The roads are a bit slushy, and snow is on the way, but Wausau’s historic architecture was calling – so, out we went to document another piece of history…but today’s buildings helped create more mystery rather than solving one! Welcome to this week’s WHAT (Wausau Historic Architecture Tuesday), where we take a look at two relatively similar buildings at 411 and 415 Thomas Street. Here is what we found…
Let’s start at 411 West Thomas Street. This building is listed as having been built in 1870 in a Commercial Style. It has a stone (maybe stucco?) facade, and the front elevation has a parapet extending above the roofline. A distinct difference between stone styles can be seen between the first and second floors when viewed from the side. The building is commercial on the lower level, and apartments upstairs.
Now for 413 West Thomas Street. This building is stated to have been built in 1900. It has a very similar design with a Commercial Style. There is a parapet at the front elevation. The stone is different between the first and second stories. This building also has commercial space on the first floor and residential space on the second floor.
Here is where the story becomes more than a bit mysterious.
Neither of these buildings appears on the 1930s Sanborn Map or other maps available at the historical society or online. The records at Wausau City Hall did not go back far enough to help. And the same issue at the county courthouse. A newspaper search if newspapers did not yield any tidbits to help us out.
The City Directories helped a bit, but they also did not list them as existing prior to about 1930. But here is what we uncovered:
1931 – The directory has no listings for Thomas Street between 4th and 5th Avenue
1938 & 1945 – 411 Brandenburg’s Shoe Repair (Arthur Brandenburg); no listing for 415
1950 – 411 The Shoe Hospital (A Trickenstien); no listing for 415
1955 – 411 Louis Kosek Barber; 415 Wausau Television Corporation (Charles Sippl Jr. Pres., Maurice Britten VP)
1961 – 411 Louis’ Westside Barbershop and Marchant Calculator (Division of Smith Corona); 415 Family Home Bakery (Chester Worzella)
1963 – 411 is vacant; 415 Family Home Bakery (Chester Worzella)
1965 – 411 is vacant; 415 Cash Register (Daniel Estern Pres., Merlin Baneck VP)
1966 – 411 is vacant; Mesun Building Maintenance (Vanenty Mesun)
1970 – 411 Friden Company (Division of Singer); 415 is vacant
1975 – both are listed as vacant
1980 – 411 Executone of Northeast WI (John Petrie Pres., Richard Zieman VP); 415 Wisconsin Valley Surveyors (Chester Nowaczyk, Edwin Abendroth)
1985 – 1995 – 411 Jim’s Furniture & Gifts (Jim Kriehn); 415 WI Valley Surveyors
2000 – 2005 – 411 Expressions Tattoo (Mike Stauffer); 415 WI Valley Surveyors
2010 – 2020 – 411 Expressions Tattoo (Mike Stauffer); 415 No listing
From 1955 – about 1980, a building is also listed in the City Directories at 413 West Thomas Street. We are not sure how that fits in. In 1955 it was a contractor, then vacant for many years until 1975 when K9 Corner was listed. Then it disappears.
The available resources just don’t quite add up to fully understanding these two buildings. Can you help us solve this mystery of 411 and 415 West Thomas Street? Were the buildings originally somewhere else and moved to this location in the 1930s or 40s? (Note the block foundations). Is the date stated for their construction wrong?
