Mesker Brothers

Last updated
Photograph of Frank Mesker Frank Mesker.jpg
Photograph of Frank Mesker
Geo. L. Mesker & Co. catalog, 1904 George L. Mesker Catalog (1904).jpg
Geo. L. Mesker & Co. catalog, 1904
Grainfield Opera House, Grainfield, Kansas Grainfieldoperahouse.jpg
Grainfield Opera House, Grainfield, Kansas
Josephine White Block, Providence, Rhode Island Josephine White Block Providence RI 2013.jpg
Josephine White Block, Providence, Rhode Island

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 by the Meskers include:

Their work features identically in the History of South Dakota, the History of North Dakota, the History of Montana, and the History of Nebraska.

Related Research Articles

Boller Brothers

Boller Brothers, often written Boller Bros., was an architectural firm based in Kansas City, Missouri which specialized in theater design in the Midwestern United States during the first half of the 20th century. Carl Heinrich Boller (1868–1946) and Robert Otto Boller (1887–1962) are credited with the design of almost 100 classic theaters ranging from small vaudeville venues to grand movie palaces.

Palestine Commercial Historic District United States historic place

The Palestine Commercial Historic District is a historic district in Palestine, Illinois. The district includes parts of the 100, 200 and 300 blocks of Main Street. 31 buildings, of which 25 are considered contributing buildings, are included in the district. Several of the businesses in the district feature metal facades manufactured by George L. Mesker & Co. The Fife Opera House, individually listed on the National Register, is located within the boundaries of the district. The district also includes Mary Ann Gogin's general store; Gogin was one of the first women in Illinois to own and operate a commercial business.

Willis Ritchie

Willis Alexander Ritchie, also known as W.A.Ritchie, was an architect whose career began in Ohio and Kansas, but reached maturity in Seattle and Spokane, Washington.

Hopkinton Supply Co. Building United States historic place

The Hopkinton Supply Co. Building is a historic commercial building at 26-28 Main Street in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. The single-story pressed metal building was built in 1906, and is a locally unusual example of a mail-order commercial storefront. The storefront was manufactured by the George L. Mesker Company of Evansville, Indiana. It was first occupied by William Morse's Hopkinton Supply Company, and housed a branch of The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company from 1928 to 1954.

Wilson Brothers & Company American architectural firm

Wilson Brothers & Company was a prominent Victorian-era architecture and engineering firm established in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that was especially noted for its structural expertise. The brothers designed or contributed engineering work to hundreds of bridges, railroad stations and industrial buildings, including the principal buildings at the 1876 Centennial Exposition. They also designed churches, hospitals, schools, hotels and private residences. Among their surviving major works are the Pennsylvania Railroad, Connecting Railway Bridge over the Schuylkill River (1866–67), the main building of Drexel University (1888–91), and the train shed of Reading Terminal (1891–93), all in Philadelphia.

Charles L. Thompson and associates American architectural group

Charles L. Thompson and associates is an architectural group that was established in Arkansas since the late 1800s. It is now known as Cromwell Architects Engineers, Inc.. This article is about Thompson and associates' work as part of one architectural group, and its predecessor and descendant firms, including under names Charles L. Thompson,Thompson & Harding,Sanders & Ginocchio, and Thompson, Sanders and Ginocchio.

George Hancock (architect) American architect

George Hancock was an architect active in North Dakota, Montana and Minnesota.

Wayland & Fennell

Wayland & Fennell was an architectural firm in Idaho. Many of their works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co.

The Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co., also known as Missouri Valley Bridge Company, was a engineering, construction, and steel fabrication firm that operated through the late nineteenth and most of the twentieth centuries. It was based in Leavenworth, Kansas, with a WWII facility in Evansville, Indiana.

https://explore.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/show/architecture-after-jefferson/re-imagining-jefferson/3b-File:Ambox+important.svgThis+article+has+multiple+issues.+Please+help+improve+it+or+discuss+these+issues+on+the+talk+page.+(Learn+how+and+when+to+remove+these+template+messages)++++++File:Edit-clear.svgThis+article's+lead+section+may+not+adequately+summarize+its+contents.+To+comply+with+Wikipedia's+lead+section+guidelines,+please+consider+modifying+the+lead+to+provide+an+accessible+overview+of+the+article's+key+points+in+such+a+way+that+it+can+stand+on+its+own+as+a+concise+version+of+the+article.++(August+2019)+File:Edit-clear.svgThis+article+is+in+list+format,+but+may+read+better+as+prose.+You+can+help+by+converting+this+article,+if+appropriate.+Editing+help+is+available.++(August+2019)+++++(Learn+how+and+when+to+remove+this+template+message)McDonald Brothers founded in 1878 was a Louisville-based firm of architects of courthouses and other public buildings. It was a partnership of brothers Kenneth McDonald, Harry McDonald, and Donald McDonald.

Benton & Benton was an architectural partnership in eastern North Carolina of brothers Charles C. Benton Sr. and Frank W. Benton. Several of its works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Charles C. Benton Jr. and others also worked for the firm.

Richard Sharp Smith (1852–1924) was an English-born American architect. Little is known of Smith's early years. He is thought to have studied architecture at the Kensington School of Art in London before emigrating to the United States in 1883. He first found work with the Reid Brothers in Evansville, Indiana.

Shopbell & Company

Shopbell & Company was an American architectural firm located in Evansville, Indiana, in the United States.

Wheeler & Runge was an American architectural partnership based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The series of partnerships formed by Oliver Duke Wheeler also included Wheeler, Runge & Dickey. and Wheeler & Stern.

Edmond Jacques Eckel (1845–1934) was an architect in Missouri. One of his firms was Eckel & Mann. Eckel's name has been spelled with variations including Edmund rather than Edmond and with Jacques spelled as Jaques.

George Williams was an American architect based in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. He was born in Illinois and moved to Coeur D'Alene in 1903.

James Mackson McMichael, known as James M. McMichael, was an American architect. Several buildings he designed are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Grainfield Opera House United States historic place

The Grainfield Opera House, located at Main and 3rd Sts. in Grainfield, Kansas, was built in 1887. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It was built by the Grainfield Town Company, a partnership that had taken ownership of the town area from the railroad. It is notable for its Mesker Brothers cast-iron storefront. The building served as a civic auditorium and community center for Grainfield; it also held several stores, including a harness store, a grocery store, and an auto repair shop.

Buster Meat Market United States historic place

The Buster Meat Market, located at about 250 Main Ave. in Challis in Custer County, Idaho was a historic building built in c.1897. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Mundie & Jensen was an architectural firm in Chicago, Illinois. Several of its works are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

References

  1. 1 2 3 Darius Bryjka (April 2006). "Sibling Rivalry Good for Illinois Architecture: The Meskers' Sheet-Metal Businesses". Historic Illinois.
  2. 1 2 Rich Davis (February 26, 2008). "Putting steel into the city Evansville's Mesker buildings". Evansville Courier & Press.
  3. 1 2 "Sheet Metal Facades by Mesker Companies". Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Retrieved August 7, 2012.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  4. ↑ "Got Mesker? Identification Guide to Sheet-Metal Facades and Building Components Manufactured by Mesker Brothers Iron Works and George L. Mesker & Company". gotmesker.com.Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. 1 2 "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.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Gunning-Purves Building". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved 2015-10-31.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.