Mulkern’s Garage – Automobile Garage
Similar to Downer Garage, this building was originally built to serve the affluent motor car owners in 1912. Still functioning as a parking garage, the street front is lined with small retail shops
How Mulkern's Garage began on Downer
In 1912, Mulkern’s Garage was built to meet the needs of the motor car owners in the surrounding residential area. Early motor cars required a substantial amount of technical care. They were not sturdy vehicles as they are today; rather, they were sensitive machines. Mulkern’s Garage sold, kept, repaired and rented such early automobiles for the neighborhood residents. They were especially known for the repair of electronic cars, which were very popular among the well-to-do in the 1910s.
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What people think of Mulkern's Garage
Although the second floor still functions as a parking garage, current neighborhood residents know this building as a cluster of small retail stores such as Paperwork and Vans.
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Architectural Change – Responding to Neighborhood's Needs
Although built as an automobile garage, the first floor of this building was converted to ten individual retail stores in 1933. According to Jonathan Sager, public garages were popular in the 1900s and 1910s, but more and more residences began to be equipped with garages in the 1920s. The appearance of the private garage changed the neighborhood's character and the function of the public garage building. The first floor of Mulkern's Garage became converted into stores and other uses while the second floor remained a parking garage.
This conversion resulted in a significant alternation of the building façade. The central bay of the facade, which used to be the highest and most iconic part, was removed. This change included the removal of an iconic plaque. The resulting front facade was flattened. |
Mulkern's Garage has experienced multiple remodelings. These changes have made the building less industrial. In 1959, the awnings were added to the first-floor storefronts. Subsequently, timber trim and store signage were added above the storefronts and on both end piers in 1964. By the time the building was noted as a contributing structure of North Downer Avenue Commercial District (2001), the façade of the building had been painted gray.
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- City of Milwaukee Historic Preservation Commission, "Final Historic Designation Study Report: North Downer Avenue Commercial District" (Milwaukee: Historic Preservation Commission, 2001), 4, 7, 11–13.
- Margaret Howland, interview by Daniel Cho and Yuko Nakamura, Milwaukee, June 19, 2013.
- Rinka Chung Architecture, "Downer Avenue Mulkern's Building Addition and Renovation," (Milwaukee: Historic Preservation Commission, 2009), 3–4.
- Jonathan E. Sager, "The Garage: Its History and Preservation" (M.HP. thesis, University of Georgia, 2002), 7–33.
More Place-Based Stories
Go back to the map of the places. Or choose one from the list below.
Sendik's | Downer Hardware | Coffee Trader | Downer Theatre | Popcorn Wagon | St. Mark's | Downer Garage
Sendik's | Downer Hardware | Coffee Trader | Downer Theatre | Popcorn Wagon | St. Mark's | Downer Garage