Germania Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Germania Building
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Germania Building
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 Location in Wisconsin
Location in the United States
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| Location | 135 W. Wells St., Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
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| Built | 1896 |
| Architect | Schnetzky & Liebert |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival, Beaux Arts, Beaux Arts Classicism |
| NRHP reference No. | 83003405 |
| Added to NRHP | July 07, 1983 |
The Germania Building is a historic eight-story building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was built in 1896 for George Brumder to be the main office for his large publishing business. The building has a special design style called Beaux-Arts and Classical Revival. Because it is so important, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
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Discovering the Germania Building
This large, 8-story building was designed by architects Schnetzky & Liebert. When it was finished, it was the biggest office building in Milwaukee! The building has unique copper domes on its roof. It also used to have a huge, 10-foot-tall bronze statue of Germania above its main door. Germania is a symbol that represents Germany.
A Name Change and a Missing Statue
In 1918, during World War I, many people in the United States felt angry at Germany. Because of this, the building's name was changed to the Brumder Building. The large Germania statue was quietly taken down one night. No one knows for sure what happened to the statue. Some people think it was melted down during World War II. Others believe it might be at the Smithsonian Institution museum.
Years later, in 1981, the building was renovated. After this big update, its name was changed back to the Germania Building. In July 1983, it was officially placed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is a very important historic site.
A Place of Protest
In 1968, the Brumder Building was the site of a big protest against the Vietnam War. Offices for nine local draft boards were on the second floor. On September 24, a group of fourteen activists went into the building. They took about 10,000 files from the draft offices. Then, they carried the files outside and burned them in the street to protest the war.
The Building Today
In 2007, the Germania Building was sold to a group of investors from Milwaukee. One of the new owners, Santino "Sonny" Bando, said he bought the building because old buildings like this are special. He explained that "you can't really build them anymore." The Germania Building continues to be an important part of Milwaukee's history and downtown area.
