Lohman Funeral Home and Livery Stable facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Lohman Funeral Home and Livery Stable
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The Lohman Funeral Home building
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| Location | 840 W. Greenfield and 1325 S. Eighth Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
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| Built | 1890/1893 |
| NRHP reference No. | 88000220 |
| Added to NRHP | March 17, 1988 |
The Lohman Funeral Home and Livery Stable are two historic buildings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A livery stable was a business where people could keep their horses or rent horses and carriages, much like a taxi service before cars were invented. Because of their importance, these buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. They are seen as a great example of what a 19th-century commercial livery stable was like.
Contents
History of the Buildings
The story of these buildings involves several owners and different uses over many years.
A Businessman's Grand Home
The story begins with a businessman named Louis Bohne. In 1890, he built the house that would later become the funeral home. It was designed by an architect named Paul Schnetzky in the popular Queen Anne style. This style was known for being fancy and detailed. You can still see parts of the original design in the building's complex roof.
Three years later, in 1893, Bohne added the large stable behind the house. He may have built it to provide horses and carriages for clients of his steamship company. However, in 1894, he suddenly sold both the house and the stable. This might have been because of a major economic downturn known as the Panic of 1893.
The Lohman Family Takes Over
For the next 20 years, the property had many different owners and renters. In 1896, brothers Herman and Henry Lohman rented the stable for their livery business.
Then, in 1918, Archibald Lohman bought both the house and the stable to start his funeral home. This was a common business move at the time. Many people who rented out horse-drawn hearses (special carriages used in funerals) eventually expanded into providing full funeral services.
How Funerals Changed Over Time
In the 1880s, funerals were very different. They were usually held in the home of the person who had passed away. A local cabinet maker would build the coffin, and a small service was held at the house. A horse-drawn hearse was then rented to take the coffin to the church and cemetery.
By the 1890s, full-service funeral homes started to appear in Milwaukee. These businesses had more space and offered all the necessary services in one place.
A New Look and New Purpose
Archibald Lohman and his family lived on the second floor of the house, while the first floor served as the funeral parlor. Around 1919, he replaced his horse-drawn hearses with modern funeral cars. The stable was then used as a garage for these new vehicles.
In 1931, the Lohman family gave the house a major makeover. They changed its style to Mediterranean Revival, which was trendy at the time. The new design featured brown bricks, decorative gables, and a Spanish-style tile roof. A chapel was also added to the back of the house.
What Happened to the Stable?
The stables officially closed in 1973. The house is now used by a non-profit family service organization called La Causa, Inc.
The stable was special because it was the last one in Milwaukee known to be designed by an architect. By 2011, the old building was in bad shape and needed major repairs. The city of Milwaukee ordered it to be torn down.
However, a story in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper brought attention to the stable's history. This led to a furniture-maker named Mark Lien buying the stable for just one dollar. In 2012, he began to carefully take the building apart. His plan was to save the wood and rebuild the stable at a new location to use as his woodworking shop.
