The Dairy State's New Deal-era garden suburb was built between 1936 and 1940, at a cost of 10.1 million (1940) dollars. An eight-building complex, originally known as GREENDALE CENTER, served as its administrative and commercial heart.
Showing posts with label Wisconsin's Greendale Center. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wisconsin's Greendale Center. Show all posts
The original GREENDALE CENTER included a single-screen movie theatre.
Drawing from Library of Congress
The "Williamsburg Colonial Style" Administration Building (or Village Hall) presided over the city center. At the time of this photo, it housed offices for the City Manager, Department of Taxation, Housing Authority, Bookkeeping Department and Tenant Association.
Photo from Library of Congress / John Vachon
Our first GREENDALE CENTER layout dates to 1939. The four structures of the main complex are surrounded by outparcels such as a Bus Station, Co-op Gas Station and Fire & Police Station. The name GREENDALE CENTER had been devised by project architects. It wasn't long before locals began referring to the complex as GREENDALE VILLAGE CENTER or simply VILLAGE CENTER.
The floor plan for the Greendale Theatre was drawn in 1936.
Drawing from Library of Congress
In this VILLAGE CENTER view, we see the north end of the shopping hub. Going right-to-left, we have The Village Inn tavern and Theatre Building. In the distance is the Mercantile Building.
Photo from http://patch.com / "Greendale, There Is a Tavern In The Town"
A frontal view of VILLAGE CENTER. Going right-to-left; there is The Village Inn, a Covered Arcade, the Post Office, another Covered Arcade, and the Theatre Building.
Photo from Library of Congress / John Vachon
The Greendale Theatre was a VILLAGE CENTER tenant for nearly 29 years.
Photo from Library of Congress / John Vachon
The premier of the Greendale Theatre took place, in April 1939, with a showing of Mickey Rooney's "Out West With The Hardys."
Advert from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Incorporated
In this September 1939 view, we see the south end of VILLAGE CENTER.
Photo from Library of Congress / John Vachon
The Greenbelt and Greendale projects were provided with art created by the WPA (Works Progress Admimistration). Here we see a statue serving as a base for a flag pole. It was crafted by Alonzo Hauser.
Photo from National Historic Landmark Nomination / Greendale Historic District
This snapshot, and the one that follows, show the original Greendale Fire & Police Station.
Photo from Library of Congress / John Vachon
The Greendale Police Department was established in May 1938.
Photo from Library of Congress / John Vachon
The Community Building (School & Public Library) was situated a tad west of VILLAGE CENTER.
Drawing from Library of Congress
The Kroger-Krambo chain opened a supermarket, at a newly-expanded VILLAGE CENTER, in November 1958.
Drawing from the Kroger Company
With Krambo's completion, VILLAGE CENTER was configured as shown above. A new east store block (in gray) added over 40,000 leasable square feet to the shopping hub. The original 1930s-vintage buildings are still intact at this time, but the first in a series of structure-altering renovations will soon be underway.
GREENDALE CENTER TENANTS 1959:
KRAMBO FOODS supermarket / Ace Electric Supply / Auto Repair & Gas Station / Badger Paint & Wallpaper / Des Jardins' Drug Store / Drew's Variety Store / Estelle's Sausage Shop / Grebe's Bakery / Greendale Bank / Greendale Beer & Liquor / Greendale Grill / Greendale Theater (single screen) / Kunda Jewelers / Spic-Span Laundry & Dry Cleaning / US Post Office / Viele Drugs (with luncheonette) / Village Barber Shop / Village Beauty Shop / Village Inn / Village Men's & Boys Shop
In a view from May 1969, we see the recently-refurbished strip center. The Theatre Building has been extended outward and Village Inn (on the north end) expanded. The covered walkway seen here now extended along most of the shopping hub's Broad Street frontage.
Photo from htttp://openlibrary.artstor.org / Fine Arts Library, Cornell University / John William Reps
Zooming up to the 21st century, we see the present-day appearance of VILLAGE CENTER. As the years passed, the Dairy State garden city grew exponentially, with much of its forested greenbelt being developed.
Photo from http://everythinggreendale.com
Moreover, renovations performed over the years compromised the historic integrity of most VILLAGE CENTER structures. Only the facades of the old Post Office, Village Inn and Village Hall retain their original architecture.
Photo from http://discovergreendale.com
GREENDALE CENTER
Northway and Broad Street
Village of Greendale, Wisconsin
America's third New Deal-era green suburb was built on the outskirts of Milwaukee, 8 miles southwest of the urban core. A 6.4-acre section at the epicenter of the town site would be developed as GREENDALE CENTER. The garden city, and its civic and commercial core, were designed by Elbert Peets.
Instead of the open-air mall layout of Maryland's GREENBELT CENTER, or bi-level strip complex format at Ohio's GREENHILLS CENTER, GREENDALE CENTER would consist of a simple linear grouping of stores. On the north end of the complex was the Village Inn, then a 2-level Post Office. This was linked, by covered arcade, with a movie theater building. A second covered arcade connected with a single-story store block on the south end.
This building housed three retailers. The first of these, the Co-op Food Store, welcomed its first customers on September 25, 1938. The single-screen Greendale Theatre, which was originally operated as a co-op facility, presented its first feature on April 29, 1939. By this time, a Post Office, Co-op Variety Store, Drug Store, bank, barber shop and shoe store had opened their doors. In all, GREENDALE CENTER encompassed approximately 28,000 square feet.
Soon after its completion, local citizens began referring to the complex as GREENDALE VILLAGE CENTER, or simply the VILLAGE CENTER. The garden city was officially incorporated as the Village of Greendale on November 1, 1938.
The first of many renovations got underway after the federal government sold the city and its shopping center to residents and private developers. Most transactions were conducted during 1952 and 1953. In December 1957, work commenced at a vacant parcel directly across the street from the VILLAGE CENTER.
A (42,000 square foot) strip complex was built, which housed approximately fourteen stores and services. Among these were Badger Paint, Estelle's Sausage Shop, Viele Drugs, Greendale Beer & Liquor, Village Men & Boy's Wear, Kunda Jewelers, Spic-Span Laundry & Dry Cleaning and a (16,000 square foot) Krambo Foods.
The new "Williamsburg-Southern Colonial" -style plaza was dedicated on November 12, 1958. Its facade matched the original architecture of the 1930s-vintage shopping center. A renovation of the original buildings was underway by the early 1960s, with the Village Inn and Post Office being substantially enlarged. An expansion of the south store block, housing a larger Drew's Variety Store, had been completed by the early 1970s.
Meanwhile, a section of the original town site had been developed as a major regional shopping center. SOUTHRIDGE MALL {.4 mile northwest of the VILLAGE CENTER} was dedicated in September 1970.
By the early 1990s, the VILLAGE CENTER was in decline. A local publisher purchased the "outdated, aging and mostly empty" property in September 1996. A major renovation was performed between 1997 and 1998. New awnings, brick roofs, trellises and towers were added, with most facades receiving a Post-Modern face lift.
The past-its-prime property had been gentrified. Upscale tenants now included The Candlemaker, Ferch's Meat Shoppe, Great Harvest Bread Company and the Original Coffee Company. As part of its revitalization, much of the architectural integrity of the original VILLAGE CENTER had been compromised.
The Greendale Historic District, which includes VILLAGE CENTER, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in July 2005 and achieved National Historic Landmark status in October 2012.
Sources:
http://www.loc.gov / Library of Congress / Prints & Photographs Online Catalog / http://www.loc.gov/pictures/
The Milwaukee Journal
The Milwaukee Sentinel
www.greendale.org
"Village of Greendale: Comprehensive Plan 2010-2025 - Revisiting A Greenbelt Community" / November 2009
"A National Historic Landmark Nomination: Greendale Historic District"/ Linda McLelland / 2012
http://uihlein-wilson.com
www.greendalehistoricalsociety.org
Northway and Broad Street
Village of Greendale, Wisconsin
America's third New Deal-era green suburb was built on the outskirts of Milwaukee, 8 miles southwest of the urban core. A 6.4-acre section at the epicenter of the town site would be developed as GREENDALE CENTER. The garden city, and its civic and commercial core, were designed by Elbert Peets.
Instead of the open-air mall layout of Maryland's GREENBELT CENTER, or bi-level strip complex format at Ohio's GREENHILLS CENTER, GREENDALE CENTER would consist of a simple linear grouping of stores. On the north end of the complex was the Village Inn, then a 2-level Post Office. This was linked, by covered arcade, with a movie theater building. A second covered arcade connected with a single-story store block on the south end.
This building housed three retailers. The first of these, the Co-op Food Store, welcomed its first customers on September 25, 1938. The single-screen Greendale Theatre, which was originally operated as a co-op facility, presented its first feature on April 29, 1939. By this time, a Post Office, Co-op Variety Store, Drug Store, bank, barber shop and shoe store had opened their doors. In all, GREENDALE CENTER encompassed approximately 28,000 square feet.
Soon after its completion, local citizens began referring to the complex as GREENDALE VILLAGE CENTER, or simply the VILLAGE CENTER. The garden city was officially incorporated as the Village of Greendale on November 1, 1938.
The first of many renovations got underway after the federal government sold the city and its shopping center to residents and private developers. Most transactions were conducted during 1952 and 1953. In December 1957, work commenced at a vacant parcel directly across the street from the VILLAGE CENTER.
A (42,000 square foot) strip complex was built, which housed approximately fourteen stores and services. Among these were Badger Paint, Estelle's Sausage Shop, Viele Drugs, Greendale Beer & Liquor, Village Men & Boy's Wear, Kunda Jewelers, Spic-Span Laundry & Dry Cleaning and a (16,000 square foot) Krambo Foods.
The new "Williamsburg-Southern Colonial" -style plaza was dedicated on November 12, 1958. Its facade matched the original architecture of the 1930s-vintage shopping center. A renovation of the original buildings was underway by the early 1960s, with the Village Inn and Post Office being substantially enlarged. An expansion of the south store block, housing a larger Drew's Variety Store, had been completed by the early 1970s.
Meanwhile, a section of the original town site had been developed as a major regional shopping center. SOUTHRIDGE MALL {.4 mile northwest of the VILLAGE CENTER} was dedicated in September 1970.
By the early 1990s, the VILLAGE CENTER was in decline. A local publisher purchased the "outdated, aging and mostly empty" property in September 1996. A major renovation was performed between 1997 and 1998. New awnings, brick roofs, trellises and towers were added, with most facades receiving a Post-Modern face lift.
The past-its-prime property had been gentrified. Upscale tenants now included The Candlemaker, Ferch's Meat Shoppe, Great Harvest Bread Company and the Original Coffee Company. As part of its revitalization, much of the architectural integrity of the original VILLAGE CENTER had been compromised.
The Greendale Historic District, which includes VILLAGE CENTER, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in July 2005 and achieved National Historic Landmark status in October 2012.
Sources:
http://www.loc.gov / Library of Congress / Prints & Photographs Online Catalog / http://www.loc.gov/pictures/
The Milwaukee Journal
The Milwaukee Sentinel
www.greendale.org
"Village of Greendale: Comprehensive Plan 2010-2025 - Revisiting A Greenbelt Community" / November 2009
"A National Historic Landmark Nomination: Greendale Historic District"/ Linda McLelland / 2012
http://uihlein-wilson.com
www.greendalehistoricalsociety.org
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