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If it Ain't Broke … Just Maybe it can be Made a Little Better

  

Category:  Photography & Art

Via:  community  •  8 years ago  •  7 comments

If it Ain't Broke … Just Maybe it can be Made a Little Better

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© A. Mac/A.G.


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A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
link   seeder  A. Macarthur    8 years ago

Of the elements in this photo, the business signs may perhaps date it most effectively/

If anyone knows Milwaukee, can you let us know if any of these businesses are still around?

NOTE: Apologies to whoever wrote the maxim … "If it ain't broke don't fix it!"

 
 
 
Nowhere Man
Junior Participates
link   Nowhere Man  replied to  A. Macarthur   8 years ago

Unfortunately Brother, no, none of them are around in fact, at least as depicted in the photo. Even the centerpiece of the photo, the Pabst building, is no longer with us today.

The streets are still there but that is all.

 
 
 
A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
link   seeder  A. Macarthur  replied to  Nowhere Man   8 years ago

The streets are still there but that is all.

That's sad but not surprising; of course, it makes the photo more significant.

Thanks for the input.

 
 
 
Nowhere Man
Junior Participates
link   Nowhere Man  replied to  A. Macarthur   8 years ago

My pleasure, a little bit more of the history.

Where you see the JC Iversen Building? it is the "Old" First Wisconsin National Bank building , at 735 N. Water St. 16 floors and takes the whole block between the water and street.

And it's been renovated twice since it was built in 1913. Now known as ( The City Center at 735 ) And the street is simply known as "Water St."

So I believe the pic's caption is a little off on the date probably more like 1905-1908.

JC Iversen started as a publisher of stereoscopic photos and rotogravures and manufacturer of picture framing supplies with a storefront at at 42 5 E. Water St. next to a book binder in 1878, by 1900 it was doing wood tile and flooring as you can see advertised in the sign on the building. Manufacturing moved out of the building with the sign in 1909 to the south side of Milwaukee as downtown became more business oriented and less industrial and closed in 1930. (1929 killed off most businesses in Milwaukee, just like most American cities of the period)

 
 
 
A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
link   seeder  A. Macarthur  replied to  Nowhere Man   8 years ago

Thanks for the additional input, NWM. Regarding the date, from other photos, I know the photographer traveled to the mid-west and west c. 1915 so for now, I'll use the 1915 date possibly changing the caption to "c. 1915". But I will go back through the boxed of slides to see if there's a captioned slide to nail it down.

 
 
 
Nowhere Man
Junior Participates
link   Nowhere Man  replied to  A. Macarthur   8 years ago

If you need brother, I can give a bit more detail to the pic given what is shown and the tech level visible in the shot.

As far as dates you know that you always go with what can be proven, they come out of a box of 1915, they are at least 1915. (even if the shots says otherwise barring hard evidence)

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
link   Buzz of the Orient    8 years ago

I'm sure that older people who lived not long after the date of this photo would appreciate looking at their own personal history. I know that when I look at photos of the city in which I was born and grew up or other familiar places that were taken around the time I was very young it is a pleasurable experience. Well, okay, sometimes disturbing if I see favourite places and landmarks no longer exist.

 
 

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