GREEN BAY – In February 1906, negotiations were in progress for the purchase of the American House property on the corner of Walnut and Washington streets in downtown Green Bay just east of the Fox River.
The purchasers — sitting mayor, R.E. Minahan; V.I. Minahan; and E.R. Minahan — had big plans for the property — a six-story store and office building.
The group incorporated as the “Minahan Building Company” and purchased the property.
However, due to the high cost of materials, the Minahans pulled back on the project and sold the property to Ed Garot.
“The barn in the rear will be moved to a vacant lot on South Washington Street as will the building material in the hotel when it is torn down,” a Sept. 5, 1906, Green Bay Semi-Weekly Gazette article stated.
“Mr. Garot has not definitely decided what he will do with the property but it is known that a large building will be erected there next spring. It is thought that he will move his plumbing shop to the building when it is completed and branch out into a larger jobbing business.”
By January 1907, plans for the Minahans new building were back on for that property.
The company was incorporated for $150,000 — over $5 million today — by John R. Minahan, V.I. Minahan and R.E. Minahan.
“The structure will be a six-story fireproof, reinforced concrete office building, It will be of brick — cream colored,” a Press-Gazette article stated.
The building would be large enough to offer 75-80 offices, with two main entrances — one on Washington and one on Walnut.
Garot decided to expand his business at a 224 Cherry Street location.
Once constructed, the building became a hub for downtown business, housing the offices of banks, insurance companies, accountants, brokerage companies, doctors, dentists, lawyers and more.
When the Minahans objected to the high rates of the power company, they next worked to construct their own plant to provide electricity to the downtown district in the basement of the structure.
In May 1907, an application for a “franchise to construct, operate and maintain suitable conduits in the streets and alleys in the downtown portion of Green Bay for the purpose of furnishing electric current for light and power uses, hot water, steam and air was made by the Minahan Building Company,” a Press-Gazette article stated.
It was approved that July by the Green Bay City Council “without a word of discussion during the meeting and without a dissenting vote” for a period of 20 years at its 205 E. Walnut St. location.
Work began on the utilities in the fall of 1908.
But, the Wisconsin Public Service soon went after the Minahan company in a legal battle, as they tried to bar them from operation.
The battle went to the state Supreme Court, where in November of 1909 a decision was reached to annul the power and light franchise granted to the Minahan Building Company.
On Sept. 12, 1913, a Wisconsin Public Service notice was released to area media stating, “The Wisconsin Public Service Company has acquired the electric and power property of the Minahan Building Company and has this day taken possession of and is operating the same.
“The steam power plant of the Minahan Building Company will be discontinued at the earliest possible moment so as to put a stop to wasteful operations, whose financial loss would have brought early bankruptcy to an organization of less ample financial strength than the Minahan Building Company.”
From 1910-1945, the U.S. Weather Service operated from the fifth floor of the statuesque building.
“The department had its wind instruments, temperature and rainfall gauges on the roof and issued its daily weather reports from the building,” a March 4, 1984, Press-Gazette article recalled.
In 1931, the building underwent an extensive 10-month remodeling and hosted a formal reopening in October.
“The modern and modernistic are glorified in the entire scheme and effect of the new Minahan Building interior. The ground floor lobby and all of the corridors on the six floors above it are done in a color scheme of silver and black. The black is a shining black Vitrolite, a new product featured in very many of the newest Chicago business towers, but no large installation of which had been made in Green Bay before,” a Press-Gazette article stated.
“On the black Vitrolite walls of the lobby, two scenes have been etched, one depicting ‘Historic Green Bay’ and the other ‘Industrial Green Bay.’ For the former, the artist chose the landing of Nicolet, the first White man in the ‘New West,’ and the latter shows Main St. Bridge with its two bascule lifts admitting a huge lake freighter and in the background, the towering stacks of mills and factories.
In 1941, the building’s owner, John R. Minahan, died and left the building to his nephew, Victor McCormick,
The building was later renamed the Minahan-McCormick Building.
“Generally reclusive, McCormick broke ties with many old friends after his marriage in 1970 to Dorice Dupuis. In 1978, she was given power of attorney over the estate of her husband, whose health had declined. In 1980, a judge said the estate had been mismanaged. By the time of his death, McCormick’s one-time fortune of $22 million had shrunk to approximately $600,000,” a 1987 Press-Gazette article stated.
In the summer of 1983, Green Bay officials began considering purchasing and razing the building, which had been listed for sale for three years, had just 13 tenants and was now under the control of the Kellogg-Citizens National Bank.
“The city worked for two years with the owner of the Bellin Building and the trustees of the
Minahan-McCormick Building on a proposal to build a walkway through the Walnut Street sides of each building. That plan would have eliminated the need for demolition. But the Bellin Building’s owner was concerned the project could cause structural damage to his building,” a Press-Gazette article stated.
An offer was made in October and the property was sold to the Green Bay Redevelopment Authority for $230,000 late that month.
The building was demolished in March 1984.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here