Alexander Chadbourne Eschweiler (August 10, 1865 – June 12, 1940) was an American architect with a practice in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. He designed both residences and commercial structures. His eye-catching Japonist pagoda design for filling stations for

Wadham's Oil and Grease Company of Milwaukee Wadham's Oil and Grease Company of Milwaukee was a chain of filling and service stations that operated in the early 20th century and was headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company's refinery was in Indiana. The company was headed by Harg ...

were repeated over a hundred times, though only a very few survive. His substantial turn-of-the-20th-century residences for the Milwaukee business elite, in conservative

Jacobethan The Jacobethan ( ) architectural style, also known as Jacobean Revival, is the mixed national Renaissance revival style that was made popular in England from the late 1820s, which derived most of its inspiration and its repertory from the Engli ...

or neo-Georgian idioms, have preserved their cachet in the city.

Early life

Eschweiler was born in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. He studied at

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...

and

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, graduating in 1890. Eschweiler opened his practice in Milwaukee in 1892. In 1923 his sons, Alexander C. Eschweiler Jr., Theodore, and Carl joined him in practice.

Career

A number of Eschweiler works are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. Eighty-one surviving commissions were listed in the exhibition "Alexander Eschweiler in Milwaukee: Celebrating a Rich Architectural Heritage" at the

Charles Allis Art Museum The Charles Allis Art Museum is a museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Charles Allis House. Allis Mansion history The Charles Allis Art Museum was originally the home of Milwaukee native ...

in 2007.

Personal life

Summer home

The Eschweilers had a second home on North Lake in the village of

Chenequa, Wisconsin Chenequa is a village in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It encompasses all of Pine Lake, a southern portion of North Lake, and the western portion of Beaver Lake. The population was 526 at the 2020 census. The village was incorporate ...

He did not design the residence. It was originally a 100-acre parcel he had purchased in the early 1900s, which included a small cottage from the 1870s. It was eventually torn down and the land was subdivided to settle the estate. The property was split into a 2.8-acre parcel and an 8.3-acre parcel, but six of the acres in the larger parcel are along the lake and are placed in a conservation easement that prohibits development. Eschweiler was instrumental in the incorporation of the village of Chenequa. He was one of a handful of notable residents that testified in court that it was his residence.

Death

He is buried at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, North Lake, next to his wife and daughter. His plot is near St. Teresa of Calcutta Church, "so he could overlook his 'masterpiece.'"

Legacy

The Eschweiler Prize, made from a bequest of Alexander C. Eschweiler Jr., in memory of his father Alexander C. Eschweiler, is an annual award of approximately $3,000 given to a student in architecture at Cornell. Eschweiler's son Carl's diploma hangs in the front office of Stone Bank School, where Alexander's children attended.

Selected works

Works include (with attribution): (by year) *Edward Cowdery House, 2743 N. Lake Drive, Milwaukee, 1896. *Milwaukee Gas Light Company, West Side works. *John Murphy House, 2030 E. Lafayette Place, Milwaukee, 1899. A compromise with

Prairie School Prairie School is a late 19th and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped i ...

architecture. * Robert Nunnemacher house, 2409 N. Wahl Avenue, Milwaukee, 1906. Symmetrical

style, brick with stone quoins. *Charles Allis House, 1801 N. Prospect Avenue, Milwaukee, 1909, in a

style. Now open as the

. *James K. Ilsley House, Milwaukee. *Elizabeth Black residence. *1919, St. John Church in Monches and St. Clare in North Lake, which together make up Blessed Teresa of Calcutta * Thomas A. Greene Memorial Museum, Milwaukee. * Milwaukee-Downer "Quad", now University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, NW corner of Hartford and Downer Aves.

Milwaukee, WI Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

(Eschweiler, Alexander C.), NRHP-listed *John Mariner Building (Hotel Metro), Milwaukee, 1937.

Art Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by Aerodynamics, aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In indu ...

in style, with curved wrap-around corners; the first commercial structure in Milwaukee to feature

air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...

. * Wisconsin Gas Building, Milwaukee. *Wisconsin Telephone Building, 722 N. Broadway. Ground floor remodeled for AT&T. *Milwaukee Arena. * C. B. Bird House, 522 McIndoe St. Wausau, 1910, (Eschweiler, Alexander C.), NRHP-listed *

Chi Psi Chi Psi () is a fraternities and sororities, fraternity consisting of active chapters at 34 American colleges and universities. Chi Psi was founded in 1841 at Union College in Schenectady, New York. It was the first Greek-letter organization to b ...

Lodge at the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

, 150 Iota Court, Madison, 1913 (Eschweiler, Alexander C.), Madison Historic Landmarks * First Universalist Church, 504 Grant St. Wausau, 1914, (Eschweiler, Alexander C.), NRHP-listed * Marathon County Fairgrounds stock judging pavilion, Wausau, 1921 * E.K. Schuetz House, 930 Franklin St. Wausau, 1922,

Wausau, WI Wausau ( ) is a city in Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Wisconsin River and had a population of 39,994 as of the 2020 census. It is the core city of the Wausau metropolitan area, which ...

(Eschweiler, Alexander C.), NRHP-listed * D. C. Everest House, 1206 Highland Park Blvd. Wausau, 1925, (Eschweiler & Eschweiler), NRHP-listed * C. F. Dunbar House, 929 McIndoe St. Wausau, 1926 (Eschweiler & Eschweiler), NRHP-listed *St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 302 Merchants Ave. Fort Atkinson, 1928 (Eschweiler & Eschweiler) *Horace A.J. Upham House, W9888 Hwy 13, Wisconsin Dells, WI, 1899. (Picture
1234567891011

12

Wis Arch Inventory
#6072) (Others, alphabetically) * Charles Allis House, 1630 E. Royall Pl.

(Eschweiler, Alexander C.), NRHP-listed * Bank of Hartland, 112 E. Capitol Dr.

Hartland, WI Hartland is a village along the Bark River in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States, that is a suburb of Milwaukee. The population was 9,501 at the 2020 census. Geography Hartland is located at (43.100180, −88.344452). It is in the ...

(Eschweiler & Eschweiler), NRHP-listed * Edward D. & Vina Shattuck Beals House, 220 N. Park Ave. Neenah, WI (Eschweiler, Alexander C.), NRHP-listed * Joseph Dessert Library, 123 Main St. Mosinee, WI (Eschweiler, Alexander C.), NRHP-listed *One or more works in East Hill Residential Historic District, roughly bounded by North Seventh, Adams, North Tenth, Scott and North Bellis Sts.

(Eschweiler, Alexander), NRHP-listed * Thomas A. Greene Memorial Museum, 3367 N. Downer Ave.

(Eschweiler, Alexander C.,Sr.), NRHP-listed * Harold Hornburg House, 213 Warren Ave.

(Eschweiler & Eschweiler), NRHP-listed *Arthur Manegold House, 1202 S. Layton Blvd, Milwaukee, WI (Eschweiler, Alexander C.), NRHP-listed * Marathon County Fairgrounds, Stewart Ave.

(Eschweiler, Alexander C.), NRHP-listed * Marshfield Senior High School, 900 E. Fourth St. Marshfield, WI (Eschweiler & Eschweiler), NRHP-listed * Karl Mathie House, 202 Water St. Mosinee, WI (Eschweiler, Alexander C.), NRHP-listed * Milwaukee County School of Agriculture and Domestic Economy Historic District, 9722 Watertown Plank Rd. Wauwatosa, WI (Eschweiler, Alexander C.), NRHP-listed * Painesdale, Area encompassing Painesdale streets and the Champion Mine Painesdale, MI (Eschweiler, A.C.), NRHP-listed * Pittsburgh Plate Glass Enamel Plant, 201 E. Pittsburgh Ave.

(Eschweiler & Eschweiler), NRHP-listed * Rogers Memorial Hospital, 34700 Valley Road,

Oconomowoc, WI Oconomowoc ( ) is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The name was derived from Coo-no-mo-wauk, the Potawatomi term for 'waterfall'. The population was 18,203 at the 2020 census. The city is partially adjacent to the Village o ...

Spencerian Business College Spencerian Business College is the name of various business schools established in the 19th century by Platt R. Spencer, his son Robert C. Spencer, or by Enos Spencer (whose relation to the other two Spencers is unclear), sometimes in association ...

, 2800 W Wright St.

(Eschweiler, Alexander; Eschweiler & Edschweiler), NRHP-listed * Wadhams Gas Station, 1647 S. 76th St.

West Allis, WI West Allis is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. A suburb of Milwaukee, it is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 60,325 at the 2020 census, making it the eleventh-most populous city in Wisconsin. His ...

(Eschweiler, Alexander C.), NRHP-listed * Wawbeek-Horace A.J. Upham House, WI 13 Wisconsin Dells, WI (Eschweiler, Alexander C.), NRHP-listed * C. H. Wegner House, 906 Grant St.

(Eschweiler, Alexander C.), NRHP-listed *

Notes

External links

Wisconsin Architectural Archive
The archive, located at the Milwaukee Public Library contains many Eschweiler drawings as well as those of other Wisconsin architects. {{DEFAULTSORT:Eschweiler, Alexander C. 19th-century American architects 1865 births 1940 deaths Place of death missing Architects from Boston Architects from Milwaukee Marquette University alumni Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning alumni 20th-century American architects People from Chenequa, Wisconsin