The Mitchell Lewis Building is a historic building in
Racine, Wisconsin
Racine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River. Racine is situated 22 miles (35 km) south of Milwaukee and approximately 60 ...
, and a former office building and automobile factory for the
Mitchell Motor Company. Designed by the local architectural firm of
Guilbert and
Funston, it was built in 1910 at 815 Eighth Street, alongside the
Chicago and North Western
The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...
railroad track. After the Mitchell company went out of business in 1923, the factory was used by
Nash Motors
Nash Motors Company was an American automobile manufacturer based in Kenosha, Wisconsin from 1916 to 1937. From 1937 to 1954, Nash Motors was the automotive division of the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation. Nash production continued from 1954 to 1 ...
until 1929, when it was sold to the
J.I. Case company, which used it as a warehouse. Later owned by
Massey-Harris
Massey Ferguson Limited is an American agricultural machinery manufacturer. The company was established in 1953 through the merger of farm equipment makers Massey-Harris of Canada and the Ferguson Company of the United Kingdom. It was based in T ...
, it was used to build tanks during World War II.
[ With ] In 1960, the building was acquired by
Jacobsen Manufacturing, a subsidiary of
Textron
Textron Inc. is an American industrial conglomerate based in Providence, Rhode Island. Textron's subsidiaries include Arctic Cat, Bell Textron, Textron Aviation (which itself includes the Beechcraft, and Cessna brands), and Lycoming Engine ...
, which closed the factory on June 29, 2001. Madison-based firm Gorman and Company, also responsible for the
Belle Harbor lofts conversion in Racine, purchased the vacant building and converted it into apartment lofts, which opened October 13, 2004.
[Lovejoy, Steve]
''Mitchell Wagon Factory Lofts have rich history''
Racine Journal Times, 22 Oct. 2004. The building was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...
the following year.
References
Buildings and structures in Racine, Wisconsin
National Register of Historic Places in Racine County, Wisconsin
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