The Rickeman Grocery Building is a historic commercial building located in downtown Racine, Wisconsin. It was constructed in 1883 for grocer George Rickeman. Located on the south side of State Street between College Avenue and Park Avenue, the building contributes to the Historic Sixth Street Business District. The building, an example of the Late Victorian architectural style, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
History Built in 1883, the Rickeman Building was constructed for a grocery store run by George A. Rickeman,Inventory-Nomination Form, National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service. a German immigrant and veteran of the Civil War who fought with the 3rd Wisconsin Infantry. He came to Racine in the 1850s to become a cabinet maker, before briefly joining the Colorado Gold Rush in 1859. After the war, he founded his grocery and saloon at 53 6th St.,Brown's Gazetteer of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway, and Branches, and of the Union Pacific Rail Road, 1869 four blocks east of the later building, in 1866. Following his death in 1894,Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Reunion of the Association of the Third Regiment Wisconsin Infantry Veteran Volunteers, 1894. his wife Catherine and his sons George and Fred operated the business. A fire on the morning of September 2, 1902, damaged parts of the building destroyed over $10,000 worth of goods on the store's second floor. Catherine's claim was disputed by her insurance company, and the case was taken to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which found in her favor in 1904.Wisconsin Reports, Volume 120, Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1905. Between 1905 and 1910, the store was repaired and remodeled.
By 1917, the grocery had closed and the building took on a new tenant: Daniel C. Metcalf, who operated a Kuppenheimer clothing store.Classified Advertisements, Racine Journal-News, May 11, 1917.Advertisement, Racine Journal-News, June 24, 1924. This clothing shop reopened as the Longworth Store in 1925,Advertisement, Racine Journal-News, August 14, 1925. which closed not long afterward. The next business to occupy the space was a grocery store that closed and was put up for sale in 1928.Classified Advertisements, Racine Journal-News, December 14, 1927.Classified Advertisements, Racine Journal-News, May 3, 1928. Two new business opened in the building the following year: Leo Brennan's restaurant, a sandwich shop,Advertisement, Racine Journal-News, October 3, 1931.Advertisement, Racine Journal Times, September 18, 1937. and the Photo-Crafts Shop, a Kodak storeAdvertisement, Racine Journal-News, May 31, 1929. which moved out of the building shortly after."Ala Rug Buys More Parking Space", Racine Journal Times, The Brennan restaurant became John Wagner's in 1931,Advertisement, Racine Journal-News, July 1, 1931. and was later named John Wagner's Food, Brennan & Connors, before closing in 1943.
The Ode Record Center opened in the building that same year,Advertisement, Racine Journal Times, August 25, 1944. and suffered a minor fire that December, which caused $600 worth of damage.Looking Backward, Racine Journal Times, December 16, 1963. It was succeeded by Furhman's Sausage & Cheese Shop, which held its grand opening on October 21, 1949.Advertisement, Racine Journal Times, October 16, 1949. This store became Milton Keller's Sausage & Cheese in 1954,Advertisement, Racine Journal Times, December 14, 1954. which was replaced by Gompers Millinery in 1956,Advertisement, Racine Journal Times, February 23, 1956. and then by Seymour Smart Footwear in 1958.Advertisement, Racine Journal Times, July 2, 1958. This shoe store was run by its sole proprietor, Gerald Lynch, until his death in 1973,"Shoe Store Owner Dies", Racine Journal Times, November 8, 1973. after which the store closed. The Port Gilbert Gifts & Antiques Shop occupied the space from 1974 to August 1976, and was replaced within a week by Sixth Street Art Supply."Art supply store to open", Racine Journal Times, August 15, 1976. The building's current first-floor tenant, The Cobblestone Ltd., is a frame shop and art gallery that opened around 1980.Property Record, 415 6th St, Wisconsin Historical Society. The second floor is occupied by the Dick Shore Dance Studio.
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