Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
M. M. WALKER COMPANY
M. M. WALKER COMPANY (THE). The company was opened in 1860 as Amsden & Walker. The 1861 Dubuque City Directory listed 92 Main.
Between 1869 and 1886 the annual revenue of the company rose from $150,000 to an estimated one million dollars.
In 1869 the name was changed to M.M. Walker. The 1870-1871 Dubuque City Directory gave the address of this business as 34 and 36 Main.
The 1874-1875 through 1878-79 Dubuque City Directory stated that this business was located at 242-248 Main. Walker conducted the business alone until 1878 when the name was changed to M.M. Walker and Company. The firm was incorporated in 1878 with Marshall M. WALKER, president and D.T. Smith, secretary and treasurer.
The Riverworks Building, 40-44 Main Street, is the first downtown rehabilitation of warehouse buildings. The warehouse buildings were constructed in 1894 for the SCHROEDER-KLEINE GROCER COMPANY (44 Main Street) and the M. M. Walker Company (40 Main Street).
The nearly identical brick buildings are designed in the Romanesque style. At the turn of the 20th Century, the two grocer companies were considered to be most prominent wholesale food distributors in the upper Midwest region. The M.M. Walker Company was a wholesale fruit distributor and was said to have the cold-storage capacity to store 14 rail cars. It had a refrigerated first floor, ice room on the second, and warehouse space on the third floor. (1)
The Schroeder-Kleine Grocer Company supplied a diverse assortment of goods to grocers throughout the upper Midwest region. Similar to the M.M. Walker building, the Schroeder-Kleine Co. building was fully electrified and each floor was readily assessable by freight elevators. (2)
The building’s owners, Chris Miller, Miller Development Group and Patrick Duffy, Chatham Bay Group, concluded the two year rehabilitation effort in 2011. The project was undertaken with United States Green Building Council LEED principles in mind and certification is under consideration. The rehabilitation included the restoration of storefronts, millwork, interior beams, brickwork, and flooring. The building received new efficient windows and mechanical systems on all three floors. The owners created 50 market rate apartments and commercial space. To finish the project, a 1300 square foot rooftop terrace with views of the Mississippi River was built. The buildings are listed on the City of Dubuque historic register as well as the National Register of Historic Places. The project is an example of how well sustainable development and historic restor ation projects come together to create places where people want to live and work. (3)
According to the 1880 through 1886-87 Dubuque City Directory, the business was located at 242 Main.
The 1899-1900 through 1911-12 Dubuque City Directory stated that this business was located at the corner of Main and Jones.
The 1915 Dubuque City Directory through the 1918 Dubuque City Directory listed 110-20 S. Main as the address of this wholesaler.
The 1923 Dubuque City Directory listed 40 Main.
The 1929 Dubuque City Directory listed 56-58 Main.
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Source:
http://weblink.cityofdubuque.org/WebLink8/1/doc/274608/Page23.aspx