Mesker Brothers

The Mesker Brothers Iron Works and George L. Mesker & Co. were competing manufacturers and designers of ornamental sheet-metal facades and cast iron storefront components from the 1880s through the mid-twentieth century. The Mesker Brothers Iron Works was based in St. Louis, Missouri, and was operated by brothers Bernard and Frank Mesker. The George L. Mesker Company was operated by a third brother, George L. Mesker, and was based in Evansville, Indiana.[1] The Mesker brothers were the sons of John Mesker who operated a stove business in Evansville and later galvanized iron for buildings. The three brothers learned their iron-working skills from their father.[2]

Photograph of Frank Mesker
Geo. L. Mesker & Co. catalog, 1904
Grainfield Opera House, Grainfield, Kansas
Josephine White Block, Providence, Rhode Island

The companies' products are often referred to as "Meskers." The companies also produced tin ceilings, iron railings, stairs, roof cresting, ventilation grates, iron awnings, skylights, and freight elevators.[3][4][5]

The Meskers marketed their products through catalogs displaying their designs. The catalogs were so successful they expanded print runs from 50,000 to 500,000 one year later.[5] According to a 1915 catalog, there were Mesker storefronts in every state, including 4,130 in Indiana, 2,915 in Illinois, 2,646 in Kentucky, and even 17 in the territory of Alaska.[2]

A number of their works are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[6]

Works by the Meskers include:

Their work features identically in the History of South Dakota, the History of North Dakota, the History of Montana, and the History of Nebraska.

References
  1. Darius Bryjka (April 2006). "Sibling Rivalry Good for Illinois Architecture: The Meskers' Sheet-Metal Businesses". Historic Illinois.
  2. Rich Davis (February 26, 2008). "Putting steel into the city Evansville's Mesker buildings". Evansville Courier & Press.
  3. "Sheet Metal Facades by Mesker Companies". Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  4. "Got Mesker? Identification Guide to Sheet-Metal Facades and Building Components Manufactured by Mesker Brothers Iron Works and George L. Mesker & Company". gotmesker.com. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. "Mesker Brothers Iron Works Records, 1879-1953 (11 volumes on 3 microfilm rolls)". State Historical Society of Missouri Research Center, University of Missouri-St. Louis. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  6. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  7. "Gunning-Purves Building". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved 2015-10-31.
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