Historic photograph collections have always been instrumental to the Mesker documentation project. The latest such archive that I’ve stumbled upon is the Burgert Brothers Photographic Collection, comprised of over 20,000 images chronicling the history of the Tampa Bay area from the 1890s to the 1960s. The photographs are the work of brothers Jean and Al …
Over 1,000 buildings with Mesker building components ceased to be for a myriad of reasons including fires, tornadoes, urban renewal, neglect, stupid men, or their combination. However, only one Mesker’s demise was planned to be a spectacular visual effect immortalized on the silver screen. Orlando’s third City Hall (but first built for this purpose) was …
The Famous Building on the 700 block of Commercial Avenue in Cairo, Illinois, had a spectacular presence almost entirely due to the galvanized sheet-metal front made by the Mesker Brothers Iron Works of St. Louis, Missouri. It's combination of motifs and arched window openings made it one of few truly distinctive Mesker fronts across the …
The story of the Stewardson Opera Hall facade disassembly and its subsequent restoration and reinstallation on another building is not a new one, but it remains relevant as it continues to provide insight into patented "house fronts" by Mesker Brothers Iron Works of St. Louis, Missouri. Unlike the original installers, we were not fortunate enough to have …
Perhaps because today is Veterans Day, or because of last week’s All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days, or maybe the recent passing of boxing legend Joe Frazier and rapper Heavy D have something to do with it, but I feel saddened. Since death is the theme, I’ve also thought about losses in historic preservation. Despite …
Mesker Brothers 