Brown Swiss Association Office
The Brown Swiss Association office building located at 800 Pleasant Street, Beloit, Wisconsin, was originally a paper mill organized by Rock River Paper Company.
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Built in 1856. Originally the Beloit Paper Mill, the first paper mill in the Rock River Valley and the second in the Wisconsin Territory. In 1858, it was organized as the Rock River Paper company and produced 32,000 pounds of building paper per day.
1870's
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1887 to 1930 - It was occupied by manufacturers of overalls, bicycles, and automobile parts (The first automobile turn signal was invented here by Beloit inventor Carl Lipman.), refrigerator cars, air appliances, a contractor specialties manufacturer called Schwebke Machine Company, and an upholsterer. On March 28, 1905, a severe flood caused the collapse of a major portion of the middle section of the river side of the building. That section was restored, and the building continued in use.
1900's
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January 1936 - Building purchased by Brown Swiss Association for $3,500 plus $28.56 for taxes and $2 for air and water right-of-ways.
"It is to be a Colonial-type structure, located on the banks of Rock River at Beloit, Wisconsin. Also, it is located on US highway 51, one of the most popular highways in the Middle West. This road attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists annually who pass through Beloit, the entrance into Wisconsin and the North Woods. A committee chosen by the directors of the association gave much time and thought to the arrangement of the interior design before presenting plans to the directorate."
Work on the new building was conducted with speed and efficiency. |
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May/June 1936 - After renovations, the Brown Swiss Cattle Breeders’ Association moved into the building.
1980's
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Present - Today’s Brown Swiss Association still serves its breeders from this location along the Rock River.
2005 The front yard was lost when Highway 51 was widened in the early 2000's..
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