Mesker Brothers Explained

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]

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]}

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.

Works by the Meskers include:

• T.J. Abbott Building, Golconda, Illinois^[1]
• Buster Meat Market, Main Ave. Challis, Idaho (Mesker Bros.), NRHP-listed
• One or more works in Corydon Historic District (Boundary Increase), Roughly bounded by Summit, Maple & Walnut Sts., College Ave., Chestnut, Capitol, Poplar, Water, Beaver & Mulberry Sts. Corydon, Indiana (Mesker, George L. & Co.), NRHP-listed
• One or more works in Edinburgh Commercial Historic District, roughly bounded by Thompson and Main Sts., the alley N of Main Cross St. and the Conrail RR tracks Edinburgh, Indiana (George L. Mesker & Co.), NRHP-listed
• J. T. Ferguson Store, 11 E. Main St. Wilkesboro, North Carolina (Mesker Bros. Front Builders), NRHP-listed
• Goedert Meat Market, 322 Main St. McGregor, Iowa (Mesker Bros.), NRHP-listed
• Gunning–Purves Building, 311 Main Street, Friendship, Wisconsin (George L. Mesker & Co.), NRHP-listed^[6]
• Hopkinton Supply Co. Building, 26-28 Main St. Hopkinton, Massachusetts (Mesker, George L.), NRHP-listed
• Hotel Mann, Virginia, Illinois (Mesker Bros. Iron Works)^[1]
• Joseph Jackson Hotel, 2420 S. Main St. Vallonia, Indiana (Mesker. George and Co.), NRHP-listed
• One or more works in Jellico Commercial Historic District, roughly along North and South Main Sts. Jellico, Tennessee (Mesker, George), NRHP-listed
• Jones, J. W. Jones Building, 104 Main St., NE Blackfoot, Idaho (Mesker, Marcus), NRHP-listed
• Len Jus Building (Mason City, Iowa)
• One or more works in Morgantown Historic District, Approx. 4.5 blocks centered on Washington St., bet. Marion St. and E of Church St. Morgantown, Indiana (Mesker, George L. & Co.), NRHP-listed
• One or more works in Mount Vernon Commercial District, Main St. from Church to Richmond Sts. *Mount Vernon, KY (George L. Mesker & Co.), NRHP-listed
• One or more works in North Vernon Downtown Historic District, bounded by Sixth and Chestnut Sts., Keller St., Fourth and Main, and Jennings North Vernon, Indiana (George L. Mesker & Company), NRHP-listed
• Morris Roberts Store, Off U.S. 30 Hagerman, Idaho (Mesker Bros.), NRHP-listed
• J.C. Schmohl Building, Galena, Illinois^[3]
• Vollmer Building, Walnut St. Genesee, Idaho (Mesker Bros.), NRHP-listed
• Josephine White Block, 737-739 Cranston St. Providence, Rhode Island (Mesker Bros.), NRHP-listed
• Wilkesboro-Smithey Hotel, Broad and E. Main Sts. Wilkesboro, North Carolina (Mesker Bros. Front Builders), NRHP-listed
• York Dispatch Newspaper Offices, 15 and 17 E. Philadelphia St. York, Pennsylvania (George L. Mesker), NRHP-listed
• Grainfield Opera House, Grainfield, Kansas, NRHP-listed
• Masonic Hall, 632 Main St, Alamosa, Colorado (Mesker & Bro.)^[7]

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

Notes and References

1. News: Darius Bryjka . Sibling Rivalry Good for Illinois Architecture: The Meskers' Sheet-Metal Businesses . Historic Illinois . April 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080922183456/http://www.gotmesker.com/ . 2008-09-22 . usurped.
2. News: Putting steel into the city Evansville's Mesker buildings. Evansville Courier & Press. Rich Davis. February 26, 2008.
3. Web site: Sheet Metal Facades by Mesker Companies. Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. August 7, 2012.
4. Web site: Got Mesker? Identification Guide to Sheet-Metal Facades and Building Components Manufactured by Mesker Brothers Iron Works and George L. Mesker & Company. gotmesker.com.
5. Web site: 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. August 7, 2012.
6. Web site: Gunning-Purves Building. Wisconsin Historical Society. 2015-10-31.
7. Web site: Bryjka . Darius . 2013-05-06 . Colorado list reaches 100 . 2022-11-18 . Mesker Brothers . en.