Nothing had been printed in the local newspapers about Wagner & Bauman, Monroe contractors, for about 18 months until June 8, 1914 when it was shared that E. F. Bauman had left for Postville, Iowa where they had been awarded the contract for the erection of a $70,000 high school building. The construction of this building was nearly completed by March 1915.
It appears that Lewis rarely took time away from business. However, on Wednesday afternoon, September 16, 1914, Lewis, Kittie, their son, Francis, and Mrs. L. A. Woodle, left by automobile “for Milwaukee to spend a couple of days at the state fair.” That October Kittie went to Prairie du Chien where Lewis was “superintending the construction of a large dormitory to a Catholic school,” for which Wagner & Bauman had been awarded the contract.
Wagner sold Simon Saucerman his residence, and the property on which it sat, on March 17, 1915 for $1. That property was located at what is now 808 17th Avenue.
Wagner & Bauman “secured the contract for the erection of an $80,000 Catholic academy at Stevens Point” the following month. Plans were that the construction would begin the following week - after they shipped “some of their building equipment from Postville,” Iowa. The editor added that the people in Postville “are immensely pleased with the building, which is modern throughout, including a gymnasium, shower bath for boys and girls, manual training department, etc.”
Wagner & Bauman was again the lowest bidder and awarded the contract on September 14, to erect Lincoln School on the southwest corner of 16th Avenue and 14th Street. Their bid was $53,835, more than $300 less than a Milwaukee firm. Work on razing the former school that stood on that corner was to start immediately. “The contractors will be permitted to use such material out of the old building as is approved by the architect.” The new school was to be “ready for occupancy by the opening of school next September.” Lincoln School was lost to a fire on September 5,1973, which was fought by 44 volunteer firemen .[A photo of the old school can be seen on page 98 and of Lincoln school on page 102, both in the Pictorial History.]
Lewis and Kittie moved into their new home, located at what is now 803 17th Avenue, late in October of that year.
Wagner & Bauman were awarded the contract in April 1916 for a cold storage building to be built for Wittwer Brothers in Monticello, even though their bid of $20,775 was the middle of five bids. The storage was to be “a three story building with basement, 50x100 feet and fireproof throughout.”
It was reported on May 10, “Because of their high standing in the community as a contracting firm, the building committee of the Odd Fellows this noon selected Wagner & Bauman as the contractors for the new I. O. O. F. temple to be erected” at 912 17th Avenue. As was common for Wagner & Bauman the razing of the old buildings on that site was to start immediately; the post office needed to occupy the main floor by September 1. This building now houses Exit Realty at 912 17th Avenue.
Later that month, the Immanuel Evangelical congregation also awarded the contract for their new church on the southwest corner of 16th Street and 16th Avenue to Wagner & Bauman. The editor added, “This is one of the best contracts which has been let in the city in recent years.” The successful bid was slightly less than $30,000. This gave the Wagner & Bauman firm “the three principal buildings being erected in the city this summer.” The razing of the existing church structure at that time, along with the clearing of the lot, was to be started on Monday morning, June 5. This church still stands at 1603 16th Avenue and is now the home of the Resurrection Lutheran Church.
The work on the ground floor of the Odd Fellows temple was being completed by July 22 with work on the second story being started the following week. In addition Wagner & Bauman had large crews of workmen on the Lincoln School project and were excavating for the new church, both of which contracts were to be completed by the fall. This might have been their busiest year in Monroe.
Wagner, who turned 52 years old in September, must have still had a passion for building. He purchased two lots and the west 28 feet of the next lot on the northeast corner of 17th Avenue and 9th Street from the William Schuetze family on November 21 for $8,000. He planned to erect a “modern apartment building and two other buildings” on the lot which was 148 feet square; all three were to be heated from one building. The old Schuetze dwelling was to be moved to the east end of the block, with work to be starting in the spring. The ground was staked out for the apartment building on April 30, 1917 with expectations that operations would start soon afterwards. He apparently moved into the lower apartment after it was finished as that is where he was living according to the 1917 city directory. Herb Clark, owner of the Clark Drug Store on the east side of the Square, rented the upstairs apartment.
More will be leaned about the structures that L. S. Wagner continued to build in the remaining two columns.
— Matt Figi is a Monroe resident and a local historian. His column will appear periodically on Saturdays in the Times. He can be reached at mfigi48@tds.net or at 608-325-6503.
