If you look at the column on the south end of this building you will see the manufacturer’s marker, Geo. L. Mesker & Co. Iron Works Evansville, IND. Marketing in its infancy is on display as iron foundries impressed logos onto their products. Fortunate for us today, architectural historians can identify some of the manufacturers by tracing these marks. This building, constructed around 1898, so impressed its owner, O. Bronnum, that he wrote a testimonial for the 1905 George L. Mesker Catalog. If you look carefully, high up at the corners of this building along the roof cornice you can see the George L. Mesker trademark morning glory motif. Patented patterns was another way the foundries branded their products.

Structural and decorative building components of iron were economical. By ordering directly from a catalog the building owner eliminated the middle man, eliminated the need for expensive skilled craftsmen, and eliminated a need for an architect. This iron front was probably assembled by local workers who followed the Manufacturer’s step by step instructions.

George was not the only Mesker in the iron business, his brothers Bernard and Frank operated the Mesker Brothers Iron Works in St. Louis, Missouri. Combined, the competing manufacturers were among the largest producers of metal building components in late 19^th century America. While the iron components used to construct this building was ordered from George Mesker, the building right across the street came from Bernard and Frank’s shop, the Mesker Brothers Iron Works. While that building’s marker is no longer is no longer visible, the components can be easily identified in the plethora of catalogs the companies produced.

Credits and Sources:

Researched and Written by Cynthia Catellier