Most Milwaukeeans know that a gold flame at the historic Wisconsin Gas Building at 626 East Wisconsin Avenue indicates cold weather to come. But the story of the delayed groundbreaking of the building – and the strange court order that caused it – are lesser known.
The plans for the Gas Building were finalized in February 1928. The site was then occupied by the old Lincoln Hotel, a run-down hostelry dating back to the 1800s. One of the storefronts on the hotel’s ground floor was occupied by a “soft drink parlor.” By 1928 – within the throes of Prohibition – Milwaukee was home to over 1,200 soft drink parlors, most of which also traded in illegal liquor. There were only about 20 federal Prohibition agents assigned to the entire southeastern Wisconsin district at the time, leaving the operation of a speakeasy as a surprisingly safe endeavor.
Luck was not on the side of the Lincoln Hotel speak, however, and shortly after the decision to raze the old building was made final, a pair of agents visited the parlor and ordered a hard drink. After taking a slug, one of the agents retreated to the bathroom, where he spit the liquid into a flask hidden in his jacket, so it could be later analyzed for illegal content and potentially used as evidence. Agents who went undercover in this manner were known to drink olive oil or sour cream just before going on duty, home remedies to stifle the effects of the booze. Others went without any safeguards, doubtlessly motivated by their love of country and desire to uphold its laws.
After the Lincoln Hotel sample was found to be true liquor, a warrant was issued and, on March 7 1928, the place was raided. In addition to the ground-level bar, the liquor and bootlegging materials found in room 8 of the hotel were seized by federal agents. The case went before judge F.A. Geiger, who was known as one of the more creative federal figures in the anti-booze crusade. As criminal charges were pending against the operators of the Lincoln bar, Geiger ordered that the rooms used in the operation be sealed for one year. The “padlocking” of these rooms was in line with the increased use of civil forfeiture laws to punish bootleggers – the seizure of cars and other property used for illegal activities. But Geiger’s ruling on the two rooms at the Lincoln was unique in that it was placed against a building that had been sold and was about to be torn down.
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The new owners of the building were initially happy to grant Judge Geiger’s wish that the rooms not be used for illegal activity. They would happily reduce them to rubble as the site was cleared to make way for the new $1.5 million headquarters for the Milwaukee Gas Company. But, to the surprise of everyone, Judge Geiger declared that his order sealing the rooms until June 15, 1929 would remain in effect regardless of their plans to the property. The opening of these rooms, either by key or by wrecking ball, would violate the order and place the new owners in contempt of court.
In response to the Judge’s very literal enforcement of his ruling, the new owners got creative as well and had a construction crew carefully begin to tear down the hotel, working around the two rooms in question. Gradually, a stand of railroad ties was built underneath the two rooms as the rest of the old building was taken away. When the work was done, the bar and room 8 remained locked, suspended in the air at their original positions in an otherwise empty lot.
After the drawn-out demolition project was completed, work on the new building began – once again working around the two sealed rooms. Eventually, for the safety of those working on the project, the rooms were allowed to moved to a corner of the site. But they remained locked until June 15, 1929, when Judge Geiger’s order expired and they were quickly and unceremoniously flattened and hauled away. The Gas Building opened the following year.
