Tillman Brothers Building looking northwest. Circa 1911. Courtesy of Murphy Library Special Collections, University of Wisconsin – La Crosse.
Frozen Music in the City of La Crosse!
What is now the Leithold’s Music building began its life in early 1890 as the Tillman Brothers Wholesale and Retail Furniture Store (est. 1859). Historic photos of this building show a wood storefront at ground level with a Queen Anne style transom in the center of the three bays.
The second-floor storefront featured an oriel window. Two cast iron columns extended from grade to the top of the second-floor windows. Windows on the third and fourth-floors are separated by a brick belt course. Fifth-floor features window openings defined by massive brick arches. Small arched attic windows, detailed brick corbeling, and a pressed tin sign capped the building. Later renovations removed the original storefront, cut down the sign board, and introduced a prism glass transom.
Leithold Music: Ownership and Modernization
In 1964, Leithold’s Music took ownership of the building and modernized the façade by covering the storefront transom with a large red sign, removed the second-floor windows and installed stucco panels, a new aluminum storefront replaced the bronze storefront, and the cast iron columns were clad with a yellow enamel metal panel system.
Leithold’s Music photo, courtesy of Marc Zettler, 2019
Leithold’s Music photo, courtesy of Marc Zettler, December 2021
Historic Restoration Work
This building was already contributing to the La Crosse Commercial Historic District and eligible for State and Federal Historic Tax Credits. An architecture and engineering study was completed in December 2019. Zettler Design Studio, LLC completed architectural drawings in August 2020. Construction started in early 2021 and is scheduled to wrap up this winter!
Façade restoration work included: a new aluminum storefront, new storefront lighting and vestibule on first floor, restoration of the historic prism glass transom, a new wood frame storefront on second floor, restoration of original windows on the third floor up to the attic; masonry restoration including tuckpointing, paint removal (to reveal the original brownstone), minor structural corrections; HVAC alterations to remove exhaust vents from window openings; rear window restoration on first through fifth floors and masonry restoration on the entire façade.