BY KRIS LEONHARDT
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Continue from previous week
GREEN BAY – The struggles began in February 1923, when excavation work slowed after a break in the crane bucket being used.
“Horse-drawn scoops are at work digging out the earth and piling it close to the crane to be hoisted out in one or two days when the bucket is fixed,” a Press-Gazette article read.
The concrete mixer had already arrived and was awaiting the completion work of excavation.
Work was further hampered by snow and wind storms hitting the Green Bay area.
Excavating and foundation work was completed by the Ludolf M. Hansen Company in mid-April, final contracts were awarded and work began on the hotel that Schroeder & Son Company of Milwaukee hoped to have completed by New Years Day 1924.
By August, hotel creators were asking to add a 10th story, which appeared to be favored by the people of Green Bay, while increasing its prominence.
A 1923 Wisconsin law limiting building heights to 100 feet, except for those in Milwaukee which were permitted at 125 feet, would become an issue as a 10th story would bring the hotel height to 112 feet.
Schroeder executives went up against the Wisconsin Industrial Commission, with the hotel counsel declaring the law “an invasion of police powers.”
At the same time, contractors were finishing concrete work on the sixth floor and bricklayers were beginning work on the first floor.
Outdoor floodlights were installed on hoisting towers to illuminate the construction area for night work.
In September, Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge Henry Graass declared the building law invalid and unconstitutional and refused to grant an injunction on the additional floor, citing property right infringement and discrimination between Milwaukee and other Wisconsin cities.
But, in October, work on the 10th floor came to a stop when the Wisconsin Supreme Court declared the state statute constitutional.
Next, bricklaying came to a stop due to a November brick shortage. This was further hampered when the bricklayers went on strike weeks later.
“The reason given by union officials here is that the W.W. Oeflein Company, which is erecting the Northland hotel, is running open shop in Milwaukee and other parts of the state. At Green Bay, however, the company operates closed shop for bricklayers,” a Press-Gazette article stated.
By mid-month the bricklayers were back at work, with completion of the exterior expected within a week.
Next week: Making a splash
Editors Note: The Hotel Northland is hosting two celebrations to mark the founding. The first event, scheduled for March 19, 5-8 p.m., is open to the public. For more information, visit www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/grbak-hotel-northland-autograph-coll ection/overview.