Cedarburg Cultural Center Building

Cedarburg Cultural Center Building. . Originally built as a home for an early Cedarburg settler, the southern half of the current Cedarburg Cultural Center building has played a rich and vibrant role throughout the city's history., Fred and Lena Beckman purchased the residence in 1873 and remodeled it to serve as a hotel and rooming house along the stagecoach path from Milwaukee to Green Bay. Beckman and his wife continued to improve the building, now called the Wisconsin Hotel, by modernizing the interior and exterior. Soon the hotel would house Beckman's Bar and come to be known as the hub of the growing little town where anyone could "post events on a public bulletin board." In 1909, records show that Fred Beckman, now in failing health, transferred ownership to fellow Cedarburg resident Joseph Herz. Little is known about the business from 1909 to 1922; at that point, Herz sold the 3-story building to John Alston, Sr. Alston continued to run the rooming house on the third floor for several years, adding a bowling alley in the basement, variety store and a men's clothing store., In 1941, William and Mary Hickmann purchased the variety store inventory and opened Hickmann's Variety Store. For nine years, the store remained a thriving business at that location. Upon losing their lease in 1950, Hickmann's relocated to another storefront on Washington Avenue, and Alston, Sr. turned the 1,700-square foot building over to son John Alston, Jr. and his wife LaVerne. They renamed the business Alston's Department Store and added men's and women's clothing to the shop. In 1964, they a purchased property to the north and grew the business to 15,000 square feet., After 37 years in business, Alston and his wife sold it to a small department store chain which downsized it back to the original building on the south. This would leave enough space available on the north side to accommodate today's Cedarburg Cultural Center. In 1988, CCC board members, headed by founder Carl Edquist, quickly agreed to move the expanding Cultural Center from its first location in Cedarburg's Lincoln Building to the newly available location. The Center's new home could now accommodate three art galleries, a performing arts center, classrooms for education and permanent collection space for historic Cedarburg artifacts., Soon after the department store closed, the Cultural Center was again able to expand its footprint to include larger classrooms and rentable property in the south building. Functioning today as a hub of activity in downtown Cedarburg, the Cultural Center thrives as the community's center of art, music and history. The Center also owns and operates the Cedarburg History Museum, Historic Kuhefuss House Museum and Lincoln Building 1920s Schoolroom Museum.