Got Mesker? Illinois wants to know

SPRINGFIELD, IL - Got Mesker? If you do, the State of Illinois wants to put you on the map.

A "Mesker" is a late 1800s to early 1900s building that features an ornamental iron façade or storefront components manufactured by the Mesker Brothers Iron Works of St. Louis, Missouri and the George L. Mesker Company of Evansville, Indiana. The two firms, owned by brothers but operating independently, best demonstrate the mass-produced building parts trade at the turn of the century.

A website developed by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, www.gotmesker.com, features a new Google Earth map of every known Mesker Building in the country, and organizers are asking citizens across America to locate additional Meskers in their communities that can then be listed on the map.

The www.gotmesker.com website features a Mesker identification guide as well as 1903, 1904 and 1906 catalogs of Mesker building components.

"The website shows people what Mesker components look like and how to determine if they have one of these historic structures in their community. We encourage anyone with an interest in architecture or local history to become a history detective and help us add to the known Mesker sites on our map," said Darius Bryjka of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, who launched an effort in May 2005 to identify commercial buildings in the state with Mesker facades.

More than 570 Mesker Buildings have been identified so far in Illinois, with more than 2,600 Meskers featured on the nationwide map. The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency estimates that at one point there were more than 45,000 Mesker installations across the nation.

"Meskers" are found in small towns across America. However, because the companies that made the components were based in the Midwest, they are particularly plentiful in Illinois and are part of the state's rich architectural history.

The Meskers specialized in ornamental facades and storefront components which were ordered through catalogs and easily shipped by rail to any interested building owner. Their extensive product lines also featured entire storefront assemblies, fences, skylights and freight elevators. Made of galvanized steel and cast iron, durable Mesker facades often survive despite occasional neglect or lack of maintenance. Their attractive prices made the components especially desirable for businesses in smaller towns, who could not afford the look of more expensive carved stone or terra cotta.