A gorgeous 1938 French Revival house just off Menomonee River Parkway in Wauwatosa has hit the market. It was built for real estate man Lorin Tiefenthaler.
I don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for beautiful vintage brick house with a low, matching brick wall and French green trim, and the one at 2625 N. Harding Blvd., just around the corner from the parkway, fits the bill perfectly ... except that the asking price is $939,900 is just a tad outside my range.
But perhaps not out of yours.
The house was designed and built by self-described "architractor" Leon Grieb, who was the father of the more famous architect Donald Grieb. Perhaps you're familiar with the son's trio of glassy buildings in Mitchell Park, colloquially known as the Domes.
Leon Grieb often partnered with Tiefenthaler on homes around the city, though those were typically more modest than this one, which the latter commissioned for himself rather than to sell.
Tiefenthaler was the son of another real estate broker, Herman Tiefenthaler, with whom he got his start in the business after graduating from Marquette University – where he was a varsity lineman back in the MU football days – in 1926.
The young Tiefenthaler was reportedly less than thrilled about real estate at the start but by 1964 he was, the Sentinel wrote, "convinced that the 'real estate business is the most exciting business in the world'."
And Tiefenthaler seems to have had his share of excitement, so perhaps he'd know.
Though the newspapers are littered with hundreds of real estate ads for Tiefenthaler, he also drew ink for his exploits around the world.
Upon his death from a heart attack at age 64 in 1967, the Journal recalled that Tiefenthaler, "was an enthusiastic traveler. The Tiefenthalers went around the world twice."
Tiefenthaler and his wife Marjorie had no children and Marjorie was a teacher and thus had long summer breaks.
The same year he had this house built he and his friend attorney Raymond Zillmer, made, "one of the more hazardous mountain crossings in North America – across the Canadian Rockies. Later Mr. Tiefenthaler traveld into the unmapped wilds of northern British Columbia," the Journal wrote.
The Sentinel added that, "it took them 16 days to traverse the 240-mile trail .., which was first accomplished by Sir Alexander MacKenzie in 1793.
"Tiefenthaler lost 32 pounds on the trip and Mr. Zillmer dropped 14 pounds."
Tiefenthaler also owned a farm in the Kettle Moraine, was enthusiastic pine tree planter and an active supporter of the Ice Age Trail.
"If there is one family member I wish I would have gotten to know better, it is certainly my Uncle Lorin," recalls his nephew Don Kaegi. "Uncle Lorin was one of those men who seemed bigger than life, at least so it seemed when I was a child.
"He and his wife, Marjorie, never had children so my brother and I became surrogate sons to a degree. We could always count on getting 'air mail' letters from many of their stops.
"In those days, air mail involved flimsy paper so the weight in the plane would not be too much. I always saved the stamps that came from exotic places and still have many of them buried in a storage container where I keep old stuff. When they returned, Billy and I knew we would always be getting an unusual gift."
Kaegi recalls, too, that as a teenager, his uncle hired him to keep their yard looking good while they were on vacation, and also to shovel snow in front of a building they owned on 76th and Lisbon.
"I have fond memories of being taken to Green Bay Packers games (at County Stadium) by Uncle Lorin. ... I loved going to those games.
"Every Thanksgiving morning, he would take us out to undeveloped property he owned near Holy Hill and our mission was to plant what seemed like an endless supply of young pine trees."
Tiefenthaler appears to have rarely stood still and had just returned from a trip to New Orleans with Marjorie when he passed away. A couple years earlier he'd said he had no plans to retire.
At that point, in addition to traveling, hiking and planting trees on his farm, Tiefenthaler was an active gardener at home, where in the early 1960s he'd added a greenhouse.
It's difficult to tell from the current listing whether or not the greenhouse survives, but there's a lot to admire in this three-bedroom, two-bathroom, 2,461-square-foot house.
"The exterior boasts pink patina brick, French green trim, raised garden walls, a cedar roof and copper gutters," the listing notes. "A beautifully landscaped garden (Tiefenthaler would approve!) features a bluestone patio with tropic vine and overhead lighting.
"Original details include hand-carved beams, wide plank hardwood floors, scalloped built-ins and stunning windows. ... Spacious living areas showcase French windows, a brick fireplace, plus a sunlit garden room. Upstairs, the primary suite has two balconies."
There listing has many photos if you want a peek, and, of course, contact info if you're in the market for a chateau-sa (sorry).
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
