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Golper’s
David Golper
Poultry, Eggs, Feed
Est. 1919
223 West Main Street
Patrick Beggan Building
Other Name: Grinwald Building
1919 ESTABLISHED
09 17 MAN SELLS BRICKS INSTEAD OF EGGS
Police were asked over the weekend to look
for a man with a red tie, a mole on his face and who goes around selling bricks
instead of eggs.
The man is wanted for selling a case of
what was to have been eggs here Saturday evening to Mrs. David Golper, wife of the well-known west side commission
merchant. She paid him $6.60 for the
case and later it was discovered that the case contained only eight dozen of
eggs and that the rest of the contents consisted of bricks.
"It's an old gag and has been pulled
here before," police said when they got the report. "About a year ago the same trick was put
over on another Watertown merchant. This
fellow evidently has worked the same trick in other localities."
Mrs. Golper did not know the man and assumed he was a farmer who
had come to the city to sell eggs. The
transaction took place during her husband's absence from the store.
1954 Ad
1954 Click to enlarge
1955
12 27 
1969
1984
Golper's Corporation
Watertown
Daily Times, 02 28 1984
Because of problems with dust, truck
traffic, noise and potential runoff into the Rock River, the Watertown Planning
Commission rejected the Golper's Corporation plan to
build a warehouse and blending facility at 211-217 S. Water St. The
structure would have been an expansion of the current Golper's
operations, located at 116 S. Water St. The proposed 30 foot by 70
foot facility would have been used for the storage and mixing of fertilizers.
Watertown
Daily Times, 04 25 1984
Because of plan modifications which will
minimize the potential for environmental problems, the Watertown Planning
Commission Monday recommended a plan by the David Golper
Company, Inc., to construct a warehouse and adjacent blending facility at
211-217 S. Water St. The plan, an expansion of current Golper operations at 116 S. Water St., must gain the final
approval of the Watertown Common Council at its next meeting May 1 before
construction is to begin. All operations of the facility will be
enclosed, according to Assistant City Engineer Joe Radocay,
and there will be no floor drains or exhaust fans. A low berm or
curb will also be constructed to divert any surface water runoff, he added.
Watertown
Daily Times, 04 27 1984
Because of plan modifications which will minimize
the potential for environmental problems, the Watertown Planning Commission
Monday recommended a plan by the David Golper
Company, Inc., to construct a warehouse and adjacent blending facility at
211-217 S. Water St. The plan, an expansion of current Golper operations at 116 S. Water St., must gain the final
approval of the Watertown Common Council at its next meeting May 1 before
construction is to begin. A ll operations
of the facility will be enclosed, according to Assistant City Engineer Joe Radocay, and there will be no floor drains or exhaust
fans. A low berm or curb will also be constructed to divert any
surface water runoff, he added.
Watertown
Daily Times, 06 19 1984
Frank Melcher, route 3, Watertown, who has
been employed by agri-business industries in this area for many years, has been
named general manager of David Golper Company, 116
South Water Street, according to Al Grunewald, president of the
firm. Melcher will be active in all areas of the business, and will
provide key assistance to the firm's plans to construct a fertilizer warehouse
and blending facility. Melcher has been manager of the Johnson Creek
Co-op for 20 years and the Tomorrow Valley Co-op of Amhurst for three
years. For the last year, Melcher has been sales representative for
Ag-Chem Equipment Company of Minneapolis.
2014 Demolition of 223 W Main
05 12 
The historic Beggan
building on the southeast corner of the intersection of West Main and
Washington streets (223 W Main) no longer stands. The roof and side parapet wall collapsed
today due to heavy rains driven by strong winds and as a result the entire
structure had to be demolished. (18
photos) / (YouTube video)
Additional Information: This building was built around 1868 by Patrick Beggan. Between 1885 and 1930, it was a grocery and/or meat market under numerous owners. This building has some historical interest because it housed several grocery stores and meat markets. None of the businesses are individually significant, but as a whole the building contributes to the commercial development of the entire Main Street Commercial Historic District. Built in the 1860s on a corner lot, the Patrick Beggan building is a large three and a half story commercial block constructed of cream brick. Three bays wide, the Beggan building presently known as the Grinwald building features a raised brick cornice ornamented by a row of dentils above the half windows or frieze windows located on the facade. The cornice and frieze along with the brick molding along the lower edge of the frieze extends along the west side elevation. Plain rectangular windows topped by flat stone lintels further characterize the front and side elevations. Iron balconies are situated below the 2nd and 3rd windows on the south end of the west side elevation. A plain cornice extends across the top of the storefront; however the rest of the storefront has been completely altered by sandblasting and a metal extension has been added, extending above the cornice at the top of the building. A one-story brick and concrete block flat-roofed addition is located at the rear. The Patrick Beggan building is a commercial vernacular building ornamented only by a raised brick cornice. Although this building is not architecturally significant, the Beggan building contributes to the historic architectural character of the proposed Main Street Historic District. [Info Source]
History of Watertown, Wisconsin