Historical and Architectural Resources Survey
Village of Thiensville                                                              Page 70
at the east end of the larger building. Nearly all windows are multiple-light sash types.'°2
After purchasing the former Van Buren School
building from the Allen-Spiegel Shoe Co., A.P.
and   Rose   Gilbert   began   manufacturing
children's shoes under the name of Kali-Sten-
Iks. The name fit Gilbert's marketing of the shoe
as one that would properly develop the muscles
of a child's foot. With an initial workforce of
fifteen, the firm had a daily production of 300
pair, which increased to 1,200 pair by 1929. The
company remained strong during the Great
Depression and provided consistent employment
for 200. The company's height was during the   Figure 25: 228 Elm Street. Map Code 77/3.
1950s when it made 1,800 pairs a day with a
staff of 250, which resulted in the large one-
story addition to the east. The firm opened a branch factory in Campbellsport. In 1966, Gilbert sold
the company to Robert W. Kasten, Sr. Business slowly declined throughout the 1970s due to foreign
competition. Eventually the Campbellsport plant was closed in the early 1970s, while the Thiensville
factory closed in 1978. The structure is currently used as a storage facility. At this time, the property
is for sale and plans are to raze the structure and construct new condominiums.°3
The Gilbert Shoe Company offered the Village of Thiensville a long-lasting industry that provided
many of its citizens employment. Standing as a testament to Thiensville' s most significant and long-
lasting industry, the former Gilbert Shoe Company is considered eligible for the National Register
under Criterion A.
Address                                    Map Code                     NRHP Evaluation
344 E. Freistadt Road               81/7                        Potentially eligible
Oriented to the south, this 1939 Period Revival style house is topped with a hipped roof and is
completely sheathed with limestone. The primary facade is symmetrical in design and features
shaped wing walls at both the east and west sides. An enclosed, rectangular entry projects from the
center of the south facade and carries a round-arched doorway with a cut limestone surround. A
tripartite window grouping topped with a segmental arch, stone header is located to either side of the
'02Mohr, ed., History of Thiensville, 40; Newsbrief(re: school addition), CedarburgNews, 13 July and 3 August
1904; Sanborn Map Company, Fire Insurance Map of Thiensville, Wis. (1929); Historic Photograph, Gilbert Shoe
Company, undated, In possession of the Thiensville Historic Preservation Commission. Handwritten information at the
bottom of the photograph reads, "First Addition to "Kali-Sten-Iks" factory."
'°3Mohr, ed., History of Thiensville, 104-106; "Kasten's Shoe Firm Closes its Doors," Unnamed newspaper 22
July 1978.