Badger Building, Prairie School office building in Racine, United States.
The Badger Building is a four-story office structure in Racine completed in 1915 with distinctive horizontal lines and broad overhanging eaves. Its brick and concrete form displays characteristic Prairie School features, housing various professional offices and a small optical shop within its walls.
The structure was built in 1915 for the Tidyman Candy Company and later served as a Red Cross facility during World War I. The building has remained substantially unchanged since its early decades, reflecting the architectural intentions of its original period.
The Badger Building reflects Prairie School principles that shaped how commercial spaces were designed in the Midwest, blending form with function in ways that felt modern at the time. Walking past it today, you notice how this design approach still influences how people view the building's purpose and its place on the street.
The building sits on Main Street in central Racine and is easy to visit on foot as part of a walking tour through the downtown area. Access to interior spaces depends on whether offices are open, so visiting during business hours offers the best opportunity to see details up close.
The structure was originally designed as a factory for a candy company, which explains its solid construction and generous interior spaces. Though that industrial past is no longer visible, the quality of the design reflects the care taken in its original construction.
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