John Marx House

1898

1986

John Marx, president of the John Strange Paper Company, had been a clothing merchant in Menasha since 1872.  He was born in Germany, November 25, 1839, son of Nicholas and Anna M. Marx, and after attending school until the age of twelve, he was then apprenticed to the tailor trade.  After learning his trade and serving time in the army, he emigrated with his parents to America in 1867, locating at Clifton, in Calumet County, and soon after he located in Menasha.  He married in September, 1872, Gertrude M. Baum, daughter of Henry Baum, born in German, and engaged for a time in the clothing trade in Menasha.  What led him to such business success beyond tailoring clothes is unclear, but Marx also eventually became president of the Neenah and Menasha Gas and Electric Light Company and sat on the board of directors of the Island Paper Company and the First National Bank of Menasha.  He was also an alderman for three terms.

His house at 108 Main Street was constructed in 1882 and was occupied by his family until after the turn of the century.   Architecturally, it was of the "High Victorian Italianate" period of construction with some elements of the Queen Anne style also.  After this, it became a rental property and by 1931, the house had been converted to the dental and medical offices of Drs. L.D. Costello and George E. Forkin. 

The Marx house was located to the west of the old fire station on Main Street and as such, was in the way of the three-story office building to be constructed overlooking the Menasha Marina in the late 1980s.  Development of the marina by the City of Menasha required a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers to breach the canal retaining wall. The Corps granted the permit upon completion of the compliance process under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended. One requirement of this process was that the city actively offer the Marx house for sale and relocation for a period of six months prior to demolition, with the proviso that the house could be temporarily relocated to permit construction of the office building. The temporary move took place but it is unknown if the house was ever purchased and relocated beyond its temporary location.