Through
fires, floods, wars and depressions the Cunningham Brothers built
great structures that have stood with honor for generations.
Government records show that no other general contractor in the
United States operated under one ownership longer than the Cunningham
firm of Beloit. For 100 years the Cunningham family erected institutional,
municipal, and utility structures including plants on the Ohio,
Illinois, Rock and Mississippi Rivers and on Lake Superior and
Lake Michigan.
Born in Ireland, Captain Bernard Cunningham made his journey
to Beloit in 1848. He was a captain at sea and ship owner in
his native land, but his arrival to Beloit led him to engage
in building and contracting. Nevertheless, he was always referred
to as “The Captain.”
Bernard settled at the corner of Merrill and Third St. with his
wife Elizabeth Bailey-Cunningham and their six children, Bernard
Jr., Anna, John, James, Lawrence E. and Mary. Although Elizabeth
died in 1892 and Bernard Sr. in 1908, the couple lived long enough
to see their sons John and Lawrence follow in their father’s
footsteps.
After the Chicago Fire of 1871 seventh-grader Lawrence quit Parker
School, grew a mustache to make himself look older, and went
to Chicago to work as a carpenter. In 1874 John and Lawrence
started a building and contracting firm known as Cunningham Bros.,
Inc. It began as a small shop at 307 Bridge St., (now West Grand
Ave.) with a modest beginning, doing projects such as building
frame homes, only using hand tools in their construction.
In 1889 the brothers built two homes near each other and nearly
identical, one for Porter B. Yates of the Berlin Machine Works
and the other for his brother-in-law. Just as the finishing touches
were being added to the homes, a fire struck in the middle of
the night destroying them both. The estimated cost of the homes
was $12,000 and because Cunningham Bros. was not insured, the
brothers took it upon themselves to rebuild the homes at their
own expense. This kind gesture and the integrity it displayed
was recognized by the public, bringing more and more business
to the firm.
By
1890 the firm outgrew the Bridge St. location and moved to Third
St. where they operated a lumberyard and mill. They also began
manufacturing window sashes, doors, blinds and moldings. As the
reputation of the company continued to grow, larger buildings
and structures were erected, including hundreds of thousands
of square feet for Beloit industries, such as Beloit Iron Works,
Freeman Shoe Corp., Fairbanks Morse, and Warner Electric. The
Cunninghams were also responsible for the construction of the
Blackhawk Generating Plant, Grinnell Memorial Hall, Beloit Municipal
Hospital on Olympian Blvd., the Wisconsin Telephone Co. on Grand
Ave. (one of the earliest reinforced concrete buildings in the
area), the original Rock County Airport terminal building, the
Strong Building, Strong Stadium and the original YMCA. Cunningham
Bros. was also hired to do renovations for existing structures,
including Beloit Middle College, Eaton Chapel, and the Brown
Swiss Association.
Lawrence and John not only served the community through their
business but also as active citizens in Beloit. John served on
the school board for many years. He was very well known for his
bravery and heroism during the dam washout in 1881 when he saved
several Beloiters from drowning. He died on April 30, 1905. Lawrence,
who resided with his wife at 323 St. Lawrence Ave., was the only
native born mayor to serve in Beloit, serving four terms (1906-1913.)
He was President of the City Council, Treasurer of the School
Board and later was elected to the State Senate where he developed
Wisconsin’s Concrete Highway System. He died July 3, 1924.
The
death of the two brothers did not stop the Cunningham Corporation
from moving forward. After serving in the Army in France and
receiving his B. S. degree from the University of Wisconsin,
Lawrence Jr. took over the family business in 1921. He remained
involved with the firm for 53 years until his retirement in 1974.
While the company was under the management of Lawrence Jr. a
piece of property was purchased by the city of Beloit at Townline
and Merrill Avenues for a new grade school. The school was built
by Cunningham Construction, and then named in honor of Lawrence
and John Cunningham. The doors were opened in 1927 and students
were greeted by the first principal, Miss Daisy Chapin, who served
in that position for 27 years. Miss Chapin was followed by Cyril
Uber, Robert Harris, Richard McGregory, Jake Harris, Tina Sciacca-Hansen
and the present principal Mr. Ralph Berkley, only a total of
seven principals in its 76-year history.
Today, like hundreds of other Cunningham Bros. structures, the
school still stands as a tribute to the Cunninghams, but more
than just in its naming: Found on the north and south ends of
the building are etchings of a ship, believed to commemorate
“The Captain,” Bernard Cunningham.
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