History

History of the Andrew Tate Building

With its high, "boomtown" false front and center gable, this rectangular clapboard building is one of the oldest remaining commercial structures in Bayfield. It was built in 1883 by Andrew Tate, one of the town's first settlers, who ran a drugstore on the site. A self-taught lawyer, Tate became a prominent civic leader. Over the years he held the post of school superintendent and county treasurer and served as Bayfield's first district attorney and its first judge. At the turn of the century, the building became a furniture store, later a movie and vaudeville palace. It has been used by many community organizations and today is retail space below with beautiful condominiums above.