Like The American Club, the Village of Kohler can trace its heritage to the Kohler Company and its founder, John Michael Kohler. An immigrant from Austria, Kohler had originally established the business upon purchasing the Sheboygan Union Iron and Steel Foundry for $5,000 alongside Charles Silberzahn. (He had obtained the entire complex from his father-in-law, Jacob Vollrath.) But the Austrian émigré had managed to buyout Silberzahn within a matter of years, becoming the sole proprietor of the foundry. Renaming the business after his family name, Kohler set about overseeing the manufacture of various cast iron and steel items that included everything from farming equipment to cemetery monuments. Yet, the fate of the business changed forever when Kohler invented a way to apply an enamel coating onto a cast-iron horse trough. The breakthrough enabled Kohler’s factory to create a line of luxurious bathroom and kitchen appliances, with its most notable product being bathtubs. The Kohler Company soon established itself as one of the preeminent manufacturers of plumbing fixtures in the United States by the dawn of the 20th century. Its operations had grown so large that it led John Michael Kohler to relocate the factory a few miles to the east of Sheboygan on several hundred acres of undeveloped land. Nevertheless, the business was not without its hardships. The entire complex suffered from fires, with the most recent one transpiring in 1901. In the aftermath of the latest incident, the company’s president, Robert J. Kohler—one of John Michael Kohler’s sons—endeavored to build back stronger than ever. His brother, Walter J. Kohler, continued the work when he became president after the former’s death in 1905.

A visionary, Walter J. Kohler aspired to do more than just rebuild the factory—he yearned to create a company town around the new facility that could cater to the needs of its employees. Kohler particularly held a humanitarian interest in the poor, aspiring greatly to improve their condition whenever possible. As such, he believed that his planned community would provide both affordable housing and economic opportunities. Shortly after his appointment as the company’s president, Kohler went on a grand journey of Europe with his friend, architect Richard Phillips. Together, the two men reviewed the architectural style of the continent, specifically England and its famous gardens communities. When they returned, Kohler tasked Phillips with designing the layout of the new town based on the principles they observed overseas. Over the next several decades, Phillips and his firm— “Brust and Phillips”—worked hard to create the settlement, which Walter J. Kohler took to calling “Kohler Village.” Perhaps the greatest building constructed in Kohler Village at the time was The American Club, created to serve as a home for single foreign men without any connections in greater Sheboygan County. Immigrants from all over began to arrive in Kohler Village, mainly Dutch, German, and Russian families that were interested in working for the Kohler Company. (Sheboygan County had been a destination for European immigrants since the early 19th century, too, attracting thousands of people from abroad due to the presence of heavy industry nearby.) Today, Kohler Village is a wonderful vacation retreat just moments away from the tranquil waters of Lake Michigan.

When architect Richard Phillip first began designing The American Club more than a century ago, he used Tudor Revival-style architecture as the source of his inspiration. Tudor Revival architecture is best defined as an eclectic mixture of late medieval building traditions that influenced the appearance of English villages during the Middle Ages. The form specifically attempted to emulate the historical character of the feudal cottage that once dominated England’s landscape. The name “Tudor” is somewhat of a misnomer, though, for the design aesthetic does not borrow any of its principles from buildings constructed during the reign of the 16th century Tudor monarchs. Tudor Revival style first became prevalent in the United Kingdom at the beginning of the 20th century, when architects were exploring alternative ways to connect better with the past. Tudor Revival was specifically applied to residential homes, although some commercial structures—like hotels—also bore the unique appearance. It then jumped across the Atlantic to the United States, where it was second only in popularity to Colonial Revival architecture. Architects at the time had been motivated by the various revivalist movements spawned from the World’s Fair of 1893—known as the “Columbian Exposition”—which encouraged artists and intellectuals to embrace romanticized versions of history. As such, medieval building practices became widely accepted.

Buildings constructed with Tudor Revival-style architecture were typically identified by their half-timbering. In essence, “half-timbering” is the practice of constructing a series of interlocking load-bearing timber frames that were then filled with some kind of plaster mold. As such, the architects left the frame exposed, creating a visibly distinctive appearance. Another common characteristic of Tudor Revival-themed buildings was the presence of a steeply pitched roof that usually featured heavy shingles. This area of the structure was often lined with overhanging gables, as well as eaves and diamond-shaped casement windows. In many cases, the architects endeavored to make the roof appear as if it had been thatched. Stone chimneys also protruded from the roof, conveying rich details. A wonderful, round arched doorway guided guests into the interior, too, which featured an irregular floor plan. The use of such a layout was normal inside late medieval English homes, as it usually took several generations to build. Modern architects hence attempted to capture that ambiance whenever they set about creating the blueprints for Tudor Revival-style buildings. Today, Tudor Revival-style architecture is cherished for its ability to ensconce its tenants with a charmingly tranquil atmosphere.