Not many people are aware of the story behind historic Sheboygan resident Eliza Prange and the impact she has on today’s life.
Prange was one of the founders of the H.C. Prange Company established in 1887, which became the largest department store in the state outside of Milwaukee.
25 stores were operated in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan until most of the stores were converted to Younkers locations in the 1990s.
She held many roles in that business, including a clerk, treasurer, assistant manager, and vice president.
Following her death in 1928 by tragic car accident, Prange’s will was found to include $150,000 for the purpose of establishment and maintenance of a second hospital in Sheboygan, which then became the Aurora Memorial Medical Center.
It remained in service for 90 years until it was replaced with a new, cutting-edge hospital on the west side of the city.
The old medical center is now in the process of being demolished.
Her last home, designed by W.C. Weeks, was built in 1923 at 605 Erie Avenue, and can still be visited today after it was restored in 2014 by local architect Jennifer Lehrke and her husband.
It now houses office suites and is listed in the State and National Registers of Historic Places, and will forever hold her legacy of humanitarian deeds and business development.
