Art deco facade of the Gibson building stands out. Here’s the history
The unique black art deco facade stands out on College Avenue. The building is now used to showcase local musicians as the Gibson Music Hall, but do you know that it was originally built to showcase cars? We took a look through the archives to find out more. For decades, the Gibson Auto Exchange claimed 211 W. College Ave. as one of its locations. They had other dealerships in Menasha and Oshkosh. The car dealership and garage was owned by Alenor Gibson Jr., and later his sons. According to a Nov. 24, 1922, Post-Crescent article, the company had purchased the property at the corner of West College Avenue and Superior Street, but decided to purchase a larger site because of the limited space. Gibson Auto then purchased the vacant lot from the Commercial Hotel just down the street. The new owners would tear down the brick barn at the rear of the lot to erect a new modern garage covering the entire premises. A Feb. 21, 1929, article in the Menasha Record reported that “15 automobiles were destroyed in a fire which gutted the garage of the Gibson Auto Sales company on College Avenue in Appleton.” A man employed as