Remember when Model Cleaners’ building held more than its longstanding laundromat?
FOND DU LAC – One of Fond du Lac’s historical buildings held the start of several iconic establishments.
Model Cleaners started as Model Laundry Co. in 1908 and never moved from the building at 66 N. Macy St. ever since.
Built in 1869, that building held one of the city’s first post offices before Model Laundry moved in.
A few years into the business, four horse-drawn wagons started providing pickup and delivery service. According to The Reporter archives, the drivers had their horses so well trained they could make their routes without touching the reins.
Horses weren’t uncommon for the time, but these horses were very popular with local children, who offered to hold and pat them while the workers made their deliveries.
According to a 1913 article in The Daily Commonwealth, The Reporter’s predecessor, the business had its own artesian well and offered drinking water from the faucet on the side of the building to the public for free.
The Model Cleaners building, 66 S. Macy St., built in 1868.
Decades later, a rise in popularity for wash-and-wear clothes — rather than dryclean only — and washing machines as a staple appliance in local homes led the business to expand its services in the 1970s. This included linen, uniform and other rentals for commercial and industrial businesses, as well as on-location rug and furniture steam cleaning, both in 1973. They expanded the rental service in the 1980s and 1990s.
This is one way Model Cleaners adapted to survive more than 100 years, through the Great Depression and other economic downturns, as well as the continuous rise in water, fuel and other utility rates.
In its 100th year in 2008, not only did the business face a particularly poor economy, but also the effects of that year’s June flood, causing the most damage out of any flood the laundromat had experienced in the past. More than 3 feet of water flooded the 2,800-square-foot basement, destroying most of the washing machine motors.
Model Cleaners never closed during that time, operating as best it could with what it had, with help from employees, friends and some Milwaukee drycleaning companies. In return, Model Cleaners washed several hundred pounds for affected entities like the Solutions Center, which had to relocate.
Steve North, one of three owners alongside Ed Enders and Pam Koenig, told The Reporter in 2008 one of things that kept Model Cleaners afloat all these years was its focus on customer service, with the knowledge that if they lost a customer, it’d be “big news.”
Koenig added at the time that the connection between Fond du Lac, customers and staff was the key to success.
In 2024, the owners decided to permanently close Model Cleaners after 116 years as they transition into the next phase of their lives.
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The building also housed the first vocational school
While the laundromat operated on the main floor, a vocational school opened quietly upstairs in 1912 with drawing and cooking classes. This was the start of what would eventually become Moraine Park Technical College.
After just a few years, Fond du Lac Vocational School outgrew the Model Laundry building with the addition of barbering, auto mechanics, home economics and more, and moved to the corner of Sheboygan and Portland streets.
Moriane Park Technical College’s main entrance in Fond du Lac.
This building suited the school until 1964, when its size again reached a point where moving was necessary. This time, it moved to its present location on the former airport property at Johnson and National streets.
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More history: It happened this week
Jan. 27, 1967: The city of Fond du Lac took the next steps in acquiring Supple Marsh, seeking a grant to buy the land for recreational use and conservation.
Jan. 31, 1974: The village of North Fond du Lac signed a one-year contract to be added as a link to the countywide ambulance chain, introducing ambulance service to the village in the form of two certified Emergency Medical Technicians and an on-call driver. The village ambulance district also included towns of Friendship, Eldorado and Lamartine.
Jan. 29, 1986: Community members and former employees turned up for an auction of the contents of the Fred Rueping Leather Co., stirring up memories of the 131-year-old business that had closed the previous summer.
Jan. 26, 1992: The Broken Bread program through St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral began partnering with 15 businesses to help provide food for community members having a hard time making ends meet. The businesses donated baked goods, fruits and vegetables that they couldn’t sell but were still safe to eat.
“Remember when …” is a bi-weekly column from Streetwise Reporter Daphne Lemke that looks back at businesses of Fond du Lac’s storied past. Tell her what you’d like to see next by emailing [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Fond du Lac remembers Model Cleaners and the building’s other tenants
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