309 4th Street (Racine, Wisconsin)

309 4th Street is the address of a building at the intersection of 4th Street, Water Street and Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Racine, Wisconsin. It stood at the southeastern foot of the 4th Street Bridge until that bridge was demolished in 1963, and is situated on the east bank of the Root River, atop a bluff. Built to house the Belle City Steam Dye Works around 1871, the building served as a dyeing and dry cleaning business for decades. It was most prominently home to the Kamerman Gallery from 1962 to 1974. The building currently consists of a vacant commercial space on the ground floor with an apartment on the second floor, and the south wall still features a billboard advertising Livingston's Landing, which closed in 2006.

History
The building was originally the location of the Belle City Steam Dye Works, a dry cleaning and dyeing business founded by Jonas Hoyle in 1871 or 1872. After Hoyle's death in 1913, the business was operated by Edward Lachat. N. T. Jepeway, the operator of the Jepeway Pantorium at 616 Wisconsin Street, acquired the Belle City Dye Works in May 1919 and moved out of his business's previous location.

In 1931, the building was the location of a restaurant operated by Joseph Wirkutis.

Viola Hoyle sold the building in May 1956 to Eugene Marino, who in turn sold the building to the Frances Land and Development Company in May 1957. The Kamerman Gallery opened its first exhibition in the building on November 16, 1962. The gallery, operated by Tudy Itkin Kamerman, quickly became the most prominent art gallery in Racine. Kamerman purchased the building from Mrs. Irving P. Halverson on December 28, 1971, and ultimately closed the gallery in August 1974, after which she was made manager of the Truesdell Fur Company store at 613 Wisconsin Avenue.

Dr. James J. G. Petersen, M.D., purchased the building from Kamerman on November 17, 1975, and opened his office in the building on December 15. Thomas Hermes and Harry Azarian purchased the building from Petersen in March 1984 and opened a nautical-themed delicatessen, Jetty's Deli, in the ground floor space. In October 1984, Richard and Grazina Perri purchased the building and moved their business, Perri Environmental Services, previously located at 6527 39th Avenue in Kenosha, into the building's second floor. Perri also took over operation of Jetty's Deli. In June 1985, items valued at over $2,000 were stolen from both floors of the building.

In February 1987, the building was sold to the W.H. Pugh Coal Company, which renovated the building and incorporated it into the nearby Pugh Marina, as a bathroom for boaters. In 2006, the building was reclassified by the city of Racine from part of the marina to a general commercial building with an attached apartment. The following year, the Pugh Coal Company transferred ownership to the W.H. Pugh Oil Company.