Appleton's 1932 neo-Gothic high-rise where cleaning crews hear piano music after hours and Irving Zuelke's apparition walks the halls
103 W. College Ave., Appleton, WI 54911
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Exterior viewing free; interior access limited to tenants and commercial visitors
Access
Wheelchair OK
Downtown street-level access; building has elevator access to upper floors though interior is not public
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1932 · National Register of Historic Places · First Appleton skyscraper — neo-Gothic commercial architecture · Irving Zuelke — Appleton music merchant and building commissioner
Irving Zuelke ran a music dealership in Appleton and commissioned an ambitious building in the early years of the Great Depression — a calculated bet that Appleton's commercial economy would sustain a flagship office tower. Completed in 1932, the Zuelke Building rose 12 stories above College Avenue in a neo-Gothic style: pointed arches, decorative terra cotta, and a verticality that distinguished it from the brick commercial blocks surrounding it.
The tower was Appleton's first true skyscraper and served as a prestige address for professional and commercial tenants through the mid-20th century. Irving Zuelke's music background — he was a dealer in pianos and other instruments — has become part of the building's folklore, particularly in connection to the sounds that cleaning crews and late-working tenants report hearing after hours.
The building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It remains an active commercial office building on College Avenue, in the heart of downtown Appleton, and appears on local haunted-history tours of the city.
Sources
The paranormal reports from the Zuelke Building come primarily from cleaning staff and security personnel who work the building after business hours. The most repeated claim involves piano music — specific, recognizable melody fragments heard coming from empty upper floors, consistent with the building owner's background as a music merchant.
Irving Zuelke's apparition has been reported by multiple cleaning crew members over the years, described as an older male figure in period dress who appears in the hallways and disappears when approached or acknowledged. The apparition's identification as Zuelke rather than an unknown figure rests on its association with the building that bore his name and his lifetime.
The most unusual report is a floating torso — a mid-body image without head or legs, described as visible in peripheral vision and gone when looked at directly. Local media included this detail in a 2017 Halloween roundup of Appleton ghost stories. The identity of the torso figure, if it represents any particular historical person, has not been established in any account.
Notable Entities
The Zuelke Building's 12-story neo-Gothic facade is visible from College Avenue. The building appears on the Appleton Haunted History & Mystery Tour and can be viewed from the street at any hour.
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