If you’re not paying close attention while traveling along East Main Street near the intersection of South Paterson Street, you might think you’re passing by a heating supply warehouse in the gritty industrial corridor of Madison’s manufacturing heyday. But look more closely, beyond the greenhouse-like pitched roof: That corrugated steel building with faded but still visible “Kleenaire Corp.” lettering is now a popular event space that hosts more than 100 weddings a year.
The Tinsmith, which opened in 2020, is an ambitious reuse of a “Trachte building.” Brothers George and Arthur Trachte (pronounced TROCK-tee), tinsmiths by trade, opened a sheet metal shop on King Street in 1901. By the 1920s, Trachte garages, gas stations, shops and diners were appearing — adjacent to anything from rusty, dusty factories to fancy Frank Riley-designed homes.
Unlike Quonset huts — prefab buildings with a half-cylinder design that became popular during World War II — Trachte buildings feature curved roofs with straight sides…