The City of Milwaukee managed to salvage many items of historical interest when it demolished the Elizabeth Plankinton mansion in 1982. These doors, windows, and other pieces of woodwork have been in storage all these years in a Housing Authority warehouse. Finally the city is selling most everything they saved in an online auction which can be found here.
This is your chance to own a piece of history. Some doors are going for a relatively low cost while some items are already over $1,000.
Milwaukee Preservation Alliance, Inc. posted a link to an article (unavailable unless you subscribe to the news outlet) about this old convent on 35th & Center St.
their comment:
“What’s wrong with this picture and why can’t the City of Milwaukee see it?
Has the city advertised this building to developers?
Where is the leadership from elected officials?
Milwaukee scours coffers for costly demo job | The Daily Reporter
Taken from The Sisters of the Divine Savior website: http://my.dsha.info/page.aspx?pid=416
“The Sisters of the Divine Savior opened their convent school at 35th and Center Streets to lay students in 1948. Three years later Divine Savior High School moved to a new building on 100th Street near Capitol Drive. Holy Angels Academy was founded by the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 12th and Cedar Streets in 1892. In a spirit of cooperation and good will, the two schools affiliated in 1970 and continued the mission of both by joining together their names, traditions, students and alumnae.”
So we can trace the 35th & Center location to 1948 (which they moved out of in 1951). So has this complex sat vacant for 61 years? Does anyone know any stories, or have older pic of the complex?
Judging by the Google Streetview, at least the exterior looks like it’s in decent enough shape.
For those of you who are newer to the Oldmilwaukee.net site, there is a whole other side to the website than what you see here. It is more or less hidden. The old discussion forums are still underground and open but you will need to be separately registered to that unless you are one of the old time site users who can always use it. If you want to register to that section of the site, email me and I will get you online. You can browse the articles without being registered but sometimes the fun is in making your own posts.
There is also the very old Gallery section with many pictures. That used to be an integral part of the forums but after it wasn’t supported anymore by newer forum updates I had to separate it forever. It can still be accessed and images can be viewed but it is stuck in a time capsule.
I hope you enjoy looking at some of the old sections of the site. What is a history website without some of its own buried history?
For today’s Gigapan view, this is something I posted previously but will post again. This view is looking southwest along the Milwaukee River from above the Dam that used to be just south of North Avenue. Much of Commerce Street can be seen in its industrial glory with coal yards and railroad tracks of the Beerline where condos now sit.
Hello, I am looking for a color photo/postcard of the Milwaukee Public Library bookmobiles, as painted in the 1970s or perhaps the later 1960s. As I recall, these were light blue with other trim colors on them. Maybe brown or yellow.
Does anyone know of a site with an image or perhaps could post one or share one with me?
Paul
The images that I have found of the bookmobiles are much older than that and don’t have the aqua blue paint.
Thank you.
This is a great aerial view of the Westown section of downtown looking west along Kilbourn Avenue. It is from sometime in the late 1940’s before the Arena was built and after the area east of the Courthouse was cleared out in 1941. It gives an interesting view of an area of downtown that was already past its peak and was succumbing to an urban renewal frenzy that eventually nearly cleared it into oblivion.
Note: This link will take you to the Gigapan page with a high resolution view.
A comparable view from 1967 is shown here with many more buildings magically turned into parking lots. This view was before MECCA was built in 1974.
These are a few stories from the police court of cases which made the court a busy place back in 1914. The Milwaukee Daily News had a regular feature which reported on each day’s cases. Some were funny, others were sad
Milwaukee Daily News, March 13, 1914
After tracking one of the women by the marks of her bare feet in an underground passage and pursuing a man up a dark alley, Detectives Hartman and Stout succeeded in apprehending all of the inmates of an alleged disorderly house at 604 Edison Street last night.
When Julia Washington, 30 years old, colored, alleged keeper of the place heard one of the officers ascending the front steps, she sought safety by fleeing into the cellar and entering an adjoining building through an underground tunnel. After tracking the footsteps in the dust in the passage, the detective found his quarry hiding under a bed in the building next door, according to testimony.
Joseph Woligarski, 18 years old, alleged inmate, is said to have made his escape by climbing through a back window, sliding out on the long porch and dropping into the alley. He was seized by the other detective who had stationed himself in the back yard.
Julia Washington was fined $25 and costs by Judge Page, Woligarski was let off with a reprimand and Lulu Williams, alleged inmate, was fined $10 and costs.
Milwaukee Daily News, April 6, 1914
One hundred and twentythree prisoners, the largest number ever appearing in court in a day in the history of Milwaukee, were arraigned before Judge Page. Seventy persons were charged with being drunk and disorderly.
Judge Page held the blame for the immorality wave at the door of the election, holding that discussions of candidates are prone to make men thirsty, and that thirst is the one great factor in the downfall of the over-zealous voter.
About 500 people appeared in court as witnesses. The consultation room had to be used as a temporary “bullpen” to accommodate the prisoners awaiting trial and “coppers’ row” had a sky blue tint which came from sixty “cops” squeezing into a gallery that was made to hold that number.
Johann Lembeisser was tried for being drunk.
“Your honor,” he pleaded after the judge had imposed a fine of $5 and costs. “Seeing there is so many people here may I make a speech?”
“No.” said the court.
Undaunted, Leimbeisser jumping upon a chair, waved a tattered hat in the air and yelled;
“Whurrough! I got drunk, drinking of Hading and not ashamed a bit, am I. The Socialists may eat cabbage but the blamed staff went to their heads instead of their stomachs and that’s why the whole kaboodle of ’em are cabbage heads.”
At this point Deputy Fitzgerald interfered and led the gifted orator away, but not before the man had been rewarded by a deafening round of applause.
A high resolution view of the auditorium of the Public Service Building as it looked when finished in June 1906 via Gigapan.
Time again for the open mic. Here’s your chance to ask questions or tell a story, preferably related to Milwaukee history! I encourage you to participate!
You must be registered and logged in to leave a reply. This will keep out the spammers selling viagra and watches. If you can’t see the comment box, then click on the “Open Mic” headline. The comment box should appear at the bottom of the page.
This article from the Milwaukee Journal of February 23, 1967 talks about several of the newer night clubs that opened in downtown. They range from music clubs to dance, and themed clubs. One that still remains is the Safehouse which opened in 1966.
The Nauti-gal was something which hopefully didn’t last too long. It seemed like something that was the epitome of the 1960’s. Dancing waitresses would be different to put it nicely. This ad from the Nauti-Gal in the March 5, 1967 Milwaukee Journal explains the idea. Are you ready?
