Here’s your chance to ask questions or tell a story, preferably related to Milwaukee history! I encourage you to participate!
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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.
Here’s an architecturally significant Milwaukee building (center of the photo) without much in the way of a historic photos or archives to fill out its history:
"Masonic Bldg.", N. Jefferson & E. Wells
This view looks south on Jefferson from E. Kilbourn with Cathedral Square on the left, the old Wis. Gas Co. bldg on the far left, Pfister Hotel in the far distance on the right. (photo-copy from MPL’s Jefferson St. file, annotations are mine.)
The two postcard versions (UWM and WHS digital collections) show the handsome building much better – it has distinct similarities to the old Downer College buildings on the UW-Milwaukee campus. The postcard links below also infer the similar red sandstone. Was this built in the same era or designed by the same architect?
http://collections.lib.uwm.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/gfmmke&CISOPTR=690&CISOBOX=1&REC=1
http://collections.lib.uwm.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/gfmmke&CISOPTR=28&CISOBOX=1&REC=3
I thought this may have been what was called the “Ethical Building” which housed the Milwaukee Ethical Society at 558 Jefferson St. (1899 city directory) But newspaper 1895 adverts show a different (earlier?) building:
Does anyone know which Masonic organization can take credit for the building that stood on the south-east corner of Jefferson & Wells?
For extra credit: can anyone sing the old jingle … “On the corner of Jefferson and Wells, you can hear Cathedral bells, ….”
From time to time I want to leave the microphone open at the front of the stage, as it were so anyone can make a comment or ask a question, tell a story or just talk about yourself. This is going to be the first attempt at the Open Mic. Who wants to be first?
The world is your stage!