Milwaukee City Hall
From 1895 until 1899, the tallest inhabited structure in the world was Milwaukee’s City Hall. Designed by architect Henry C. Koch in the Flemish Renaissance Revival Style. 2500 white pine pilings were steam-power driven into the marshy soil to serve as a foundation for the immense brick and stone structure.
Blatz Brewery
Now lesser known the Miller, Pabst or Schlitz, Blatz was at one time the largest beer producer in the city. They were the first city brewery to bottle exclusively in brown bottles. It was also the first to be sold when Pabst bought the label in 1959. One building of the complex still stands but is remodeled into condos.
Schlitz Palm Garden
Few lost Milwaukee buildings evoke as much emotions from historical architecture fans as the magnificent Schlitz Palm Garden. Built in 1896, it brought the atmosphere of an outdoor beer garden inside. Due to Prohibition it closed in 1921 never to reopen again as a drinking establishment. In 1922 it opened as the Garden Theater which lasted until the 1960s. The structure was then demolished.
Wells Building
This modern steel framed, twin towered skyscraper was built in 1901 and designed by Henry C. Koch and Son. Western Union Telegraph Company moved in and made the Wells Building its Milwaukee headquarters in the 1910s. Over a hundred years old, it is still one of the most solid buildings in Milwaukee.
Plankinton House Hotel
Built in 1867 by Milwaukee's meat packing magnate, the hotel was in the heart of downtown Milwaukee. Its visitors only increased when the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Depot was built just blocks away. This postcard image captures Milwaukee's premier 19th century hotel, shortly before it would be leveled in 1915.
St. Josaphat's Basilica
In 1929, about two decades after this postcard, Pope Pius XI made the church just the third U.S. Basilica. Built from 1896 until 1901, mainly out of the materials from Chicago's old post office, the Polish parishioners of this south side Milwaukee neighborhood volunteered their labor and went into personal debt to see the 220 foot high domed structure completed. Inside and outside, it is one of the most magnificent Catholic churches on this side of the Atlantic.
Pabst Theater
Built in 1895 with many modern conveniences such as all electric lighting and air-conditioning, the theater hosts about a hundred events each year. Due to WWI, the theater was forced to suspend their German-language performances in favor of English. It is currently the fourth oldest continuously operating theater in America.
Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear
Museum Curator:
Joel Willems
