oldmke

@oldmke@mstdn.social

I post photos and videos from Milwaukee's past

#Milwaukee #Wisconsin #MKE #OldMKE #Vintage

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One of the old pioneer hotels in Milwaukee, the Kirby House, was built in 1844 and stood on the corner of East Mason and North Water Sts. First intended as a boarding house for arriving immigrants and called the City Hotel, it was renamed under a later owner, Milwaukee Mayor Abner Kirby, who also had it expanded and remodeled in the 1860s to the structure here. Its 130 rooms and 230 seat dining hall were first tested to full capacity during an 18 ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QeS3ST-Ca00

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When this photograph was taken in 1952, the Lincoln Memorial Bridge was undergoing repairs. Traffic moved slowly east over the bridge. N. Prospect Ave. and Mason St. are in the background. The bridge, linking Downtown with the lakefront and spanning the Chicago and North Western Railway tracks, was an important initial step in lakefront development when it was built in 1926. The North Shore area was sparsely populated then, and people used the ro ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QeRyZaE0u00

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The popularity of the automobile brought all kinds of new problems to the city's governing fathers, especially that of how to control the new horseless carriages and their operators. The city soon began experimenting with a variety of mechanical traffic "policemen," such as the type pictured above. This particular variety appeared early in the 1920s. The 1921 city annual report described it as having "the words ‘Stop' and 'Go' flashed autom ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QeRkqiRaa00

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As you pushed the door open at such places, a little bell usually rang out to signal your arrival. And entering a wonderful toy shop like this one was no doubt a delightful occasion for children as well as adults. Whether you were "seriously looking," with birthday money or allowance clutched tightly in hand, or just browsing, there were plenty of toys on parade - doll chests, horns, miniature chairs and beds, games, musical chimes that rang when ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QeRdz14ee00

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Matthias Schwalbach & Sons Star Tower Clock Works manufactured church and tower clocks in this building - built by its owner in 1887 - at 426 9th St. (now the 1300 block of N. 9th St.). Schwalbach first established his own business in 1873 after having been an important contributor to the invention of both the typewriter and the sewing machine. Schwalbach built and installed more than 55 tower clocks in 11 states from Oregon to New York. Schwalba ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QeRQE55Sy00

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In this day of Teflon and aluminum it's hard to imagine a time when pots and pans and cookware were mostly tin and enamel. Another must in every home was a lantern, such as those displayed in the window under "Tinning," for those nocturnal trips to the stable, barn or "convenience." The Max Fischer Tin Shop, pictured above in the early 1900s, was located at the corner of what is now N. 35th St. and Villard Ave. Fischer, his wife Hattie and son Er ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QeRJMW58W00

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Like any good neighborhood grocer, George Schott couldn't let any empty window space go to waste, so he often painted signs on it to let passersby know what he was selling. But he wasn't advertising his own merchandise when this picture was taken; instead, his windows proclaimed, "Today is National Thrift Stamp Day - Buy Your Stamps Here." Those on the home front during World War I will remember that war thrift stamp system, which began nationall ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QeR5eUdCm00

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This was the home of Milwaukee lawyer Thomas Lathrop Kennan, at 179 (later 1605 N.) Prospect Ave. Born in Morristown, N.Y., in 1827, Kennan attended district schools there in winter and worked on a farm in summer until he was 17. He later studied law and was admitted to the bar. He came to Wisconsin in 1851 and practiced law in Oshkosh. In 1855, he moved to Portage where he gained distinction as a criminal lawyer. Kennan was a lieutenant and depu ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QeQ_mcmGi00

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The look of the cars and buses is not the only thing that has changed since this photo was taken in the 1950s. The well-known intersection of E Wisconsin Ave. and N. Water St. has changed with the times as well. Light traffic moved east and west along the avenue when the picture was taken. Just east of the Milwaukee River stood the Pabst Building on the north and the Miller Block on the south. The Miller Block gave way to progress at the end of t ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QeQn1ljKy01

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Milwaukee has had a number of train stations that have been called "union" depots or stations, although they have usually been the depots of the Milwaukee Road or its predecessors. This first Union Depot, at Reed and S. Water Sts. (now S. 2nd and W. Seeboth Sts.) was opened by the St. Paul Railroad in 1869. A new Union Passenger Station, between 3rd and 4th Sts. on W. Everett St., was opened by the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad on Dec. ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QeQgAO74a00

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Back in the 1930's the terminal at what is now Milwaukee's Gen. Mitchell field, at that time known simply as the Milwaukee county airport, looked like this, The land on which the airport stands was purchased by the county park commission in 1926 from Thomas F. Hamilton of the Hamilton Aero Manufacturing Co. Construction of the airport began in 1927 and was completed in 1929. The first terminal, pictured above, was nothing more than a converted fa ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QeQSR6SCi00

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This old warehouse at 117 N. Water St. was reputed, in 1950, to be the oldest structure in the city. And at one time or another, its owners had included some of Milwaukee's most prominent early settlers. The original patent of title was issued to John B. Genor, who deeded the property to Byron Kilbourn, who, in turn, deeded it to Solomon Juneau, who sold it to George B. Dousman - all in 1836. Dousman was the first owner to improve the property by ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QeQLa7ECe00

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Only Milwaukeeans who are 100 or so years old will remember when this building at Broadway St. and Wisconsin Ave. was the home of the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co., but many will recall it as the site of the London Hat Shop. The London occupied the building in its last years, before it was razed in 1965. By that time, the structure had seen many changes. A Victorian Gothic building, it originally had five stories and was the first home o ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QeQ7rObeu00

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This 1895 photo is of the residence of Emil Walber on the northwest corner of 6th and Galena. Most local historians think of Walber at first as mayor of Milwaukee from 1884-1888. But Walber figures prominently in other capacities in public life. Born in Berlin, Germany, in 1841, educated in New York and admitted to the bar in1864, Walber in his career served as municipal court judge, county court judge, German consular agent for Wisconsin, member ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QeQ0zBqKq00

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A turn of the century pastime for neighborhood residents on a Sunday afternoon was a beer at Charles Adler's summer palm garden in Shorewood, followed by a walk across the street to the Wonderland amusement park. Charles Adler, owner of the saloon and neighboring pavilion or palm garden at what was then 1162 Oakland av. (later 3612 N. Oakland) took a break on this sunny summer afternoon while there was a lull in the day's business. Note the grave ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QePpEWV8y00

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This substantial building at 931 W. Madison St. was the South Side Library from 1910 until 1966, when the new Forest Home Library opened at 1432 W. Forest Home Ave. Known variously as the South Division Library, the South Side Library and the South Library, the building was used by a number of city offices until November 1980, when it was sold for $9,000 to the Inner City Development Project for its South Side headquarters. The Library still has ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QePiMuEii00

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St. Mary's hospital, 2320 N. Lake dr., was recently honored as the oldest public hospital in the state of Wisconsin. The institution was established in 1848, the same year that Wisconsin became a state, by the Sisters of Charity and named St. John's infirmary. Originally occupying a rented frame building, it was moved to a two story house on Jefferson st. in 1852. The building was cold and damp and in winter icicles hung so thickly from the ceili ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QePUexPeW00

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The old Wisconsin House, built in 1856 when Solomon Juneau was still alive, was the birthplace of Mount Sinai hospital. Located at the corner of what is now N. 4th and W. Walnut sts., the building had been used as a rooming house and a north side branch of the YMCA. Then shortly after the turn of the century, Rabbi Victor Caro of Temple B'ne Jeshurun urged his congregation to establish a hospital. With the help of philanthropist Abraham Slimmer, ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QePNmGSmi01

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Residents of Milwaukee's Bay View area were startled by a loud crash at about 12:30 p.m. on May 6,1936. The cause of that noise was the collapse of the abandoned Gruhl Sash & Door Co. warehouse building at 330 E Stewart St. Although this photograph might appear to show the aftermath of a tornado, the building simply fell of its own weight. It had been unoccupied for about 15 years and was scheduled to be razed when nature simplified the job. Phot ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QePA2MG8q01

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Where the new Marshall and Illsley auto bank and parking structure now reaches toward the sky, these town houses, probably some of the first structures of their kind in the city, once stood. Modified Federal in style, they were built by an early Milwaukee mason, John G. Bellangee, in 1846-‘47. Each of the dwellings in the block had its own entrance with its own decorative wrought iron railing. Eight chimneys dotted the roof. They were requi ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QeP3B4MOa00

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The greenhouses pictured here belonged to florist Joseph Kremer when the photograph was taken in the early 1900s at N. 7th and W. Center Sts. The shop, with plants displayed in its window, was next to the greenhouses. Kremer's residence stood alongside the shop. The florist also owned a horse and wagon with the shop's name proudly painted on it, so that deliveries could be made on those occasions when Milwaukeeans wanted to convey their best wish ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QeOrScN4e00

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The mayor's beautification committee would be distressed to say the least if this were part of the Wisconsin av. scene today, but this is how Grand av., now W. Wisconsin av. across from Gimbels, looked in the mid-1890's. A conglomeration of billboards called attention to attractions at the Davidson, People's and Academy theaters and Bijou Opera House as well as the latest on view at the Exposition building. The only Milwaukee theater which was no ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QeOkZnTya00

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Business was thriving for John Lambrecht and his wife in 1920 when the Lambrecht Creamery routemen and their horsedrawn wagons assembled on the southwest corner of N. 15th St. and W. Meinecke Ave. for this picture. Lambrecht wagons were a familiar sight on Milwaukee streets until 1922, when the firm bought trucks. The next winter Milwaukee had more snow than the trucks could handle so Lambrecht's rented horses and sleighs to make deliveries. Lamb ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QeOWrL8CW00

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Even with the advent of air conditioning and better window insulation, awnings are still common fixtures on many Milwaukee homes. As they were around 1909 at the Ernst Pretschold Awning Co., located at 1518 Walnut (now 1446 W. Walnut St.). An early company ad in the Milwaukee city directory advertised their "awnings for stores, residences, hotels and churches," in addition to "tents, flags, banners, canopies, horse and wagon covers" and an "extra ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QeOPzmp8u01

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The Menomonee Valley, with good reason, has sometimes been called "the back door of Milwaukee." The heart of the city's industrial area, with access by ship, train and truck, the valley lacked the polish of Grand Ave. with its commercial establishments, but was nonetheless vital to Milwaukee's existence. This photograph of the valley looking south toward National Ave. was taken prior to construction of the 16th St. viaduct about 1927. The open ar ... https://tmblr.co/ZANp-QeOCEi3Gm00

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