Historic Third Ward, Milwaukee

During the early years of Milwaukee, the Third Ward was a relatively flat, swampy area. The land was drained, and soon houses populated the west side of the Ward, while along the east side of the Milwaukee River, factories and warehouses were built. Irish immigrants were the early settlers of the area. The Ward became known as the "Bloody Third," a reputation the area earned for its frequent fistfights.[3]

The first railroad linked Milwaukee to the Mississippi River in 1856, letting wholesalers supply needed goods to the population of settlers in the West. The Irish settlers in the Third Ward went through two major tragedies. On September 7, 1860 the Lady Elgin steamship left Milwaukee carrying a large number of passengers from the Third Ward's Irish community.[3] Over 400 people are believed to have died when the ship sank and is the second greatest loss of life seen on the Great Lakes. A Wisconsin Historical Marker in the Third Ward commemorates the tragedy while a monument dedicated at Calvary Cemetery serves as a cenotaph.

After the fire of 1892

The second tragedy struck on October 28, 1892. A fire started by spontaneous combustion at the Union Oil & Paint Co. [4] building along the Milwaukee River at Water Street. Strong winds of up to 50 mph helped to spread the fire to the Ward's other buildings. The fire quickly grew out of control.[5] Cities such as Chicago, Kenosha, Racine, Sheboygan and Oshkosh sent horse-drawn units by rail to help Milwaukee's fire department fight the flames. A total of 440 buildings were destroyed and more than 1,900 people, mostly Irish families, were left without homes by the time the fire was finally under control at midnight.[3] Those families sought shelter in the Third Ward School, the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, and the old St. Gall’s Church housed hundreds overnight. Victims also received meal tickets to restaurants and clothing.

Prominent local architects stepped in to design many of the commercial structures after the 1892 fire. Over the next 36 years construction continued, giving the buildings an interesting continuity that unifies the neighborhood because of this relatively short time of development. Italian immigrants replaced the Irish during this period of reconstruction, and the Irish had moved to different areas in the city. The Italians were very prolific in the warehouse businesses, establishing Commission Row, a grouping of grocery commission houses. By 1915, 29 Italian saloons, 45 Italian groceries, an Italian bank and two spaghetti factories populated the Ward. Grocery warehouses, liquor distributors dry goods businesses and manufacturers were the business that flourished during this time.[3]

Highway construction displaced the close-knit Italian Third Ward community in the 1960s. The trucking industry and suburb growth led to the decline of warehouse operations and industry. Ironically, Milwaukee's first architectural landmark was named in 1967, the Blessed Virgin of Pompeii Catholic Church, the same year it was demolished for construction of the I-794 freeway.[3]

In 2000, the Historic Third Ward Association began co-sponsoring Milwaukee's premier art event, Gallery Night and Day, a quarterly event which attracts thousands of visitors to the neighborhood. The Historic Third Ward recently experienced an influx of upscale women's boutiques, restaurants and high-end furnishings businesses. The Milwaukee Public Market also offers year-round indoor gourmet and specialty food shopping.

In 2010, Erie Street Plaza, a small park and public space built on a former parking lot, opened on the southern edge of the neighborhood, near the confluence of the Milwaukee River and Kinnickinnic River.[6]

In 2019, murals by two European artists appeared in the area. First, two murals by French artist MTO were commissioned on private property, spotlighting endangered species. '[7] Later the same summer, the iconic mural "The Unsung Hero" by German artist Case Maclaim was commissioned by Singerman Real Estate for the PH Dye Building. The six-story mural is visible from Highway 794 and is now a Historic Third Ward tourist attraction. '[8]

More recent events in history

1970s

• Business owners unite to successfully combat a proposed "red light" district in the neighborhood

1980s

• "The Historic Third Ward District" is established by the National Register of Historic Places as it accepts 70 buildings spanning approximately 10 square blocks in the district.
• MIAD moves to current location
• Buffalo Street Bridge is removed, eliminating a valuable access point to the Ward. Further isolating the Third Ward but also helping to maintain its unique atmosphere.

1990s

• $3.4 million streetscapes project was completed as well as two parking structures, further the economic boom in the area.
• The area begins to see its first new construction. Projects going from renovation to new construction.
• The riverwalk is created and connects downtown and the Third Ward.
• Major streetscaping begins.

2000s

• Milwaukee Public Market opens
• Proposal for a new hotel signalling a change for the neighborhood and its use.
• Construction and renovation moves south of the river creating a new Fifth Ward neighborhood.
• The Unsung Hero mural is painted on the Dye House.

In 1984 a cluster of the Third's historic warehouses and industrial buildings built from 1892 to 1928 was designated a NRHP historic district. It is bounded by the Milwaukee River, I-94, and some modern warehouses and parking lots to the east. Here are some contributing structures:

• The Wirth, Hammel & Co. Sales stable at 167 N. Broadway is a 2-story cream brick horse stable designed by Henry C. Koch and built in 1892 on the site of the same company's previous stable, which had burned in the fire. The stable sold draft, saddle and carriage horses, and sold horses to logging operations in the fall - claiming to be the largest sales stables in the U.S. The basement and first floor could handle 150 horses at a time and the second floor provided sleeping quarters for men and storage. By the 1920s the business was called M.D. Newald's Sons & Co. and was transitioning to auto sales and service.[9][5]
• The Milwaukee Fire Department Engine Company #10 at 176 N. Broadway is a 3-story red brick structure with a cast iron cornice, designed by Sebastian Brand in Queen Anne style and built in 1893 to replace the earlier fire station, which was destroyed by the fire of 1892.[10][5]
• The National Distilling Co. at 221 E. Buffalo Ave. is a 4-story office building designed by Crane & Barkhausen in Romanesque Revival style and built in 1893. This building was probably offices, showrooms and storage for the firm which had a distillery in the Menomonee Valley. During Prohibition the name changed to Red Star Yeast and the company produced industrial alcohol, vinegar and yeast. M.A. Lichter Co. bought the building in 1963, for offices, and assembling and showing drapes.[11][5]
• Wellauer & Hoffman Co. at 232 N. Broadway is a 6-story structure designed by Henry C. Koch & Co. in Romanesque Revival style and built in 1893-94. Wellauer & Hoffman were wholesale grocers, coffee roasters, and specialty jobbers. By 1908 David Adler & Sons Co. was manufacturing men's clothes in the building. By 1932 the first two floors housed a furniture showroom and the third housed Columbia Knitting Company's manufacturing.[12][5]

Alley view of Commission Row, before renovation in 2005

Commission Row, after renovation as lofts in 2007

• The Ludington Estate Commission Houses at 301-315 N Broadway is a 3-story brick structure designed by Henry C. Koch & Co. and built 1894 to 1895. On a Friday morning in 1910, 145 wagons were counted in front of the block at one time. Served as a center of wholesale groceries, fruit and flower distribution into the 1980s, at least.[13][5]
• Roundy, Peckham & Dexter Co. at 241 N. Broadway is a 6-story warehouse designed by Howland Russell and built in 1895, with walls of painted red brick with terra cotta trim. The firm started in 1872 as a wholesale grocer. The firm's store on Broadway and Buffalo was destroyed in the fire of 1892, and was replaced by this building. Here the firm imported and jobbed staples and fancy groceries, packed grains and cereals, repacked herring, and roasted coffee and peanuts. In 1952 the firm renamed itself Roundy's Inc.[14][5]

Baumbach Building, built 1899

• The Baumbach Building at 302 N. Broadway is a 5-story Chicago Commercial-style factory designed by Eugene R. Liebert and built in 1899. It originally housed Cohen Bros., which manufactured and sold clothes for lumberjacks and miners. By 1916 the Phoenix Knitting Co. used it, by 1946 Midwest Lamp & Novelty Co.[15][5]

American Candy Co., built 1902

• The American Candy Co. at 191 N Broadway is a 7-story building designed by Charles Crane with red brick walls trimmed in terra cotta and stone and built in 1902 and expanded in 1906. The candy company was the original occupant, making cream almonds and assorted mixed candy, but known for its "Rex" fine chocolates. Milwaukee Mirror and Art Glass Works shared the building from 1908 to 1918. Boston Store used it as a warehouse starting in 1941, and Pro-Pac starting in 1945, for processing war materials. From 1950 to the 2000s Rauschenberger Co. made twine, cord, and hair goods here.[16][5]
• The Pabst Brewing Co. Saloon and Boarding House at 124 N Water St. is a 2-story brick structure designed by Charles F. Peters.[17][5]
• The E.R. Godfrey & Sons Co. at 402 N. Broadway is an 8-story building built in 1911, with brown brick trimmed in glazed yellow brick and terra cotta. Godfrey Co. was a grocery wholesaler that claimed to be the first in the lower Third Ward to combine wholesale groceries and fresh fruit and produce. They also claim to be the first to ship bananas in to Milwaukee. They roasted Silver Buckle brand coffee on the eight floor of this building. In 1926 James Godfrey founded IGA supermarkets and in 1953 this firm founded the Sentry grocery chain. Starting in 1949 Bruce Publishing, a printer of Bibles, occupied the building, then another religious firm, then LoDuca, which imported, exported, and retailed musical instruments.[18][5]
• The Marine Terminal Building Warehouse at 120 N. Broadway is a 3-story warehouse designed by Albert Hecht of Chicago and built in 1917-18. It is located on the Milwaukee River, with good access to roads, Lake Michigan, and the downtown, having served as dock, warehouse, and offices for various businesses.[19][5]

The school district is Milwaukee Public Schools.[20]

• 
  Renovated warehouse
• 
  The Broadway Theatre Center
• 
  Milwaukee Public Market
• 
  St. Paul Avenue at Broadway with a Hop streetcar in 2018

• Gentrification
• Neighborhoods of Milwaukee
• Red Flower Rising

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Historic Third Ward, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

• Historic Third Ward Association
• Milwaukee Public Market
• Historic Third Ward in Milwaukee Neighborhoods Guide from UWM Library