Milwaukee County Historical Society

News Releases

Feb. 2nd Deadline for Landmark and Award Nominations

December 2008

The Landmarks Committee of the Milwaukee County Historical Society is seeking nominations of local properties for consideration as 2009 historical landmarks. Proposed sites must be located outside the boundaries of the City of Milwaukee, but within Milwaukee County.

Nominations should include a description of the site, a summary of its known history, a statement explaining why the site has landmark qualities, and a photograph, if possible. Selection as a County Landmark holds honorary status and does not impose restrictions of any type upon the property or its owners.

The Historical Society’s Awards Committee is also seeking nominations from the community for various honors to be presented at the Society’s 2009 Annual Recognition Banquet held in spring. Each year, the Historical Society honors residents, community organizations and businesses who have worked diligently to preserve and promote local history.

Award  categories include community service, preservation, best article or book-length work on local history, and participation in other types of  historical activity.

Nominations for both historical landmarks and awards, including support data, must be received by the Historical Society no later than Wednesday, February 2, 2009 at 5 p.m. For information, call 414-273-8288.

 

Milwaukee County Historical Society Announces Elections to Its Board

November 2008

At its annual meeting on Nov. 10, the Milwaukee County Historical Society elected the following individuals to new or returning positions on it board of directors.

Ron Clayton, M & I Wealth Management

Maureen Daly, Mo Daly Consulting

Justin Mortara, Mortara Instrument, Inc.

Beth Ridley, Northwestern Mutual

Sarah Slaughter, Community Volunteer

Mark Zalewski, Robert W. Baird & Co.

Each board member may serve a three-year term, with a maximum of consecutive three terms. For more information, contact the Milwaukee County Historical Society at 414-273-8288 or email at mchs@prodigy.net.

 

New Hours for Milwaukee County Historical Society’s Research Library

November 2008

Beginning November 1, 2008, the Milwaukee County Historical Society’s research library will be open on Saturdays by appointment only. The regular weekday hours will remain the same as now: 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 to 5 p.m.

To make a Saturday appointment after November 1, 2008, please call Steve Daily at (414) 273-8288 during normal library hours.

The Historical Society’s Research Library is temporarily located at 2202 W. Clybourn St. in Milwaukee while the organization’s historic headquarters building is being restored.

 

County Landmarks Committee Designates Three Properties

October 2008

The Milwaukee County Landmarks Committee, with the approval of the Board of Directors of the Milwaukee County Historical Society, has designated three historic properties as 2008 Milwaukee County Landmarks. Landmark plaques and certificates will be presented to the owners of the properties at the Annual Meeting of the Milwaukee County Historical Society on Monday, November 10, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. at the South shore Park Pavilion, 2900 South Shore Drive, Milwaukee.

The three properties designated as Milwaukee County Landmarks in 2008 are:

South Shore Park Pavilion, 2900 South Shore Drive, Bay View: The South Shore Park Pavilion was designed by the Milwaukee architectural firm of Clas & Clas and completed in 1933. Like many other buildings in the Milwaukee County Parks System, it was constructed with relief labor made available through Depression-era programs of the federal government. It replaced an earlier bathhouse constructed in 1912 at the same location on the shore of Lake Michigan in the Bay View neighborhood. The property was designated for its historic significance.

Shorewood Department of Public Works Administration Building, 3801 N. Morris, Shorewood: Distinguished by its decorative brickwork, turrets, and battlemented parapets, the Shorewood Department of Public Works Administration Building was constructed in 1936 with funding from the federal government’s Works Progress Administration. Shorewood resident Henry C. Hengels was the architect for the Administration Building. He also designed the Shorewood Police and Fire Safety Building and the Pavilion-Bathhouse at Atwater Beach. Hengels was appointed State Architect for the State of Wisconsin in 1920, and he was responsible for the design of many of the Wisconsin State National Guard Armories. The property is designated for its historic and architectural significance.

The Little Red Store, 7720 Harwood Avenue, Wauwatosa: The oldest commercial building in Wauwatosa, the Little Red Store was built in 1854 by Dr. Levi Halsted in the center of the village at the intersection of the plank road, the Menomonee River and the railroad. It served as the community’s first railroad depot and express office, and it remains the oldest standing post office building in Milwaukee County. The Little Red Store was designated a city landmark by the Wauwatosa Landmark Commission in 1978 and a historic structure under the city’s historic preservation ordinance in 1998. The property is designated for its historic significance.

Since being established in 1976, the Milwaukee County Landmark Program has designated nearly 100 properties as deserving of recognition because of their historical, architectural, or cultural significance. All designated landmarks are currently included on the Milwaukee County Historical Society’s website, www.milwaukeecountyhistsoc.org.

While most sites are located in suburban communities within Milwaukee County in order to avoid conflict with a similar program operated by the City of Milwaukee Historic Preservation Commission, certain properties within the city limits but owned by Milwaukee County are eligible for County Landmark designation. The South Shore Park Pavilion qualifies for consideration under this exemption.

For more information on the Milwaukee County Landmarks Program. Please contact the Milwaukee County Historical Society, 910 N. Old World Third Street, by calling (414) 273-8288.