Neighborhood History

The history of the HWTN area and of our historic homes and other buildings goes back to the beginnings of Milwaukee history and reflect the changes we’ve seen in our city and the way we live. Fortunately, the homes and other features of the HWTN area have been preserved for all of us to enjoy and for generations in the future to learn from. Recognizing this important history, the City of Milwaukee has created four residential historic districts, one business historical district and specific designations for three other significant buildings – all within HWTN’s boundaries.

The National Register of Historic Places has created five separate districts within HWTN’s boundaries and named several notable buildings separately. More than 1,000 area homes and buildings are listed in the National Register!

In creating the city districts, the following highly informative studies were written to document the histories of our neighborhood and its homes and other buildings: North Point North, North Point South, North Lake Drive, North Lake Drive Estates, Downer Avenue Commercial, St. Mary’s Hospital, Lloyd Smith House (Villa Terrace) and North Point Water Tower.

Interested in the history of a specific home? Check out the many resources available in the “Researching Your Home’s History” section of our Historic Preservation page.

Click These Links Below To Learn More:

Walking Tour Brochure of North Point Historic Buildings

A wonderful brochure is available to lead you on a self-guided tour of 20 of HWTN’s most significant historic buildings. Print out and use the brochure as you explore the neighborhood’s fascinating historical treasures by foot, bike or car. You’ll learn fascinating facts about these buildings that will help you enjoy and appreciate our area even more.

Listen to John Gurda’s Talk about East Side’s History

Click below to hear a fascinating talk about the history of Milwaukee’s East Side that local historian and writer John Gurda gave at HWTN’s November 2011 annual meeting. John’s presentation, “Weaving The East Side Fabric,” spans our area’s history, from its beginnings as a new development north of Milwaukee to its current status as one of Milwaukee’s most vibrant neighborhoods. John has written many essential local histories, including “The Making of Milwaukee,” and is a captivating speaker. Listen and learn the story of the East Side.

Hear the story of business and industry leaders who made the Historic Water Tower Neighborhood their home

Listen to an eye-opening talk given to our group in May 2018 by Brian Fette, who has researched Milwaukee neighborhoods for Historic Milwaukee Inc. for nearly a decade and is an architectural historian and speaker. Brian discusses the history of some of our great homes and the historic figures — many of them important but little-known — who made our neighborhood into the showcase it is today. (Be sure to Google for images and information on of some of the homes and people he discussed.)

“Trains of The East Side” Photos Track Pieces of Our Forgotten Past

When the wind is right, train whistles still echo across the East Side, but they’re always coming from another part of town. Before the 1980s, however, our neighborhood had its own railroad scene, and an auspicious one at that. Whether it was the luxury passenger trains of the Chicago & North Western on the lakefront, or the workaday freight trains of the Milwaukee Road’s “Beer Line,” there was plenty of railroading within earshot of Prospect and North.

Kevin P. Keefe, a journalist, former editor of Trains magazine and longtime East Sider, offers a pictorial tour of the trains of the East Side, including memorial subjects such as the late, lamented North Western depot; the Twin Cities 400 passenger trains; and the Humboldt Yards. (From a presentation Kevin made at our June 5, 2013, meeting.)

Milwaukee Streetcars: Around the East Side and Beyond

Now that streetcars have returned to Milwaukee streets thanks to The Hop after a 60-year absence, let’s take a look back to the mid-20th century and the earlier streetcar system that served the city. Our November 2018 speaker, Kevin Keefe, took us on a visual tour that included streetcar service from the past around the East Side and into the north shore suburbs of Shorewood and Whitefish Bay, as well as south and west into Downtown and the North Side west of today’s I-43.

Kevin, a resident of the Historic Water Tower Neighborhood, is the former editor-in-chief of Trains Magazine and a retired executive with its publisher, Kalmbach Publishing Inc. A longtime journalist who ran the Milwaukee Sentinel’s entertainment section, Kevin is a director of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art and a columnist for Classic Trains Magazine.