29-599: The Historic Third Ward is a historic warehouse district located in downtown Milwaukee , Wisconsin . This Milwaukee neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Today, the Third Ward is home to over 450 businesses and maintains a strong position within the retail and professional service community in Milwaukee as a showcase of a mixed-use district. The neighborhood's renaissance
58-473: A cenotaph. The area rapidly developed through the late 19th Century as a mixed-use industrial and residential district home to Milwaukee immigrants and abundant with jobs. The Milwaukee River side of the neighborhood was crowded with ships loading cargo while the east side of the neighborhood was bounded by a vast railyard with lines running north to Green Bay, Wisconsin . The second tragedy struck on October 28, 1892. A fire started by spontaneous combustion at
87-763: Is a list of notable warehouse districts . A warehouse district or warehouse row is an area found in many urban setting known for being the current or former location of numerous warehouses . Logistically, warehouses are often located in industrial parks , with access to bulk transportation outlets such as highways, railroads, and airports. The areas where warehouses are typically built are often designated as special zones for urban planning purposes, and "can have their own substantial infrastructures , comprising roads , utilities , and energy systems ". In many instances, where changing social and economic conditions have made it unfeasible to maintain an existing warehouse district, cities or communities will invest in converting
116-712: Is anchored by many specialty shops, restaurants, art galleries and theatre groups, creative businesses and condos. It is home to the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD), and the Broadway Theatre Center. The Ward is adjacent to the Henry Maier Festival Park , home to Summerfest . The neighborhood is bounded by the Milwaukee River to the west and south, E. Clybourn Street to the north, and Lake Michigan to
145-618: The Lady Elgin steamship left Milwaukee carrying a large number of passengers from the Third Ward's Irish community. About 300 people are believed to have died when the ship sank, making this the second greatest loss of life seen on the Great Lakes and greatest in open waters on Lake Michigan . A Wisconsin Historical Marker in the Third Ward commemorates the tragedy while a monument dedicated at Calvary Cemetery serves as
174-596: The Milwaukee Intermodal Station . The Hop has a station located at the Milwaukee Public Market . 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. ' Later the same summer, the iconic mural "The Unsung Hero" by German artist Andreas von Chrzanowski, "Case Maclaim" was commissioned by Singerman Real Estate for
203-495: The Milwaukee Public Market opened to the public offering an array of year-round indoor gourmet and specialty food options. Later 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 . The Hop began service in 2018, connecting the neighborhood to Downtown Milwaukee to
232-645: The Milwaukee River and the Port of Milwaukee as well as the Henry Maier Festival Park via the Hoan Bridge . The entire route is elevated on a viaduct . The Interstate designation ends at exit 3 at Carferry Drive, which provides access to the Lake Express ferry to Muskegon, Michigan ; the highway continues south as State Trunk Highway 794 (WIS 794), also known as the Lake Parkway , to
261-490: The Milwaukee River between Downtown Milwaukee and the Third Ward. 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 experienced an influx of upscale women's boutiques, restaurants and high-end furnishings businesses. In 2005,
290-585: The 1980s, the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works removed the Buffalo Street Bridge. This project proved controversial as it removed a valuable access point to the Third Ward, further isolating it but also helping to maintain its unique atmosphere. The 1990's marked a period of rapid development in the Third Ward, as historic warehouses were purchased and renovated into market-rate housing, at times displacing former tenants. During this period,
319-399: The City of Milwaukee invested $ 3.4 million in streetscape projects, as well as in the construction of two large municipal parking structures, in an effort to draw visitors to the area. Several hundred new loft-style apartments were opened during the decade, along with new offices in former warehouse buildings. The Milwaukee Riverwalk was opened to the public, providing an additional link along
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#1732776635666348-586: The Hoan Bridge, creating what is now known as I-794. As part of his campaign for a more livable city in Milwaukee, Mayor John Norquist proposed to tear down the I-794 portion of the east–west freeway in 1995 in favor of a surface boulevard. His opposition to the freeway was rooted in the freeway cutting off the Historic Third Ward from the rest of downtown Milwaukee and hindering development in
377-499: The PH Dye Building. The six-story mural is visible from Highway 794 and is now a Historic Third Ward tourist attraction. ' By 2022, nearly all of the historic structures in the Third Ward have been redeveloped into residential, commercial or retail uses. Developers in the 2020s began to focus more heavily on new construction projects like the 31-story 333 North Water development at the corner of Water Street and St Paul Avenue,
406-710: The US state of Wisconsin . It is one of two auxiliary Interstates in the Milwaukee metropolitan area , serves the lakefront and the Port of Milwaukee , and connects downtown with the southeastern suburbs of St. Francis , Cudahy , and South Milwaukee . I-794 begins at the Marquette Interchange in downtown Milwaukee , where I-94 and I-43 meet. It continues eastward through downtown and turns southward near Lake Michigan at Lincoln Memorial Drive. The route crosses
435-594: The Union Oil & Paint Co. 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. 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-American families, were left without homes by
464-461: The Ward. Grocery warehouses, liquor distributors dry goods businesses and manufacturers were the business that flourished during this time. The development of I-794 in the 1960s forced out the majority of the close-knit Italian-American Third Ward community, including the demolition of Blessed Virgin of Pompeii Catholic Church in 1967 (named earlier that year as Milwaukee's first architectural landmark). The trucking industry and suburban sprawl led to
493-484: The architectural and cultural value of the district. "The Historic Third Ward District" was established by the National Register of Historic Places as it accepts 70 buildings spanning approximately 10 square blocks in the district. It was also during this period that the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design purchased a former warehouse in the neighborhood and renovated it as its main campus building. Later in
522-410: The area. His effort failed when suburban opposition to the removal cited increased traffic volume on the road as well as the new Lake Parkway nearing completion. After opening, the Lake Parkway increased traffic volumes on I-794 to 111,000 vehicles per day by 2004. The Marquette Interchange construction project undertaken between 2004 and 2008 rebuilt the east–west viaduct section of I-794 between
551-585: The buildings an interesting continuity that unified the neighborhood because of this relatively short time of development. Italian immigrants replaced the Irish-Americans during this period of reconstruction, and the Irish-Americans had moved to different areas in the city. The Italian-Americans 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
580-410: The decline of warehouse operations and industry as well, leaving much of the Third Ward barren. By the 1970s, the area became known as a Red-light district to the dismay of many long-standing residents and business owners. As a result, several business owners united to successfully combat the spread of "red light" uses in the neighborhood. By the 1980s, a growing number of Milwaukeeans began to realize
609-512: The district to other purposes for which this infrastructure can still be used, such as an art district. Such a converted area may continue to be known as a warehouse district. Notable areas known as warehouse districts include: Interstate 794 Interstate 794 ( I-794 ; also known as East–West Freeway , Lake Parkway , and Lake Freeway ) is a 3.75-mile (6.04 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway in Milwaukee County in
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#1732776635666638-542: The early settlers of the area. The Ward became known as the "Bloody Third," a reputation the area earned for its frequent fistfights and working class immigrant population. 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,
667-491: The east. The Third Ward is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the City of Milwaukee . During the early years of Milwaukee, the Third Ward was a relatively flat, swampy area located between the shore of Lake Michigan and the Milwaukee River . In the 1850s, the land was drained, and soon wood-frame houses populated the east side of the Ward, while on the west side, along the east side of the Milwaukee River , masonry factories and warehouses were constructed. Irish immigrants were
696-414: The interchange and the Milwaukee River. In February 2010, Milwaukee County Supervisor Patricia Jursik and South Milwaukee Mayor Tom Zepecki proposed a plan to expand I-794/Lake Parkway to Racine County . The expansion would follow an existing railroad corridor and was intended to relieve traffic along I-94 . As of 2023 , WisDOT is studying several options for reducing the footprint of or demolishing
725-466: The intersection of Pennsylvania and Edgerton avenues on Cudahy's west side, running parallel and adjacent to the east side of Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport . Traffic volumes on I-794 range from 40,400 vehicles per day on the Hoan Bridge to 100,000 on the east–west Freeway. The original plans for the Lake Freeway called for it to begin north of downtown Milwaukee at a connection to
754-496: The new Kimpton Journeyman Hotel , and various apartment buildings. 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 school district is Milwaukee Public Schools . Warehouse district This
783-452: The proposed Park East Freeway , then to travel south from the downtown Milwaukee area to Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. However, the Hoan Bridge was the only segment of the freeway to be built before strong opposition to the freeway resulted in its cancelation. This led to the Hoan Bridge being called the "Bridge to Nowhere" as it sat unused, with both of its ends unconnected to any other road, for three years. The unfinished bridge
812-625: The time the fire was finally under control at midnight. Those families sought shelter in the Third Ward School, the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, and the old St. Gall's Church, which 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
841-482: Was long held as being used as the site of the car chase scene in the movie The Blues Brothers . In a 2016 article for the Shepherd Express , author Michael J. Prigge, pointing out that the bridge had been opened for two years when the film was shot, indicated another incomplete segment of I-794 had been used for the scene. An east–west freeway was later constructed between the Marquette Interchange and
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