Milwaukee: Then and Now

Contains a host of local landmarks as they once looked alongside the same viewpoint photographed today

Milwaukee's name, meaning "gathering place by the water," comes from the Native Americans who first populated this attractive area located on the shores of Lake Michigan. The town was founded in the 1840s by the merchants Juneau, Kilbourn, and Walker, and it soon became a thriving center for trade. Many of its early settlers were prosperous New England businessmen seeking new opportunities. These entrepreneurs built churches, schools, and parks that really started to put Milwaukee on the map. German immigrants began to arrive in the late 19th century and the city developed a strong Germanic influence, from its architecture to the frankfurter sausages that are still sold today. Sites include City Hall, Nunnemacher Grand Opera House, Cawker Building, Wisconsin Avenue Bridge, Iron Block Building, Chapman’s Department Store, Pfister Hotel, Hull House, Layton Art Gallery, Keenan House, Courthouse Square, Blatz Brewery, Milwaukee River, Usinger’s Famous Sausage, Republican Hotel, Espenhain Department Store, Milwaukee Railroad Depot, Mitchell Building, Midwest Grain Exchange, Chicago Northwestern Depot, Maitland Field, Milwaukee Art Museum, Pulaski Street, Schlitz Brewery, Pabst Brewery, Pfister and Vogel Leather, Tivoli Palm Garden, Plankinton, and Pabst Mansions.