Schule der Gnaden-Gemeinde ...

Grace Ev. Lutheran Church had a charming school built in 1894 before the original church building on N. Broadway and E. Juneau Ave. was replaced in 1900. The school was built as pictured here, but the ornamented front did not face the street; historic photos don't do justice to what the architect designed.
The school is long gone, the second church ... altered. Historic photos are found in the mpl.org digital collection ... a link below.

http://content.mpl.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/HstoricPho/id/5797/rec/5

Blick von Rathaus; then and now

Traces of spaces along N. 27th St. between W. Grand Ave. & W. Wells St.

They just don't design them like they used to! This double house is long gone from the east side of N. 27th Street, but there are families who would be able to identify their history there as owners or renters through census records or city directories. The footprint image from the Sanborn fire insurance map is suprisingly accurate (UW-Milwaukee Golda Meir Library digital collection)

1890s tremors of the Schandein-Best-Heyl-Pabst scandal erupting in 1905

Dr. Louis Frank and Ella Schandein and their families traveled to Landstuhl an der Pfalz for their marriage and its celebration. Upon arrival, they found questions had been brought about Dr. Frank's freedom to marry causing the local German government to publish marriage banns all the way back home in Milwaukee's German language press. Dr. Frank was cleared of any suspicion of bigamy, the marriage took place, and the couple played a roll in the rescue of members of the Schandein family leading up to the scandal that reached local courts in 1905.

Schandein house of horrors, 2400 W. Wisconsin Ave.

(Caution! scandalous reading found through the following links.)
Read more here: http://urbanmilwaukee.com/2015/11/03/yesterdays-milwaukee-love-nest-of-a-beer-baroness/

Read an earlier version here: http://mkemurmur.tumblr.com/post/2904513359/lost-milwaukee-the-schandein-mansion

Prussia to Milwaukee; an immigrant's dilemma ...

Gustav and Emilie Zimpel (from Gross Lops, Prussia) arrived in Milwaukee and were staying at a hotel called the Russel House on East Water Street. They were at a loss to find their sister Theresa; either she was expected to be living somewhere in Milwaukee, or at the very least, reading local German language newspapers to learn of her siblings' arrival.

A record of original bits of Milwaukee's Germanic architectural flavor

The Meinecke Building on E. Wells Street (across from the Pabst Theater) was built 1891/1892 as pictured, but lost its original Germanic decorative features. This may have been done with repairs and renovation due to a fire: the building gained a full 6th floor and a more standard and sedate Classical style (according to local historian Y. Marti).

featuring Milwaukee's prominent & well known 99%!

A lovely photo and biography of Louis Manz, long-time mailman to Milwaukee's South Side, on the occasion of his 81st birthday.

Family researchers sometimes tell me that there must be something in the local German press about their ancestor so-and-so because they were prominent or well known. Could be, you'll have to look.

In any case, that was certainly true of Louis Manz, as he would've been a prominent feature of the neighborhood AND well-known to the people on his mail route.