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Editorial: Exploring
Milwaukee
On Highland Ave. west
of 32nd St. is a building that - just from driving by - appears to
be made of Cream City brick with what looks like a small cupola on
top. The front door is framed by four white pillars and two of the
best stone lions you'll ever see in Milwaukee. It sits there under
the green canopy created by the trees that line the broad,
boulevarded street, a testament to someone's vision of, well,
something.
A couple of blocks
east is the Gettelman Mansion, a reminder of Milwaukee's storied
past in the brewery industry that has survived the death of a
brewery, a major fire and stints as housing for both lawyers and
college students. Farther west are two of Milwaukee's current
industry giants - the headquarters of both Miller Brewing and
Harley-Davidson.
We're telling you all
this because some of us are spending a little more time on Highland
these days thanks to the reconstruction of the Marquette
Interchange. Where State St., Wells St. and I-94 used to be the main
routes of commuters from the west for some, the closing of bridges
and ramps has tended to shift traffic to Wisconsin Ave. and other
streets. One of those is Highland Ave. (Blvd. at its western end).
The construction may be annoying, but it does open the door for the
greatest of human endeavors: exploration.
Not that the people
of the neighborhood ever forgot about Highland; they've always known
exactly what they have. But others who didn't have much occasion to
travel on Highland anymore may have forgotten.
The street is marked
at both ends by recreational venues. At one end is Washington Park,
once the city's premier park and still a pretty good place to hold a
picnic. At the other (sort of, the street actually extends a few
blocks farther east), is the Bradley Center, home of the Milwaukee
Bucks, the Admirals and the Marquette . . .
West of 12th St.,
Highland Ave. is home to apartment buildings and complexes,
including the Windsor Court apartments and smaller, newer houses.
West of 27th St., the newer buildings give way to stately mansions
that were built when the avenue was young.
Education is
well-represented with Milwaukee Public Schools' High School of the
Arts, Edward A. MacDowell Montessori Elementary School and the
Highland Community School. So is religion in the form of St. Luke
Emanuel Baptist Church, Bethesda Church of God in Christ and Hope
Lutheran Church.
On a warm spring
night, families saunter down the boulevard, kids play in their front
yards and some watch the world go by from their front porches. A
sign on one corner lot invites folks to attend the Historic
Concordia Home Tour on June 18.
Highland was once one
of Milwaukee's premier boulevards - a broad roadway lined with trees
and mansions, running out of Washington Park and all the way
downtown to the Milwaukee River and slightly beyond.
It's still a treat to
drive down - and at some points feels like a trip back in time - but
before the Marquette Interchange construction, not many did.
Highland, of course, always had some traffic, but most western
commuters took the freeway or Wells and State.
Sure, the freeway
work has made commuting more difficult. But the opportunity to
explore parts of the city we may not be as familiar with or may have
neglected for a while shouldn't be missed. Nor is Highland the only
example. We know of one driver who comes from the north down Lake
Drive now and is reminded every day of just what a treasure the
lakefront is. And others are finding the rejuvenation that's
happening on N. 6th St. and on King Drive.
Exploring streets
such as Highland and the neighborhoods that have grown up around
them serves to re-educate us on the many real treasures the city has
to offer, not least of which are the energy and warmth of its
people. |