Revisit the Streets of Old Milwaukee
In 1965, a Milwaukee Sentinel journalist wrote that the Milwaukee Public Museum’s new exhibit, the Streets of Old Milwaukee, was so authentic that one would “half-expect to hear the clippity-clop of horses’ hooves on cedar block paving.”[1] 50 years later, the clippity-clop of horses’ hooves is no longer a half-expectation: It’s there.
The Streets of Old Milwaukee reopens to the public today after months of renovations, and visitors will find a completely new entrance (travel back in time through a streetcar!), new sounds (including the horses’ hooves), some new storefronts, and a few other fun things (a cat!). Long-time fans of the exhibit will be happy to learn that, overall, the look and feel hasn’t changed much.
The Streets of Old Milwaukee was the museum’s first permanent exhibit in its current location. It was an immediate hit amongst Milwaukeeans, who flocked to its opening. Hundreds of people attended a gala opening on January 8, 1965, at which they sipped beer, watched movies in the nickelodeon theater, and ate the type of buffet lunch that was once served free in saloons. More than 7,000 people visited during the exhibit’s opening weekend.[1]
There have been some changes to the Streets over the years. The Conrad Schmitt glass shop was added in 1967, and a barbershop was added in 1971. A bakery was added in 1980, and in 1998, the museum added an 1880s-era Roundy’s grocery store, complete with a walnut clock that had been saved from the Roundy, Peckham & Co. building during the 1892 Third Ward fire. Perhaps aside from the new streetcar entrance, the changes this time around probably aren’t much greater than all the other changes over the years, but they’re still fun to check out.
When the exhibit opened, journalists were excited about how well it represented Milwaukee’s history. In reality, it may not be the most realistic representation of Milwaukee in the 1890s, but it does represent part of Milwaukee’s history pretty well: the history of the 1960s. The Streets of Old Milwaukee exhibit is a nostalgic look back at history, created during a time when American society was in upheaval. The 1960s was the era of the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Robert Kennedy. People were stressed out by everything that was happening, and a comforting look back at “Old Milwaukee,” even a Milwaukee that really never existed, made people feel happy.
So, go take a look at the reimagined Streets of Old Milwaukee. Have fun wandering through the streets and finding the cat (I didn’t see it, much to my dismay). Imagine what it must have been like for people in the 1960s to wander through those same streets. Don’t imagine too hard about the 1890s, but when you’re done at the museum, walk across Wells Street and find some books to read about Milwaukee’s history.
Liz @ Central
[1] “’09s Apotheke Stirs Nostalgia,” Milwaukee Sentinel, January 22, 1965.
[2] “7.300 See Old City Street,” Milwaukee Sentinel, January 18, 1965.