Milwaukee may be a great city to explore on foot. Actually, it is a great city, period.

We spent fortnight there within the summer of 2020, indulging in super-tasty, super-caloric food and drink that we then tried to burn off on long walks in search of Milwaukee's fabulous outdoor art and its architectural gems.

You should know: We're not architects. We just appreciate cool buildings and interesting history. we expect you'll like these, too!

North Point reservoir



On our first day of wandering, we got a touch – OK, tons – lost and located ourselves climbing a ginormous hill on top of which loomed a ginormous tower. this is often the North Point reservoir , a Victorian Gothic structure inbuilt 1874. It stands 175 feet tall and was built to hide an open pipe that absorbed water doping up from underground steam pipes that pumped up water from Lake Michigan . It's located at 2288 N. Lake Dr. at East North Avenue, and if you're interested, you'll take a virtual tour.

The Ladybug Building



This is the Milwaukee Building – better referred to as the Ladybug Building – at 622 North Water Street. John Burke, the cheeky owner of the corporate that managed the building, added the ladybugs in 1999, much to the consternation of certain serious artists and therefore the delight of just about everyone else. These fiberglass lovelies are about 6 feet long and three feet and are lit up in the dark .
Frank Lloyd Wright's Frederick Bogt House


One of the good things about our trip was learning about Frank Lloyd Wright. We knew the name and a couple of basic facts, but we had no idea he was from Wisconsin or built numerous homes within the state – including an estate of his own in Spring Green. The Frederick Bogt House, at 2420 North Terrace Ave. was inbuilt 1917 for $15,000. consistent with Zillow, it's worth about $1.2 million today.





Frank Lloyd Wright's Burnham Block

Even more interesting (to us, anyway) is Burnham Block, a set of six “tiny houses” that Wright designed. In 1915, he partnered with a Milwaukee developer on the American System-Built Homes, which they hoped would rival Sears kit homes. He chose Burnham Block to create and test his first models—two one-story homes of but 1,000 square feet and two two-story homes that every had two apartments. The one-story house cost $3,000.

The business went bust—as numerous Wright businesses did—and the homes were largely forgotten. The owners didn't consider them as anything special or historic, then they modified them to suit their needs.




Burnham Block Model B1

In recent years, a nonprofit has begun to shop for and restore them. you'll tour two of the buildings (including the one above) for $15. At the time of this writing, tours are only on Saturdays. you will find tons more information here.

The coolest thing, though, which we sure wish we'd known once we were there, is that you simply can actually STAY in one among them. It's got three bedrooms, some great touches, and is rented out through VRBO. Next time!

The Mitchell Building



The Mitchell Building went up in 1875 and housed an insurance firm . you'll find it at the intersection of E. Michigan and N. Water streets.

The Hochmuth & The Moderne



Milwaukee offers an intriguing blend of the old and therefore the new. Here's one such example—the three-story F.H. Hochmuth Building, inbuilt 1892, and its 30-story apartment house neighbor, The Moderne, completed in 2013.

City Hall & the BMO Tower




Another clash of old and the new: 1895's City Hall bell tower reflected in the BMO Tower, which opened in 2020.

Milwaukee Art Museum





Because of the pandemic, Milwaukee's art museum was closed during our visit. But the surface impresses all on its own. Santiago Calatrava, a famous Spanish-Swiss architect, created the section you see here in 2001. it's a 90-foot high vaulted ceiling and a 217-foot sunscreen that folds and unfolds twice each day . The museum is now open again; you furthermore may can view a number of its collections virtually.

North Point Lighthouse and Museum



You might expect to find—or a minimum of be ready to see—a lighthouse from the shore. But you cannot , a minimum of not in summer, which explains why we got really, really lost trying to find the North Point Lighthouse and Museum. (Find directions here.) It began operations in 1855 (but this version was inbuilt 1886)—and yes, back within the day, you'll see it from the water. it has been out of service since 1984, but you'll tour it and climb to the highest of its 74-foot tower for $8. you'll even rent it out for parties!
Bonus: Buildings we might Have Visited Had They Been Open

We would like to have toured Pabst Mansion and seen the within of the Oriental Theatre. We certainly wouldn't have passed up the prospect to ascertain a chapel that was inbuilt France in 1420 and moved to the U.S. 101 years ago.