Vibing Masonry #9 - The History of Milwaukee's Third Ward: A Haven for Ornate Brick Masonry

Words: Steve Blye
Photos: Peter Essick, Milwaukee Historical Society (MHS) Archives, VisitMilwaukee.org, Phoenix Knitting Co. Building

Living near Chicago, one of my family’s favorite day trips is to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a one-hour drive north. Among our other activities, including visiting the Calatrava-designed Milwaukee Art Museum, kayaking the river, and enjoying traditional German food and beer, is a long stroll, dining, and shopping in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward (TW).

Aerial over Third Ward © Goode-HTWA-Post / Milwaukee River © Peter Essick

Having evolved from marshy wetlands into one of the city’s most vibrant districts, its story is marked by strategic geography, immigrant labor, economic cycles, cultural transformations, and most visibly, its enduring brick-and-stone architecture. Today, its streetscapes, lined with richly detailed 19th- and early 20th-century warehouses, are among the most intact examples of historic commercial districts in the Midwest, which also includes Omaha’s Old Market neighborhood.

Early Settlement and 19th-Century Growth (1830s–1890s)
Before European settlement, the area was marshland along the Milwaukee River and part of Native American territory. Beginning in the 1830s, Irish immigrants drained and filled the land, establishing homes and small businesses. Its location, south of downtown and bordered by the river and Lake Michigan, offered excellent transport links. The river facilitated boat shipments of lumber and grain; Lake Michigan opened trade to ports like Chicago; and railroads extended connections to other Midwest cities.

A. Grossenbach Co., late 1890s and Commission Row 1920s © Milwaukee Historical Society (MHS) archives

Immigrant masons, many from Ireland and Germany, erected the ward’s warehouses, tanneries, and tenements. Competition among merchants fostered architectural flourishes: Victorian Gothic, Italianate, and neoclassical facades decorated even utilitarian warehouses. By 1860, the area was nearly 80% working-class Irish Catholic families, while commerce flourished along Water Street.

The defining material of early construction was Cream City brick, a pale-yellow clay product quarried nearby in the Menomonee Valley. Durable and relatively fire-resistant, it was used for both buildings and the extensive brick-paved streets and sidewalks. Brick plants positioned along the rivers ensured an efficient supply.

Cream City brick at Hammel & Co. stables, 1892, author’s photo 2022 / HC Koch Company buildings, 1893-1913, and 2016 Kimpton Hotel to the right side of the light pole / After the devastating fire of 1892, © MHS

This first phase ended dramatically with the catastrophic fire of 1892, which destroyed more than 440 buildings and displaced nearly 2,000 people. The Irish community was devastated, and many families left permanently.

Rebuilding and Innovation after the 1892 Fire
The fire marked a turning point in construction practices. Rebuilding required more fire-resistant materials and stricter codes. Insurance companies and city officials demanded masonry-only construction for new structures. Cream City brick remained popular, but red and brown pressed brick, often imported from Chicago, also appeared, adding color variety to facades.

Milwaukee’s Third Ward from the river, © VisitMilwaukee.org

New construction also incorporated innovations in fireproofing and building technology that had been gaining traction in Chicago after its own great fire of 1871. These included:

Iron and steel framing in combination with brick bearing walls creates sturdier, taller warehouses.
Fireproof hollow clay tile for floor arches and partitions, reducing flame spread.
Masonry vaults and thick party walls are designed to isolate fires between buildings.
Improved hydraulic brick presses, producing denser, more uniform bricks with sharper edges, allowing for more elaborate detailing.

Several leading architects and builders shaped this new era:

Henry C. Koch & Company, known for Milwaukee’s City Hall, designed multiple Third Ward warehouses, blending fireproof engineering with decorative Romanesque detail.
E. Townsend Mix influenced early post-fire projects with robust masonry techniques.
Martin Tullgren & Sons contributed later commercial blocks, incorporating Chicago School ideas of large window bays within fireproof masonry shells.
Builders like Koehler & Hinrichs and Italian stonemasonry crews executed much of the brick and stone detailing, from arched windows to elaborate cornices.

The influx of Italian immigrants after 1892 proved crucial. By 1900, the TW became known as “Little Italy.” Many had experience with brick corbelling and terra-cotta ornamentation, which gave the rebuilt ward its signature architectural richness. Owners, eager to demonstrate resilience and prosperity, competed for grandeur, and the results are still evident in the district’s brick streetscapes today.

Milwaukee City Hall, Henry Koch, 1895 / 310 E. Broadway, 1899 / Fire Dept. Engine Co. No.10, 1893, replaced the fire station lost in the 1892 fire, author’s photos 2022 and 2025

Boom Years and World War I (1900s–1910s)
The early 20th century saw the Third Ward at its commercial peak. Its warehouses supplied produce, hides, and manufactured goods across the Midwest via river, rail, and lake routes. Many surviving buildings date to this era, characterized by tall brick warehouses with large arched windows and ornate cornices. Italian families increasingly operated commission houses, while German-trained masons, employed citywide, contributed to the architectural richness. World War I disrupted the city’s German heritage; Milwaukee saw widespread anti-German sentiment, straining labor and cultural ties.

Depression, World War II, Shifting Populations and Post-War Decline (1920s–1970s)
The 1920s sustained wholesale trade, but the Great Depression brought hardship as warehouses emptied, and unemployment surged. World War II revived the ward’s industrial role. Warehouses and factories shifted to wartime production, using the district’s river and rail infrastructure to move goods. Demographically, the Italian population stabilized, but the beginnings of African American migration into Milwaukee introduced new cultural layers.

Following the war, suburbanization and deindustrialization dealt harsh blows to the ward. Highway overpass construction and urban renewal projects demolished much of Little Italy’s residential fabric, displacing roughly a thousand families. Warehouses stood vacant as trucking supplanted river and rail transport. By the 1970s, the once-bustling wholesale district was in steep decline, populated mainly by transient or low-income residents.

Third Ward in decline,1976, © MHS archives / Phoenix Knitting Co. building, 1902, and Schnetsky & Liebert building, 1893, author’s photos 2025

Renaissance and Gentrification (1980s—Present Day)
The Third Ward’s renaissance began in the late 1970s, when artists repurposed abandoned warehouses as studios and lofts. Historic district designation in 1984, covering more than 70 buildings, spurred preservation and investment. Industrial spaces were converted to mixed-use residential, retail, and gallery spaces, while the Riverwalk project reconnected the ward to downtown. By the 2000s, it had transformed into Milwaukee’s premier arts and fashion district, its population steadily growing with young professionals and creative workers, higher education, and income.

Today, the Third Ward is home to more than 450 businesses, including restaurants, galleries, spas, and theaters. The ward’s architectural fabric, a dense 20-block concentration of Romanesque Revival and Victorian brick warehouses, remains its most striking asset, rivaling historic districts in Portland or Omaha. Future plans outlined in the city’s Third Ward Area Plan include expanded parks, riverfront improvements, adaptive reuse of old rail corridors, and sustainable development strategies. The challenge remains balancing historic preservation with ongoing gentrification pressures.

Vibing Masonry #9 - The History of Milwaukee's Third Ward: A Haven for Ornate Brick Masonry

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