Spaces & Traces 2015

Thanks Unilocal,for the tickets. Without you, my husband and I probably would not have made it to this year’s event.
The one building that we wanted to see was the Frank Lloyd Wright-​built house on the corner of Burnham St. and Layton Blvd. The line to tour the house, as expected for any FLW tour, was long and moved slow and that was only because they were limiting the number of people allowed in the home at one time, as the house is currently occupied. The current tenant, a professor of architecture at UWM, was nice enough to greet each tour group. He shared a little history of the house as well as what it was like to live there.
We also saw the Arthur C. and Leonora M. Votteler Manegold House located on the corner of Scott St. and Layton Blvd., and Fire Station 26 located at the corner of 26^th and Scott streets. The history of both buildings was very interesting and sparked both of our interests in learning a bit more about architecture in Milwaukee.
I kept the tour booklet so that I can visit some of the «exterior only» tour sites at my leisure throughout the rest of the year.
I hope we can attend next year because there are several buildings/​homes that I would love to check out and a lecture that sounds interesting.
107÷2015÷202

The is nothing like it anywhere!
Historic Milwaukee, Incorporated is an active group dedicated to the history of Milwaukee, and not just to the preservation of Milwaukee’s architectural gems but to the celebration and general enjoyment of those gems. Two major events each year allow thousands of folks to enjoy them.
The two annual events are Doors Open Milwaukee in September and the Spaces & Traces neighborhood tour each May. (I actually participated in a couple of the Spaces & Traces tours many years ago, as a member of a club, providing vintage automobiles to add a touch of authenticity to the subject neighborhood, but I digress.)
Spaces & Traces has been a part of Milwaukee for 34 years.
In 2015, Spaces & Traces returned to Layton Boulevard. Over a century ago, 27^th Street was way out in the country, a part of the old Town of Wauwatosa. It was the site of a celery farm and summer homes for well-​to-​do Milwaukeeans. As the city grew outward, this stretch of 27^th Street became Layton Boulevard and was supposed to be the new Gold Coast for Milwaukee. Some spectacular homes were built on Layton Boulevard but it never developed as such. Like its counterpart to the east, the area developed into an ethnicity diverse neighborhood with a myriad of churches and styles of homes.
Some participants in this year’s Spaces & Traces opened up their homes, allowing us a glimpse into life in the neighborhood in the early 20^th Century. A home designed by Milwaukee’s prolific architect, Alexander C. Eschweiler, was open on Layton Boulevard. Severely damaged by a 2002 fire and by fire fighter efforts to save it, the home is being lovingly restored by descendants of the second owner. The fire company that helped save the house is a block away and was also open for touring!
The School Sisters of St. Francis were kind enough to open their facility, including tours of their chapels, one being the location of a talk by noted local historian, John Gurda, who gave us an informative talk about the growth, ethnicity and development of Layton Boulevard and the nearby Silver City neighborhood.
Also open for touring this year were two of the six Frank Lloyd Wright designed American System homes. Wright envisioned several homes for moderate income American families. He advocated the construction of homes off site and assembled at the build site. Unlike a prefabricated home, Wright advocated the cutting and fabrication of components at a factory, then shipping them to the site for assembly. He claimed this «American System» would cut waste and reduce labor costs by requiring fewer craftsmen at the job site. Only a few examples of his American System Homes were built, including these rare structures on Burnham Street.
As always, there were far more properties open than is (likely) possible for one person to tour, but what I did see, and learn about Milwaukee, was well worth my effort. Here’s a thank you callout to our Unilocal rep, Rachel F., for opening the Unilocal connection with Historic Milwaukee! Thanks to Historic Milwaukee, to the hundreds of volunteers, Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin and especially thanks to the owners who opened their doors to us to see into the past.
Don’t miss Spaces & Traces next year — and I’ll be looking for you at Doors Open Milwaukee in September!