Historic Concordia Neighbors, Inc. will host a home tour on Saturday, June 18, at 10 a.m. The tour will start at the Potowatomi Campus Wgemas Building (944 N. 33rd St.) and feature buildings in Milwaukee’s Historic Concordia Neighborhood.
The Concordia Neighborhood includes the area west of 27th Street to 35th Street and north of Wisconsin Avenue to Highland Boulevard. The tour will educate the public, ensure good care of the neighborhood and allow for a peek inside Milwaukee’s rich history. Complimentary tickets for the home tour can be picked up at the Center for Peacemaking (1616 W. Wells St.).
In the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, due to neglectful landlords, many of Concordia’s mansions were lost. As a result, in the mid 1980s, motivated residents of Historic Concordia worked toward preservation of the neighborhood, forming Historic Concordia Neighbors, Inc. The group focused on setting borders for a historically designated area. Subsequently, the Concordia Neighborhood was designated a National Historic District in 1985, a City Historic District in 1988, and a State Historic District in 1989.
This year’s home tour, themed Milwaukee in the Gilded Age, will feature over 10 buildings, beer tastings, chats with homeowners, music, entertainment and more. The guest speaker, John C. Eastberg, is a Milwaukee historian and author of three award-winning books on the Pabst Mansion and Milwaukee history.
Paul Vissers, Concordia resident and Chair of the Historic Concordia Home Tour, describes the tour as “a beacon of hope and pride in Milwaukee” and “more than just a fundraiser. It is our opportunity to see the neighbors again and build pride in what we have.” Vissers credits the Historic Concordia Neighborhood, Inc. Home Tour of 2011 with giving his family the confidence to purchase their home.
