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Property Location
| Location (Address) | WASHINGTON PARK (BOUNDED BY W LLOYD, LISBON AVE, N 40TH ST, W VLIET) |
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| County | Milwaukee |
| City/Village | Milwaukee |
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| Unincorporated community | |
| Town | |
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Property Features
| Year Built | 1893 |
|---|---|
| Additions | |
| Survey Date | 1980,2012,2019 |
| Historic Use | park |
| Architectural Style | NA (unknown or not a building) |
| Structural System | |
| Wall Material | |
| Architect | Frederick Law Olmsted & Co. |
| Other Buildings On Site | |
| Demolished | No |
| Demolished Date | |
| Additional Comments |
A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation. Also originally known as "West Side Park". Also referred to as the Baumbach tract although the property was purchased from Margaret Breed, Ernst von Baumbach, Ridgeland Co., Forest Haven Co., and C.F. Schroeder. Total purchase price was $387,793.75. By 1906, the site was called Washington Park. Washington Park is one of the oldest in the City Park System. Originally known as West Side Park or Baumbach's Tract - 124 acres acquired in 1891 for purchase price of $387,793.75. The land was a combination of property from Margaret Bree, Ernst von Baumbach, Ridgeland Co., Forest Lawn Co., and C.F. Schroeder. By 1967 it reached it current size of 139 acres. The talents of emintent landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead and Co. (i.e. Central Park, NYC, and Chicago's World's Fair) were procured for $12.50 per acre for a period of three years. The Zoo was established in 1892 by donations of three deer and one eagle. The Emil Blatz Temple of Music was dedicated in 1938 (AHI #120123). Statuary to be found are Goethe-Schiller (AHI #120124), sculpted by Ernst Rietsche and dedicated in 1908; the three Freedoms bird bath; and Baron Frederick von Steuben, sculpted by J. Otto Schweizer, dedicated in 1921. (Correction: the Von Steuben statue is located north of the park at the Lloyd/Sherman Blvd/Lisbon intersection, and is part of the Sherman Boulevard Historic District.) 2019: Washington Park, originally known as West Park, is one of the oldest in the Milwaukee park system, established in 1893. Measuring approximately 134 acres, the park was designed by the Frederick Law Olmstead landscape design firm as a pastoral park featuring a meadow and 7-acre lake, with picnic and play spaces. Over time, a greater emphasis would be placed on active recreation, with the installation of tennis courts, a six-hole golf course, and a one-mile horse racing track. The park would also eventually hold the beginnings of the Milwaukee Zoo, founded in the park soon after its construction and remaining there until the late 1950s. Park also contains an Urban Ecology Center and the Washington Park Senior Center (AHI 223032). |
| Bibliographic References | Milwaukee Board of Park Commissioners, Annual Report, v. 1, 1891-1892, p. 18, 20. Milwaukee Board of Park Commissioners, Annual Report, v. 2, 1893, p.17. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 9/8/2003. Landscape Research, 121, 124. |
National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings
| National/State Register Listing Name | Not Listed |
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Architecture & History Inventory
The Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory (AHI) is a digital source of information on historic buildings, structures, and objects that have been surveyed by the State Historic Preservation Office in Wisconsin. Each property has a digital record providing basic information about the property and images.
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Email UsAttribution
For a credit line: Wisconsin Historical Society, Creator, Title, Unique Identifier.
The Unique Identifier can be found at the top or bottom of the page for each item. The name of a downloaded file is NOT the unique identifier.
For bibliographic citations please consult the UW-Madison Libraries Citation Research Guide to ensure compliance with appropriate style guidelines.
Access Property Records
Some properties have more materials (correspondence, clippings, historical information, etc.) not in the digital record. If a 'Site File' exists, it's noted in the 'Additional Comments' field. Contact us for an appointment to view these materials.
Von Steuben Statue
December 1952
In Washington park, Washington Park library in the background. Nighttime view, with snow falling. The statue of Frederick Von Steuben on horseback presides over the street. A Revolutionary War her...
N PROSPECT AVE AND JUNEAU AVE
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