North Point South

I took the North Point South walking tour, offered by Historic Milwaukee, on July 18 of this year. George, our tour guide, is very knowledgeable about the neighborhood. George is very soft spoken and difficult to hear, especially when some moron goes past, rapping pipes just to interrupt the group on the sidewalk. George made it an interactive tour, asking the group about Milwaukee history that was a part of North Point South, and he gladly took questions from the group.
The North Point neighborhood became Milwaukee’s «Gold Coast» after Grand Avenue began to lose its attraction to the well to do. The North Point neighborhood is on the National Register of Historic Places — twice. It is divided into two neighborhoods, North Point North and North Point South. Both have a boundary at the famous Water Tower, on the North Point from which the two neighborhoods are named as well as the hospital that has been there since before the subdivisions.
The first subdivision was platted just south of North Avenue in 1854. An additional subdivision was platted north of North Avenue in 1855. Only two of the houses built in the 1850s remain. Little development of the area occurred because the neighborhood was just too far removed from the business district. Once Lake Park opened in 1892, development accelerated in both neighborhoods.
The Historic Milwaukee tour began at the fountain next to the Water Tower. George took us along Terrace Avenue, south to Lafayette Place then north on Lake Drive, back to the fountain. George filled us in on the interesting homes, telling us about styles, architects, build dates and a virtual who’s who of Milwaukee’s society that resided in this grand neighborhood. Names like Pabst, Smith, Ott, Goodrich, Eschweiler and Clas were heard on the tour.
Next on my list: the North Point North tour.