Name/Title
Milwaukee in 1853Context
From a key affixed to backing paper:
"Milwaukee 1853. Some unknown artist sketched [? the original lithograph of this view evidently indicates "Geo. J. Robertson del.," and "del." means 'drawn by...'] this panoramic view of Milwaukee in 1853...'way back when the First Wisconsin National Bank was organized, as the Farmers and Millers Bank, and the population of the city (chartered in 1845) totaled only about 25,000. In the key below, number 34 identifies the original quarters of the Farmers and Millers Bank—in the Abner Kirby block at the southeast corner of what is now North Water Street and East Wisconsin Avenue.
1. Cherry Street bridge...replaced in 1867 and again in 1853.
2. Chestnut Street bridge...now Juneau Avenue.
3. Oneida Street bridge...now Wells Street.
4. Spring Street bridge...now Wisconsin Avenue, long the busiest east-west thoroughfare in downtown Milwaukee.
5. East Water Street bridge...now North Water.
6. Old fire house on North Third Street.
7. Rock River Canal...now filled in...once envisioned by Kilbourn as a waterway from Milwaukee to the Mississippi. Although never completed, in the 1840's the canal supplied water power to flour and lumber mills, a tool factory, tannery, wood turning shops, a pail factory, foundry and other early enterprises.
8. Turton and Surcomb's Eagle Foundry.
9. Reliance Iron Works...forerunner of Wisconsin's largest industrial corporation, Allis-Chalmers of West Allis.
10. Augsburg Confession Lutheran Church...at North Fifth and West Wells.
11. Ludington, Wells and Van Schaick lumber yard. One of the partners, Harrison Ludington, served as Mayor of Milwaukee from 1871 to 1876 when he became Governor of Wisconsin.
12. Ludwig's beer garden on the river at the end of Pleasant Street. Built by Gottfried Ludwig, horticulturist, in 1847...famous for its shrubs and flowers...destroyed by fire in 1860.
13. Muehlheuser Church...at what is now the intersection of North Broadway and East Juneau Avenue.
14. Notre Dame Convent...at East Knapp and North Milwaukee streets. Building erected in 1851.
15. John Dunlop gardens and nursery.
16. Second location of the Milwaukee Female College...now Milwaukee-Downer. Constructed in 1852, this building is now part of the Carlton Hotel...at 1120 North Milwaukee Street.
17. East Side High School....originally the First Ward School House...East Juneau and North Van Buren.
18. St. Peter's Church on Martin Street (now East State). Erected in 1839...now preserved on North Murray Avenue, between Bradford and Greenwich...this is the oldest church building in Milwaukee.
19. This was probably the residence of Matthew Hale Carpenter, U.S. Senator from 1866 to 1872.
20. Old St. Mary's Church...built in 1847...still standing on North Broadway at East Kilbourn.
21. Market Hall...later Milwaukee's first City Hall...on site of present City Hall.
22. Wettstein Hotel building...still standing on North Market Street near Wells.
23. Methodist Episcopal Church...on North Jackson Street...later succeeded by the old Summerfield Methodist Episcopal Church.
24. Milwaukee's first County Courthouse...erected 1836. This site is now Cathedral Square.
25. Historic St. John's Cathedral...802 North Jackson Street...built from 1847 to 1852. The present spire was added many years later.
26. St. John's rectory...original building...on the same site as the present rectory.
27. Old Plymouth Church...at Milwaukee and Oneida streets (now North Milwaukee and East Wells).
28. Original home of Milwaukee Female College (now Milwaukee-Downer...established 1851. The building still stands at North Milwaukee and East Wells.
29. Original site of Free Congregational Church...on North Broadway. The church later moved to East Michigan Street.
30. Old Bellangee tenements...North Broadway and East Wells...razed about 15 years ago.
31. The Walker House...originally the City Hotel, built in 1844...later the Kirby House, now the site of the First Wisconsin Garage (North Water and East Mason).
32. Old Presbyterian 'Steamboat Church'...predecessor of Immanuel Presbyterian Church...now the site of the Colby-Abbott Building (North Milwaukee and East Mason).
33. Ludington Building, later the site of the Pabst Building...now known as 110 East Wisconsin Avenue. The Pabst Building was the home of the Wisconsin National Bank when the First National and Wisconsin National combined in 1919, forming the present First Wisconsin.
34. Abner Kirby's Block at the southeast corner of Wisconsin Avenue and East Water (now North Water) Street..now the site of the Bankers Building. The first door north of Wisconsin Avenue, at 204 old East Water Street, was the entrance to the original one-room quarters of the Farmers and Millers Bank...now the century-old First Wisconsin...established in 1853. In 1857 the bank moved around the corner to Wisconsin Avenue. In 1914...then operating as the First National...the bank moved to the present Main Office of the First Wisconsin (North Water and East Mason).
35. Chapin and Gregory grocery store...now the site of the Empire Building (West Wisconsin Avenue between the river and North Plankinton).
36. Old Congregational Church...later the First Methodist Episcopal Church...West Wisconsin and North Plankinton.
37. Ogden's Carriage Shop...on West Wisconsin between North 2nd and North 3rd streets.
38. Original St. Paul's Episcopal Church...built in 1855, razed 40 years later...now the site of the Layton Art Gallery [razed 1958].
39. Residence of the Rev. Lemuel B. Hull, rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church from 1839 to 1843.
40. Residence of Judge Andrew G. Miller...second Federal Judge in Wisconsin (1839 to 1873).
41. Northeast corner of Broadway and Wisconsin. This may have been Young's Hall...later the Academy of Music.
42. First government lighthouse in Milwaukee...built in 1838, torn down in 1855.
43. Early Baptist Church, later Dickinson's Billiard Hall...now the site of the T.A. Chapman Co. department store...East Wisconsin and North Milwaukee.
44. J.R. Martin Block, built in 1849...razed in 1881...on the site of the first office of the Milwaukee Sentinel, southwest corner of Wisconsin and North Water.
45. Building owned by Sherman M. Booth, fiery abolitionist...now the site of Gimbel Bros. department store...southeast corner of West Wisconsin and North Plankinton.
46. The American House, built in 1844...forerunner of the Plankinton House...now the site of the Plankinton Arcade (southwest corner of Wisconsin and North Plankinton).
47. This was probably the Free Congregational Church...on West Wisconsin at North Second Street...later Lincoln Hall.
48. St. Clair and Green Bay Lumber Yard, owned by Anson Eldred...one of the founders of the Farmers and Millers Bank (now the First Wisconsin)...present site of the Sentinel Building.
49. St. Gall's Church...West Michigan and North Second streets...now the site of the Public Service Building.
50. Alexander Mitchell's original bank building...erected 1847, destroyed by fire 1854...present site of the Mitchell Building erected 1876 (southeast corner of East Michigan and North Water streets).
51. North Broadway and East Michigan...later the site of the ill-fated Newhall House. Built a few years after this picture was made, and famous as one of the finest hotels in the middle west, the Newhall House was destroyed by a tragic fire the morning of January 10, 1883.
52. North Pier at the east end of Huron Street (now East Clybourn)...Milwaukee's first dock, built in 1843.
53. Strong's Pier...chief competitor of the North Pier...also built in 1843.
54. The Milwaukee House, originally known as the Bellevue Hotel....built in 1836 by Solomon Juneau and Morgan L Martin (at Broadway and Wisconsin) moved to this site, Broadway and East Clybourn, in 1849; destroyed by fire in 1855.
55. A.L. Kane Livery and stables of the Davis Bus. This famous outsize stagecoach met all incoming boats in the 1840s...and later traveled to Janesville, Madison, Green Bay, Prairie du Chien and Chicago.
56. United States Hotel...built in 1848 at the northwest corner of North Water and East Clybourn...where guests enjoyed the advantages of spring water piped through hollowed-out tamarack logs. Destroyed in the great fire of 1854.
57. The J.R. Treat Block...southeast corner of North Water and East Clybourn. Part of the building still stands.
58. This old building...still standing at North Water and East Detroit...may have been the original Cross Keys Hotel.
59. The Baltic House...North Broadway and East Detroit.
60. Pier built by Alexander Mitchell and L.W. Weeks in 1847...at the foot of Eerie Street.
61. Milwaukee's first gas light plant...completed in 1852 at North Jefferson and East Menomonee streets...forerunner of the present Milwaukee Gas Light Company.
62. Old flour mill...once known as the Keenan Mill.
63. Historic warehouse built by George Dousman in 1838, at 117 North Water Street. Still standing, this is one of the oldest buildings in Milwaukee.
64. The Lake House...originally the Hawkins House.
65. Milwaukee's first railroad depot...at the foot of North Second Street...built in 1850 by the Milwaukee and Waukesha Railroad (later called the Milwaukee and Mississippi; now the famous Milwaukee Road).
66. Old freight depot...terminus of the Milwaukee and Waukesha line, first railroad in Wisconsin.
67. Early locomotive...at the city's first depot.
68. Original mouth of the Milwaukee River...almost a half mile south of the present river mouth."
From the 7/14/1937 MS, the first instance of this view being reproduced with a key that could be located (attached):
"The artist who did the drawing was so painstaking in his work that several scores of buildings can be identified by comparing them with other pictures preserved in old newspaper files and history books. Although the panorama includes more than 1,000 individual buildings, the more important structures are correct to the last detail, including windows, doorways, cornices, copings, gables, and towers.
[...]
Of all the early panoramic views of the city--and many were made in those early days--this is by far the most complete and detailed. It shows the business district centered far south of its present location, and the mansions of the wealthy pioneers scattered over what is now the lower East side. It shows the sailing vessels that dominated the commerce of the lakes in the '50s."Collection
Wisconsin Art Collection, Artwork CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2011.4Source or Donor
Dr. James PickAcquisition Method
GiftMade/Created
Artist Information
Artist
George J. RobertsonAttribution
After a drawing byArtist
UnidentifiedRole
PrinterInscription/Signature/Marks
Notes
No visible inscriptions or markings, unless covered up by the mat.