Bay View, Milwaukee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Bay View Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Home of Beulah Brinton, an early community figure
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Location	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Built	1867
Architect	multiple
Architectural style	Bungalow/Craftsman, Late Victorian
NRHP reference No.	82000686
Added to NRHP	23 August 1982 (42 years ago) (1982-08-23)

Bay View is a lively neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It sits right on the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan. You can find it south of downtown Milwaukee and north of the city of St. Francis. For a short time, from 1879 to 1887, Bay View was its own independent village.

Bay View's Story

Early Settlers

The first people from Europe to settle in the Bay View area arrived in 1834. A man named Horace Chase, who later became the mayor of Milwaukee, was the first permanent settler. By the next year, other families joined him. They hoped the area near the Milwaukee River would grow into a big city. However, the main harbor moved north in the 1850s. This caused the city of Milwaukee to grow around the new harbor instead.

In 1855, the Green Bay, Milwaukee and Chicago Rail Road built its first train station in Bay View. The community was named "Bay View" because of its amazing views of Lake Michigan.

A Town Built by a Company

The rolling mills at Bay View in 1882.

In 1868, a company called the Milwaukee Iron Company opened a large steel factory here. This factory made rails for railroads. The factory itself was huge, covering 27.5 acres. The company also owned 76.5 acres around it for its employees.

Bay View became a "company town." This means the company built homes for its workers. Some homes were rented, and others were sold to workers with easy payment plans. Two churches were already in Bay View by 1868. The company even prevented saloons from opening in the town. By 1879, Bay View had 2,592 people and became an official village.

Workers in Bay View started forming groups called Labor Unions in 1868. These groups helped workers get fair treatment. By 1886, Bay View was a center for workers' rights activities. This led to a sad event called the Bay View Massacre. The steel mill kept working for many years, making different steel products. It was later called the Illinois Steel Company before it closed in 1929.

Becoming Part of Milwaukee

In 1887, most of Bay View's 4,000 residents voted to join the city of Milwaukee. Bay View became Milwaukee's 17th neighborhood. This ended its time as an independent village. People in Bay View wanted to join Milwaukee because they would get better services. These included sewers, sidewalks, and street lights. Joining Milwaukee was seen as a way to improve their lives and community.

Today, the boundaries of Bay View have grown. Many people feel that areas like Fernwood and parts of Tippecanoe are also part of Bay View. The main boundaries are along Lake Michigan to the east. It stretches from Lincoln Avenue in the north to Morgan Avenue in the south. Howell Avenue is its western border.

The Bay View Historical Society says that Bay View is more than just lines on a map. It's "a state of mind" influenced by Lake Michigan and a strong sense of community.

A Historic District

In 1982, a part of Bay View was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is called the Bay View Historic District. This area has about 330 buildings. Most were built between 1870 and 1915. They help people imagine what the old company town looked like.

Some important buildings in this historic district include:

• The iron worker's cottage at 2524 S. Superior Street. This is one of eight similar small homes built around 1870. The Milwaukee Iron Company built them for its workers.
• The Brinton house at 2590 S. Superior Street. This home was built around 1870. It belonged to Warren Brinton and his wife Beulah. Beulah ran a library from her home. She also taught homemaking skills to the families of immigrant workers.
• The Starkey house at 2582 S. Shore Drive. This two-story home was built in 1878. Joseph A. Starkey, who managed the steel mill, first lived here.
• The Estes house at 2795 S. Shore Drive. This two-story home was built around 1878. It belonged to the family of Elijah and Zebiah Estes, who were early settlers.
• The Bullock house at 2577 S. Superior Street. This house was built in 1889 for Jacob Bullock, a worker at the steel mill.
• The Garibaldi Club at 2501-7 S. Superior Street. This brick building was built in 1907 as a tavern. Today, it is a social club for Italian immigrants.
• The South Shore Park Bathhouse. This building was designed in a special style and built in 1933.

Fun Things to Do

Bay View has many great places for recreation.

Parks and Green Spaces

South Shore Park is a part of the Milwaukee County Park System. It has the Oak Leaf Trail, a volleyball court, and a pavilion. You can see the swimming beach and the marina from here.

Humboldt Park is one of the city's oldest parks, opened in 1891. Here you can go fishing, play softball or tennis, and even go ice skating in winter. Humboldt Park also hosts a summer music series called "Chill on the Hill." It also has a seasonal "beer garden" for food and drinks in a picnic setting.

Community and Arts

The Beulah Brinton Community Center offers many activities. These include volleyball, aerobics, yoga, and play groups for toddlers. They also have lunch programs for seniors.

Bay View is known for its local art scene. Many bars and venues show art made by local artists. Several art galleries have also opened along Kinnickinnic Avenue. The neighborhood is also a popular spot for live music. You can find both local and national bands playing here.

Schools in Bay View

Milwaukee Public Schools manages the public schools in the area.

Current Schools

• Milwaukee Parkside School of the Arts (Kindergarten to 8th grade)
  • This school was created in 2013. It combined Dover Street Elementary and Tippecanoe School for the Arts & Humanities.

Bay View High School is the main high school for the area. In 2010, only a small number of students at Bay View High lived in the school's area. Many parents wanted to improve the school's reputation. By 2011, there was a plan to create a special program to prepare students for college.

Dover Street School, west of Humboldt Park, is now the Bay View Montessori School - Upper Campus.

School History

The first school in Bay View opened in 1883. Around 1889, a new school called New Seventeenth District School opened. It later became Dover Street School. The classes from Dover Street and Tippecanoe School for the Arts & Humanities moved into the former Fritsche Middle School building. These two schools officially combined in 2013.

Before this, the community also had Fritsche Middle School. In 2010, it was combined with Bay View High School.

Famous People from Bay View