North Grant Boulevard Historic District facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
North Grant Boulevard Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
North Grant Boulevard Historic District
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Location	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
NRHP reference No.	95000290
Added to NRHP	March 23, 1995

The North Grant Boulevard Historic District is a special neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It has many beautiful and unique houses. These homes were built between 1913 and 1931. The neighborhood was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. This means it's an important historical area.

A Look Back at the North Grant Boulevard Neighborhood

How the Land Became a Neighborhood

Long ago, in 1839, an English immigrant named Charles James bought a big piece of land. This land is where the North Grant Boulevard neighborhood is today. He built a farm there called "The Cedars." His farm was famous for its many kinds of roses, tulips, and fruit trees.

By 1890, the city of Milwaukee was growing fast. It reached Charles James's farm. The city bought some land nearby to create Sherman Park. This made the area more attractive for homes.

Building a Special Place to Live

Two real estate brokers, Julius and Ludwig Wechselberg, bought 100 acres of James's farm. They wanted to build new homes there. In 1896, they started a company to develop the land. For a while, not much happened. The land was still a bit far from the city center.

Finally, in 1909, the company bought the last part of James's farm. They began to plan the neighborhood. They wanted to attract wealthy buyers. So, they made the building lots quite large.

What Made Grant Boulevard Special

The company asked the city to call Grant Street a "boulevard." This word made the street sound fancy. It also meant that big wagons and trucks would not use it much. Most boulevards in Milwaukee connected parks. Grant Boulevard was different. It had a wide, landscaped strip on each side of the road. This made it look very grand. The city officially named it a boulevard in 1917.

The neighborhood also had special rules for building. These rules were called "deed restrictions." They said that only single-family homes could be built. Each house had to be worth at least $3,500. Homes also had to be set far back from the street. This gave the neighborhood an "estate-like" feeling. The rules also said no businesses that would harm a nice neighborhood.

Homes in the North Grant Boulevard District

Building homes started around 1913 and finished in 1931. Today, 119 of these original houses are part of the historic district. They show many different architectural styles.

Arts and Crafts Style Homes

• The Walter J. Buckley house at 2370 N. Grant Boulevard was built in 1913. It is a 2.5-story house with an English Arts and Crafts style. It has stucco walls on a brick base. Some parts look like old timber frames.
• The George Seifert house at 2416 N Grant Boulevard was built in 1915. It is also an Arts and Crafts style home. The first floor is brick, and the second floor is stucco. It has unique roof shapes called "jerkin-head" gables.

Prairie Style Homes

• The George E. Martin house at 2417 N. Grant Boulevard is an American Foursquare style home. It also has influences from the Prairie School style.
• The Harry Herz house at 2436 N. Grant Boulevard was built in 1915. It is a 2-story Prairie style house. It is made of brick and has a low, flat roof. This style often emphasizes horizontal lines.

Bungalows and Other Styles

• The John A. Kramer house at 2437 N. Grant Boulevard is a 1.5-story bungalow built in 1915. It has a unique chimney and a front porch with strong supports. Many bungalows are found in this district.
• The George C. Otto house at 2452 N. Grant Blvd. is a 1.5-story Craftsman bungalow built in 1919. You can see the ends of the roof beams, which is a common Craftsman feature.

Classical and Colonial Revival Homes

• The John H. Rauschenberg house at 2717 N. Grant Blvd. is a grand Classical Revival home from 1916. It has a large porch with four tall columns across the front.
• The Dr. Max Bornstein house at 2505 N. Grant Blvd. is a 2-story Dutch Colonial Revival home built in 1920. It looks balanced and has columns. Its special roof shape, called a gambrel roof, makes it "Dutch."
• The Franklin G. Herbst house at 2550 N. Grant Blvd. is a 2-story brick home built in 1921. It is in the Colonial Revival style. This means it looks balanced and has a front porch with classic columns.

Unique and Later Styles

• The John B. Lenartz house at 2857 N. Grant Blvd. is a 2-story house built in 1920. It was originally a Sears catalog home called "The Alhambra." It was later covered in brick and changed a bit.
• The John L. Hahn house at 2442 N. Grant Blvd. is a 1.5-story Mediterranean Revival-style home built in 1922. It has a roof covered in terra cotta tiles, which is a key feature of this style. The windows on the first floor are rounded.
• The Edward J. Leiser house at 2856 N. Grant Blvd. is a 1.5-story English Cottage-style home built in 1922.
• The George F. Dewein house at 2765 N. Grant Blvd. is a Tudor Revival-styled cottage built in 1924. It has large, old-fashioned windows.
• The Grover E. Hanisch house at 2557 N. Grant Blvd. is a brick Georgian Revival-styled house built in 1929. It has decorative blocks on the corners and around the door.
• The Edward Schildknecht house at 2774 N. Grant Blvd is a 1.5-story French Provincial-styled house built in 1931. It is made of lannon stone and has a tile roof. It also features a two-story tower with a cone-shaped roof over the main entrance.