SPECIAL 40TH ANNIVERSARY: NEIGHBORHOODS
DOWNTOWN is a Busier Place BY DAVID LUHRSSEN
MADER'S Photo by Michael Burmesch.
R
eturning to Milwaukee from abroad in 1981, I was struck by Downtown’s lack of shopping malls. One year later, Grand Avenue Mall (now The Avenue) opened, and although it eventually floundered, in its early years Grand Avenue brought new business into the district. However, in 1981, Downtown Milwaukee had gotten shabby, even if many vestiges of a prosperous past remained. The old hotels, the Pfister and the Schroeder (now the Hilton), were open; the old Boston Store and Gimbels department stores
were in business; the Pabst and Riverside theaters still stood (if less busy than today). When the Bucks played the MECCA Milwaukee Arena (now UWM Panther Arena) or touring bands played the Auditorium (now the Miller High Life Theatre), traffic streamed into Downtown from the suburbs. More often, the streets emptied when the sun went down. Downtown nightlife in 1981 was an adventure and many suburbanites were wary. The punk rock scene gathered at The Starship (now demolished) and The Stone
Toad (long gone) hosted less aggressive bands. Beyond East Town, few people lived in Downtown outside the Norman apartments (burned down in 1991). Artists and musicians took studios (and sometimes slept) at the Iron Block (given a facelift since then) and the colorful Sidney Hih (now demolished). Milwaukee’s big three German restaurants were still cooking—Karl Ratzch and John Ernst are gone with only Mader’s remaining. The well heeled dined at Grenadier’s, often in conjunction with a visit to the Performing Arts Center (now the Marcus PAC) for classical music and theater. Elsa’s brought cosmopolitan flair to Milwaukee and the original John Hawk’s Pub (defunct) satiated Anglophiles. During the past 40 years, new hotels and many new businesses have sprung up, making Downtown a busier place than in 1981.
David Luhrssen is Managing Editor of the Shepherd Express and a former resident of East Town.
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