Historic Milwaukee

Since 1974, Historic Milwaukee, Inc. has been dedicated to increasing awareness of and commitment to Milwaukees history, architecture and the preservation of our built environment through education and advocacy. Historic Milwaukee, Inc. is a nationally recognized cultural institution representing the gold standard in community-based historic preservation and education. Historic Milwaukee, Inc. programs are innovative, responsive and rely on strong community, corporate and civic alliances. Our smartphone based walking tours are the next step in expanding our reach. Historic Milwaukee, Inc. is an affiliated member of the Wisconsin Historical Society, a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and VISIT Milwaukee. More than 1,000 Historic Milwaukee, Inc. volunteers share a love of history, Milwaukees architectural treasures and the future of our city.

Historic Milwaukee, Inc. draws on its four decades of programming expertise to deliver engaging and informative tours and other innovative and educational programming on Milwaukees history and architecture. Our tours are delivered in variety of formats: walking tours, specialized tours; step-on tour guides for coach buses and student tours that reinforce key educational outcomes for grades three through five. Historic Milwaukee, Inc. is the only nonprofit provider of these educational and historic tours in Milwaukee.

Our long-standing walking tours explore Milwaukees unique and vibrant neighborhoods. Regular walking tours included a daily "Downtown Thu the Eras" tour, weekly Saturday tours of Brady Street and the Third Ward and a weekly Sunday tour of North Point Mansions. A winter tour season allows visitors to explore Milwaukee from the vantage point of the skywalk system with Skywaukee. This year, special tour topics will include Wisconsin Avenue churches, Walkers Point, Missing Milwaukee, South Side Churches, Bike Milwaukee, Rocks of Architecture, German Heritage and a Halloween themed gargoyle tour. Historic Milwaukee, Inc. has researched and developed more than 35 specialized tours that are offered on a rotating basis each year. We continually seek out feedback from our members and tour participants to improve our tours. New this year is a Walker’s Point tour, offered with both English and Spanish-speaking volunteer guides. Historic Milwaukee, Inc. invests significant time and energy in preparing its volunteer tour guides. All prospective tour guides complete a rigorous educational course that prepares them to become tour guides. Our student tours are tailored for third through fifth grade curriculum and starts with a guided tour of downtown that focuses on local history, civic government, architecture and geography. The program includes a classroom curriculum packet that continues the learning experience. Our student tour guides are volunteers who have completed the two-month guide-training course. Many are retired educators who continue to share their love of teaching with Milwaukees children. Last year, more than 1,573 students from 24 schools participated in tours. Of these 24 schools, nine were from MPS schools and ten were schools located elsewhere in Milwaukee County. The others were from schools outside Milwaukee County. The tours are especially appealing to MPS and other schools with limited field trip budgets.

Historic Milwaukees Doors Open Milwaukee has become a much-loved community weekend. It has grown quickly; from approximately 40,000 site visits the first year to more than 90,000 site visits. Created with the foresight of Historic Milwaukee staff and longtime volunteers, Doors Open Milwaukee is one of only five such programs in North America. Attendees visited the Gaslight Building, gazed out at Milwaukee from the top of the U.S. Bank building and learned about fresh water and Lake Michigan at Jones Island.