Category: History
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Holding the History | Petey Balestrieri & Kristen C. Heller | Milwaukee Film
Two people who have given their lives to keeping cinema alive in Milwaukee. An hour of honest conversation about what it actually takes: the funding, the restoration, the community, and why any of it matters. For anyone who loves film, runs a cultural organization, or wants to understand what it looks like when a community…
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The Last Two Blocks
Culture & Civic Infrastructure Milwaukee Film isn’t just preserving movie theaters. It’s preserving the last version of a city that belonged to everyone. On Downer Avenue on Milwaukee’s east side, there is a two-block stretch that should not exist. A locally owned grocery store, a bakery, a liquor store, a coffee roaster, a bookseller, and…
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Remembering Alonzo Robinson Jr., Milwaukee’s First Black Architect
Alonzo Robinson Jr. was Wisconsin’s first Black licensed architect. Working in Milwaukee during a period of rapid change, Robinson built a career defined by discipline, restraint, and a commitment to serving community needs through architecture. His work spanned commercial, civic, and community-focused projects at a time when opportunities for Black architects were limited and often…
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When the Work Stopped: Remembering Milwaukee’s Coke Plant
This article documents a place that no longer exists. Trespassing on abandoned or restricted property is illegal. Entering sites like this can result in citations, significant fines, and criminal charges. Destruction or defacement of property is also illegal and prosecutable. What follows is not an invitation or a guide, but a historical record written after…