Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee on When It Was is 24 addresses and the 28 businesses that have occupied them, the oldest from 1844. 8 are still open today; 20 are gone, and 9 of the buildings themselves have been demolished. Every entry below opens a page with the full history of that address, and the map lets you slide the year and watch the city change.

Start here

The Rave/Eagles Club

212 W Wisconsin Avenue · 1927–present · 4 businesses here

The Eagles built this 1920s clubhouse around a 25,000-square-foot oval dance floor, and touring bands now sign the walls of its unused basem…

Mader's German Restaurant

1041 N Old World Third Street · 1902–present

Charles Mader opened it in 1902 as "The Comfort." When Prohibition ended in 1933, it served Milwaukee's first legal beer at midnight.

Turner Hall

1034 N 4th Street · 1882–present

Turner Hall was built in 1882 for a German gymnastics society, and its stained glass still carries the political slogans of its progressive …

The Oriental Theatre

2230 N Farwell Avenue · 1927–present

The Oriental, a 1927 movie palace with two minaret towers, is said to be the only one ever built with East Indian decor.

Karl Ratzsch

320 E. Mason St. · 1904–2017 · 2 businesses here

Jet Beauty Supply

Milwaukee

Jet Beauty Supply occupies this corner in Milwaukee's Sherman Park neighborhood, serving the local community with beauty and cosmetics produ…

SafeHouse

779 N Front Street · 1966–present

This downtown bar has been packed with spy memorabilia since 1966. Rachael Ray joked you'd have to be a CIA agent to figure it out in one tr…

Frenchy's Restaurant

1901 E North Avenue · 1945–1977

Milwaukee, decade by decade

• 1840s
  4 opened — The Pabst Brewery, Schlitz Brewing Company, Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company, Pabst Brewing CompanySee the map in 1845 →
• 1850s
  3 opened — Newhall House Hotel, Valentin Blatz Brewing Company, Miller Brewing CompanySee the map in 1855 →
• 1870s
  1 opened — John Ernst CafeSee the map in 1875 →
• 1880s
  1 opened — Turner HallSee the map in 1885 →
• 1890s
  1 opened — The Pfister HotelSee the map in 1895 →
• 1900s
  6 opened — Karl Ratzsch, Karl Ratzsch's Restaurant, Blessed Virgin of Pompeii Church, Sydney Hih Building, and 2 moreSee the map in 1905 →
• 1920s
  4 opened — The Uptown Theatre, The Oriental Theatre, The Rave/Eagles Club, Hotel RandolphSee the map in 1925 →
• 1930s
  1 opened — Mazo's HamburgersSee the map in 1935 →
• 1940s
  1 opened — Frenchy's RestaurantSee the map in 1945 →
• 1960s
  3 opened — SafeHouse, Sally's Steak House, This Is It!See the map in 1965 →
• 1970s
  2 opened — Giovanni's Restaurant, Northridge MallSee the map in 1975 →

Still here, and gone

By kind of place

Restaurant (7)

Karl Ratzsch's Restaurant · SafeHouse · Mazo's Hamburgers · Frenchy's Restaurant · Sally's Steak House · Giovanni's Restaurant · Mader's German Restaurant

Brewery (6)

The Pabst Brewery · Schlitz Brewing Company · Valentin Blatz Brewing Company · Miller Brewing Company · Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company · Pabst Brewing Company

Theater (3)

The Uptown Theatre · The Oriental Theatre · Princess Theatre

Hotel (3)

Newhall House Hotel · The Pfister Hotel · Hotel Randolph

German (2)

Karl Ratzsch · John Ernst Cafe

Athletic Club (1)

Turner Hall

Church (1)

Blessed Virgin of Pompeii Church

Bar (1)

This Is It!

Every place in Milwaukee (24)

• Blessed Virgin of Pompeii Church 419 N Jackson Street · 1904–1967
• Frenchy's Restaurant 1901 E North Avenue · 1945–1977
• Giovanni's Restaurant 785 N Van Buren Street · 1970–1989
• Jet Beauty Supply Milwaukee
• John Ernst Cafe 600 E. Ogden Ave. · 1878–2001
• Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company 221 West Galena Street · 1849–1982
• Karl Ratzsch 320 E. Mason St. · 1904–2017 · 2 businesses
• Mader's German Restaurant 1041 N Old World Third Street · 1902–present
• Mazo's Hamburgers 3146 S 27th Street · 1934–2024
• Miller Brewing Company 4251 West State Street · 1855–present
• Newhall House Hotel 225 E Michigan Street · 1857–1883
• Northridge Mall 7700 West Brown Deer Road · 1972–2003
• Pabst Brewing Company 901 West Juneau Avenue · 1844–1997
• Princess Theatre 738 N 3rd Street · 1909–1960
• SafeHouse 779 N Front Street · 1966–present
• Sally's Steak House 1028 E Juneau Avenue · 1965–1985
• Schlitz Brewing Company 235 W Galena Street · 1849–1981
• The Oriental Theatre 2230 N Farwell Avenue · 1927–present
• The Pabst Brewery 917 W Juneau Avenue · 1844–1996
• The Rave/Eagles Club 212 W Wisconsin Avenue · 1927–present · 4 businesses
• The Uptown Theatre 2323 N 49th Street · 1927–1984
• This Is It! 418 E Wells Street · 1968–2025
• Turner Hall 1034 N 4th Street · 1882–present
• Valentin Blatz Brewing Company 1120 North Broadway · 1851–1959