USA > Wisconsin > Milwaukee County > Milwaukee > History of Milwaukee, city and county, Volume I > Part 49
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78
"Paris in the days of Lonis XIV; i. e., abont 1700 A. D., was a rapidly growing and congested eity. The architeets seleeted by the king foresaw the development of the magnificent metropolis now existing. They, therefore, went outside the walls of the compaet eity and laid out plans upon which Paris has been builded. The Madeleine, the Place de la Concorde. the great axial avenue from the gardens of the Tuileries to the Place de l'Etoile, all existed on paper decades before they were finally realized in the building of the city.
"The lesson for Milwaukee in this is, that as Paris increased in size, it grew according to a well devised plan and that the greater portion of the conveniences, impressiveness and beanty of modern Paris was obtained at prac- tically no money cost. Good sense, foresight and courage made up the only price paid. A similar opportunity lies within the grasp of Milwaukee.
Paris and London .- "Modern Paris is largely a ereation from the mind of Baron Hanssmann in the 'fifties.' His plans tended toward providing adequate circulation of traffic within the city, by cutting new streets and widening old ones, by sweeping away unwholesome rookeries and opening up great spaces so as to provide proper approaches and environments for monuments of beauty and historie interest. He grouped the railway stations in the center of the city and opened up fine avenues of approach to them. Ile eut new streets wherever necessary, taking special care to create diagonal thoroughfares to shorten distance for all traffic. Haussmann is acclaimed by all the world as the greatest city builder of all times. When he began Paris had a population of half a million people as Milwaukee has now (1922). Ile left Paris working under a complete plan by which the city may be ex- tended for a century without losing any of its conveniences, healthfulness, or other great metropolitan qualities. Hanssmann's theory was that money thus spent made a better city, and that a better city is a great producer of wealth. Experience has proved that this theory was correct. Paris today is a city of 4,000,000 inhabitants, and is by all odds the most convenient, the most beautiful, the most impressive of all the cities of the world.
"London. after the fire of 1666, had a greater opportunity to build a city of convenience, economy and wealth-producing and conservative capacity. than ever was presented in Paris. The occasion brought forth the man to best bestow the great boon of good order upon the British capital in the person of Sir Christopher Wren, one of the world's greatest architects. Sir Chris- topher's plans contemplated a city with streets radiating From central points with locations for public buildings at the ends of long and pleasing vistas. But these plans were east aside because of the self-interest of some of bon- don's citizens * In 1855, under the spur of the Paris example. the Londoners began to repair the errors of their city's past. To secure a small part of that which Paris had seenred for nothing but the exercise of fore- sight, they have undertaken projects on a vast seale.
Vol. 1-34
... SKETCH OF SUGGESTED GROUPING OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS ON AND ABOUT THE CITY HALL SITE. BY THE BOARD .
7
-
OF PUBLIC LAND COMMISSIONERS
PROSPECTIVE MILWAUKEE-CITY PLANNING AND ZONING 531
Plans of the Public Land Commissioners .- "Your Board of Public Land Commissioners was organized but a few years ago to study the stupendous problems of city planning as they relate to Milwaukee. It is a task which should and will take years to accomplish. There must be gathered a be- wildering amount of data, both as to general principles and details. Close study must be given to decisions made in other cities and the success or failure of actual accomplishments. The conclusions arrived at by your board mmist stand the test of public approval and much discussion, and quite possibly, many differences of opinion will retard final action. But the work is now well under way. As an initial step much information has already been gath- ered and arranged, and based on that a comprehensive highway system is being gradually and carefully developed. f far from complete, the board's study has clearly demonstrated the needs for widened thoroughfares. This study has shown that former diagonals now obliterated by the checker board system of streets must be replaced and that both electric street railway and freight and passenger railway problems must be considered in relation to the street system. The board has also determined that if the placing of a group of publie buildings, or as it has been termed, a "Civic Center" or "Administration Group," should bear a direet relation to the street system, then the choice of a desirable location for it is rather limited. That such a relation should obtain is an opinion held by all city planners.
"The group of leading architects and prominent experts in city planning who developed the great plan of Chicago agreed that the Civic Center should be located in the very heart of the future business district of the city; i. e., at the intersection of Congress Street and Halsted Street. They have, fur- thermore, planned on placing this future group at the meeting point of ten great arteries and diagonals which as much as any ageney will cause this district to become the business hub of the city. The planners apparently did not contemplate or fear the bloeking of the natural development of the business district.
"We in Milwaukee have arrived to-day at that crucial period where our decisions, one way or the other, will materially influence the development and physical character of our city for many, many years to come. It is an extremely serious proposition which confronts ns and it merits the most careful study and broadest and best judgment conceived in a patriotic spirit entirely purged of even a suggestion of selfishness. Honest differences of opinion are bound to be held, but if the discussions are conducted in a friendly and frank spirit, having as a goal nothing but the ultimate good of Milwau- ker, a logical conclusion will be arrived at which all will be willing to accept."
Champions of the Zoning Ordinance .- President C. B. Whitmall of the Publie Land Commission supports the position taken by the municipality in the following manner :
Zoning of a city is based upon a recognition of environmental influences. It is these influences that determine where the violet shall perfume the atmosphere, where the whippoorwill shall sing his evening song, where the brook trout shall swim. We have come to realize that environmental influ- ences determine largely what we shall be. We know that the inmates of
.
AC
5T
·مهند
4
STATE
IT
.. 4
Decontração ccaca cao00
LEOAR
.....
محمره محممه
حجمدها 02هده
+COLD
DUKTH
TENTH
FIFTH
84404
040000
CIVIC CENTER PLAN No. 1 Submitted by the Milwaukee Real Estate Board
STA"℃
...... ..
. ..
-
1000
-J+ & #
·
20000 9625#
.....
... .
د .. ٥٥
r
CIVIC CENTER PLAN No. 2 Submitted by the Milwaukee Real Estate Board
-
1.30
6
533
PROSPECTIVE MILWAUKEE-CITY PLANNING AND ZONING
our penitentiaries, our hospitals and our slum tenements are vietims mostly of environmental influenees over which as individuals they have no control.
The zoning ordinanee was enacted to stabilize valnes and to protect one class of property from injury by others, but there are other vital factors. While the ordinance is a protective measure, it is manifest by amendments offered that some feel otherwise. People too often lay stress upon their inde- pendenee and freedom and are actuated by a selfish conception of their right to "do as they please."
Meaning of Interdependence .- We are learning the greater value of under- standing the true meaning of interdependence. Many citizens have yet to learn that this earth belongs to God and that we are but sojourners here ; that to live together in harmony with his (Nature's) law, which is essential to our welfare, we have by agreement adopted rules and regulations which we call law.
Since we began to realize how we are suffering by waste of physical and mental vigor, eaused by too many of us being in diseord and not within reach of those essential natural influences, the zoning ordinance has evolved. Its importance is far greater than is indicated by economie measurements.
Ordinance Looks Forward .- Milwaukee's zoning ordinance is not retro- active, but should prevent us from growing worse. We have not yet provided the facilities for growing better-the means by which we may within a few years reach the goal indicated by the zoning ordinance. A stream may be dammed, but the engineer who constructed the dam without providing an- other outlet would hardly be worth his hire.
Three very important projects are being promoted to facilitate the ex- pansion of industry and increase of population with such environmental in- fluenees as are conductive to efficiency for the industries and wholesome living conditions for residences.
Arteries of Traffic .- The first in the arterial system of travelways, of which Cedar and Biddle streets form the trunk, from which broad, comfortable road- ways are to connect all localities within the city and county, with the state trunk highways. These when completed will shorten the time and lessen the expense and danger of traffic within a radius of fifteen miles from our civic eenter more efficiently than is now experienced within the present city limits.
The second is the parkway, which comes within the domain of the county and city park boards. This encompasses the natural water courses surround- ing the eity and coparets Milwaukee with all its suburbs. This is to be a boulevard or restricted drive more than thirty miles in extent, connecting all parks, ineluding all the bluffs and romantic spots near the city, and con- serving those environmental influences which park experts recognize as es- sential to wholesome living conditions.
Provides Industrial Areas .- This parkway, although well worth while as a place for assemblage and reereation, will have a far more important fune- tion. It will afford a basis for platting residential areas adjacent on each side and between the arteries mentioned.
The third of these projects is the selection of areas to facilitate the estab-
THE KOŚCIUSZKO MONUMENT AT KOŚCIUSZKO PARK
535
PROSPECTIVE MILWAUKEE-CITY PLANNING AND ZONING
lishment and expansion of industry to an unlimited degree, but in those directions and in those areas best suited to the requirements of industries.
These plans, if steadily developed, should within eight years remove all the objections now raised by the near-sighted to the restrictions of the zoning ordinance. Apartment houses will be emptied as our beer gardens were after the opening of Lake and Washington parks. Skyscrapers will become un- profitable. In short, the attractive and economical alternative will accompany every restrictive measure imposed. The money required is an investment not an expense.
Personnel of the Land Commission .- The men who have given mo- mentum to publie sentiment in the direction of municipal art and who have provided comprehensive schemes for the grouping of public buildings, for an arterial system and for the creation of a connected boulevard and parkway about the whole city, are William HI. Schuchardt, Charles B. Whitnall, and Edward Grieb. The latter has been sueceeded as a member of the commission by Max Friedman.
Mr. Schuchardt is an enthusiast who has made extensive studies in ont- door art both in the cities of Europe and the United States. Mr. Whitnall is a former florist and landscape artist who has for many years quietly but incessantly striven for the beautiful, combined with the practical, in city planning and outdoor art. Mr. Grieb has been a force in energetically over- coming the legal and financial barriers which have from time to time ob- structed progress. He now serves as the purchasing agent for the munici- pality in securing the lands required in carrying out the commission's plans.
Plans of the Milwaukee Real Estate Board .- This body has given expres- sion to its ideas on a civie eenter in the submission of two plans which are presented in this volume. The board proceeds upon the thought :
1. To group the different buildings in such a way that they will be con- veniently located and have an architectural setting which will be both artistic and practical.
2. To improve the traffic conditions in the downtown section so that con- gestion will in the future be avoided as far as possible.
The Real Estate Board believes that the traffic problem should not be sub- ordinated to the architectural effect. It holds that in the proposed civic center scheme Cedar Street should become the main thoroughfare on the West Side. Its reasoning is that as Prospeet Avenue, Warren Avenne, and Raeine Street. are all to be opened up to lead into Biddle Street, this will result in bringing practically all of the East Side traffic down Biddle Street and across the new proposed Biddle-Cedar Street bridge, into Cedar Street.
From a traffic standpoint it would seem imperative that Cedar Street should become the main thoroughfare on the West Side, as several million dollars will have to be spent in these several street widening propositions.
It, therefore, does not favor the scheme of extending the widening of Cedar Street to 180 feet only to Eighth Street, as now contemplated, and diverting from there the traffic north to State Street and south to Grand Avenue.
It would seem, the board holds, that according to these plans there is great danger of very decided congestion, especially at the corner of Grand Avenue
536
HISTORY OF MILWAUKEE
and Eighth Street, as much of the greater portion of the west-bound traffic which now is divided between Grand Avenue and Cedar Street, will go up Grand Avenue and will have to turn at Eighth Street. This turn will have to be made at the head of the rather steep grade between Wells and Grand Avenne, and for the traffic eastward, would be across street and left-hand turn.
In Plan No. 1, the idea of placing the courthouse in a commanding loca- tion across Cedar Street has been retained, but Cedar Street has been con- tinned to Ninth Street with a "Plaza" in its center between Eighth and Ninth Streets providing space for a beautiful monument, or a grand column or light tower. From Ninth Street, Cedar Street is led into Wells Street to the south at a width of 120 feet and also into a street south of State Street at the same width, and from Eleventh Street, Cedar Street is continued to a 120-foot width up to Sixteenth Street. As Sixteenth Street is to be an arterial highway and is to be widened, traffic from there on can go south to Grand Avenne. If it should be found subsequently that traffic assumes such propor- tions as to require the widening of Cedar Street beyond Sixteenth Street, this can always be done when necessity may require it.
This plan is deemed advantageous for the following reasons:
1. The traffic going east and west over Cedar Street can flow without impediment except for the curves from Cedar Street to Wells and State streets.
2. The east and west-bound traffic at these curves will be separated.
3. The property on the east side of Eighth Street between Wells and Grand Avenue will not have to be purchased, and the Grand Avenue front- age would have been the most expensive land to be purchased in the entire Civic Center area.
4. Considerable additional space will be gained for public buildings in at least three blocks, those between Wells, Cedar, Seventh and Eighth streets, and between Cedar, State, Seventh, and Eighth, and between Wells. Cedar, Eighth and Ninth streets.
5. The street approach to the courthouse will be infinitely better.
Every architectural advantage of the Publie Land Commission plan has been retained, but the width of the proposed courthouse of 750 feet has been ent down to 525 feet. There is ample room for further future extensions if such should ever be required, but the building as marked on the plan would be one of the largest public buildings in the country.
Plan No. 2 shows Cedar Street open all the way except for a eurve around a Plaza between Eighth and Ninth streets which would be attractively beau- tified. It provides for Cedar Street to be continued to Eleventh Street at 180 feet width with a "Court of Honor" in the center and the publie build- ings grouped on both sides of this boulevard.
In this arrangement the courthouse conld be built either to the south or north of Cedar Street between Ninth and Eleventh streets, and another public building, either a federal or state building, or an art gallery, should be placed on the opposite side facing the other, both buildings to be of the same size and similar in their general architectural design. This would give a splendid effeet, similar to the museum and the art gallery in Vienna. In this
PROSPECTIVE MILWAUKEE-CITY PLANNING AND ZONING 537
arrangement additional building space would also be obtained in several blocks of the Civie Center area.
The Zoning Ordinance .- When the proposal of "regulating and restriet- ing the location of trades and industries, the loeation of buildings designed for speeified uses, regulating the height and bulk of buildings, and the area of yards, courts, and other open spaces surrounding buildings, and estab- lishing boundary lines," was first made, it enlisted but small interest. Public sentiment was slowly won and after strenuous propaganda labors engaged in by the Publie Land Commission and the friends of the zoning idea an ordi- nance was passed by the city council.
As a piece of local legislation affeeting an urban community its import- anee cannot be overestimated, and it may, therefore, prove interesting to record at least some of its leading provisions. It defines residence, com- mereial and industrial distriets as follows:
Residence Districts .- In a residenee district no building, structure or premises shall be used and no building or structure shall be erected which is arranged, intended or designed to be used except for one or more of the fol- lowing specified uses:
1. Single family dwellings, two family dwellings, apartment or tenement houses. 2. Lodging or boarding houses, dormitories or convents .. 3. Hotels. 4. Clubs, excepting chibs the chief activity of which is a service customarily carried on as a business. 5. Churches. 6. Schools, colleges, libraries or publie museum. 7. Philanthropie and eleemosynary uses or institutions, other than correctional institutions. 8. Hospitals or sanitaria. 9. Railroad passenger stations. 10. Farming, truck gardening, nurseries or greenhouses. 11. Accessory uses customarily incident to the above uses. The term acees- sory use shall not include :
a. A business outside the building to which it is accessory, or which oc- cupies a total floor area in excess of twenty-five per cent of the floor area of one story of such building, or which by reason of the appearance of the build- ing or premises, or the emission of odor, smoke, dust or noise or in any other way is objectionable or detrimental to the residential character of the neigh- borhood, or which involves features in design not customary in buildings for the above nses or any structural alteration of the building. b. A garage other than a private garage on a lot occupied by not more than two families. e. A group of private garages for more than four automobiles. d. The stor- age of not more than one commercial vehicle. 12. Telephone central offices. 13. In undeveloped sections of the city a temporary building or use ineidental to the residential development erected and so used for a period of two years from the date of the permit.
Uses Prohibited in Local Business Districts .- In a local business district no building or premises shall be used, and no building shall be erected which is arranged, intended or designed to be used for any of the following specified trades, industries or uses :
1. Any kind of manufacturing other than the manufacturing of prod- ucts the major portion of which are to be sold at retail on the premises to the ultimate consumer. 2. A blacksmith shop or horseshoeing establishment.
STR
STR
STR
STR
MARTIN
STR
River.
STR
B DDLE
6
EDISON
EAST WATER
MARKET
BROADWAY
Milwaukee
STR
ONEIDA
CITY HALL SITE
A suggested grouping of public buiklings. By the Board of Publie Land Commissioner-
PROSPECTIVE MILWAUKEE-CITY PLANNING AND ZONING 539
3. AA milk bottling or distributing station. 4. A carpet or rug cleaning es- tablishment. 5. A eoal yard or lumber yard. 6. Any trade, industry or use prohibited in a commercial and light manufacturing distriet.
Uses Prohibited in Commercial and Light Manufacturing Districts,-In a commereial and light manufacturing distriet no building or premises shall be used, and no building shall be greeted which is arranged, intended or designed to be used for any of the following specified trades, industries or uses:
1. Ammonia, bleaching powder or chlorine manufacture. 2. Asphalt man- ufacture or refining. 3. Assaying (other than gold or silver). 4. Boiler works. 5. Brass, copper, iron or steel works or foundry. 6. Briek, con- erete products, terra cotta or tile manufacture. 7. Celluloid manufacture or treatment. 8. Cement, lime or plaster of paris manufacture. 9. Crematory other than a erematory located in a cemetery. 10. Creosole treatment or manufacture. 11. Dextrine, glucose or starch manufacture. 12. Disinfectant and inseetieide manufacture. 13. Distillation of bones, coal or wood. 14. Dry cleaning or dyeing at wholesale. 15. Dye stuffs manufacture. 16. Elec- trie central station power plant. 17. Fat rendering. 18. Fertilizer mami- facture. 19. Gas manufacture or storage in excess of 1,000 cubic feet. 20. Gelatine, glue or size manufacture. 21. Grease, lard or tallow manufacture or refining. 22. Hydrochlorie, nitric, sulphuric or sulphurons acid manufac- ture. 23. Ineineration or reduction of garbage, offal or refuse. 24. Junk or scrap iron storage. 25. Lamp blaek manufacture. 26. Linoleum or oil cloth manufacture. 27. Oil, paint, turpentine or varnish manufacture. 28. Pe- trolemm refining or storage in excess of 1,000 gallons. 29. Planing mill or saw mill. 30. Printing ink manufacture. 31. Pyroxyline plastie mannfac- ture or articles therefrom. 32. Rags and serap paper-storage or baling. 33. Railroad vards or roundhouses. 34. Raw hides or skins-storage, euring or tanning. 35. Rolling mill. 36. Rubber mannfacture from the erude mate- rial. 37. Slaughtering of animals or fowls. 38. Smelting of iron. 39. Soap manufacture. 40. Stock vards. 41. Stone erushing. 42. Sugar refining. 43. Tar distillation or manufacture. 44. Tar roofing or tar waterproofing manufacture. 45. Any other trade, industry or use that is noxious or offen- sive by reason of the emission of odor, dust, smoke, gas or noise, but car barns or places of amusement shall not be excluded.
Uses Prohibited in Industrial Districts .- In an industrial district no build- ing shall be used, and no building shall be erected which is arranged. intended or designed to be used in whole or in part as a dwelling or tenement for one or more families. This provision shall, however, not prohibit the erection and maintenance of dwelling quarters in connection with any industrial establish- ment for watchmen employed upon the premises, nor of dwellings in unde- veloped seetions for a period of five years from the date of the permit. No other use permitted in a residence, local business or commercial and light manufacturing district shall be excluded from an industrial distriet.
Exceptions as to Existing Buildings and Uses .- Any non-conforming use existing at the time of the passage of this chapter may be continued and any existing building designed, arranged, intended or devoted to a non-conforming
-4
AUDITORIUM SITE Sketch of suggested grouping of public buildings, By the Board of Public Land Commissioners
PROSPECTIVE MILWAUKEE-CITY PLANNING AND ZONING 541
use may be reconstructed or structurally altered, and the non-conforming use therein changed subject to the following regulations :
1. The structural alterations made in such a building shall not during its life exceed 50 per cent of its assessed value, nor shall the building be enlarged. unless the use therein is changed to a conforming use. 2. No non-conforming use shall be extended by displacing a conforming use. 3. In a residence dis- triet no building or premises devoted to a use permitted in a local business dis- triet shall be changed into a use not permitted in a local business district. 4. In a residence or local business district no building or premises devoted to a use permitted in a commercial and light manufacturing distriet shall be changed into a use not permitted in a commercial and light manufacturing district. 5. In a residence, local business or commercial and light manufac- turing district no building devoted to a use excluded from a commercial and light manufacturing distriet shall be structurally altered if its use shall have been changed since the time of the passage of this chapter to another use also excluded from a commercial and light manufacturing district. A change of use for the purpose of this subdivision shall be deemed to include any change from a use included in an enumerated subdivision to a use included in another enumerated subdivision. 6. In a residence, local business or commercial and light manufacturing district no building devoted to a use excluded from a commercial and light manufacturing distriet shall have its use changed to another use which is also excluded from a commercial and light manufacturing , district if the building shall have been structurally altered since the time of the passage of this chapter. A change of use for the purpose of this subdivi- sion shall be deemed to include any change from a use ineluded in an enmer- ated subdivision to a use included in another enumerated subdivision.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.