After 1840, using current street names, the Town of Lake encompassed the area bordered by Greenfield Ave to the north, Lake Michigan to the east, College Avenue to the south and 27th Street to the west.

[3] According to the 1855 Wisconsin State Census, the Town of Lake's population was 2,127, with 1,308 of them having foreign birth.

In July 1951, the area along Lake Michigan north of Cudahy and south of Milwaukee incorporated as the City of St. Francis in order to prevent annexation from Milwaukee and keep profits from the Lakeside Power Plant in the area.

As part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Public Works Administration New Deal, an octagonal tower was built in 1938.

This landmark features Art Deco details such as empire lines on the façade, scallops above the entrance and stair railings with chevron designs in them.