It is in memory of Increase A. Lapham, a 19th-century scientist famous for prompting the creation of the National Weather Service and recording the antiquities of Wisconsin, among other accomplishments.

The male figure has a mustache and a beard, and is wearing a high collared shirt, a bow tie, and jacket.

[1] To the upper left there is an oil lamp, which represents Lapham's contribution to learning in Wisconsin.

There is a fish on the plaque's upper right representing his interest in the fresh water lakes and natural resources of Wisconsin.

The words inscribed below the portrait are as follows: "Erected by his friends in commemoration of his services to the cause of human knowledge and his unselfish devotion to the welfare of the people.

The city began a housing project on this site in the 1960s and the plaque was moved to a drive leading to Lapham Hall on the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee campus.