Lincoln Village, Milwaukee
The growing number of Polish immigrants coming to Milwaukee in the late 19th and early 20th centuries created a great demand for new home construction.
The predominant residential building type in the neighborhood is the Polish flat, an early 20th-century form of housing that resembled a small cape-style home raised 1⁄2 story to incorporate a new living space on the ground floor.
Along the neighborhood's main street, West Lincoln Avenue, the predominant building type is mixed-use with a strong emphasis of Polish gables and attention to fine architectural detail.
The parish was formed by Father Wilhelm Grutza in 1888 and named after Josaphat Kuntsevych, an Eastern European bishop and martyr.
Architect Erhard Brielmaier was consulted and in 1896 plans were completed for the basilica design that Lincoln Village has today.
Seizing the opportunity, he purchased the entire building, including stones, hardware, and six granite Corinthian columns for re-use at his church.
The stained glass windows, imported from Innsbruck, Austria portray Polish as well as traditional Biblical themes.
St. Josaphat's was elevated to the status of minor basilica in 1929, an honor awarded only to the grandest, most beautiful, and historically significant structures.
This outstanding commercial building is situated on land once belonging to the Coleman family's Hazelwood Estate at 610 W. Lincoln Ave. Father Wilhelm Grutza, pastor of St. Josaphat's, purchased a parcel from Ellen Coleman in 1899, directly across the street from the basilica, then in its final stages of construction.
The large pediment and prominent bays were designed in a robust Baroque fashion to complement the basilica across the street.
The Riviera was a good example of a "transitional" theater as days of the "photoplay parlor" were ending and the movie palace had yet to fully arrive.
Further foreshadowing the movie palace, the Riviera featured the organist Casimir Uszler who played an organ valued at $12,000.
As the densest populated neighborhood in Wisconsin, the park serves a variety of recreational activities for Milwaukee's urban residents - soccer, youth football, fishing, the Pelican Cove water park, and the Kosy Community Center which offers boxing, basketball, and community events.
In honor of Polish-American hero General Tadeusz Kościuszko, the Lincoln Village Polish community commissioned the bronze monument's construction in 1904.
Before World War II, a pair of Dahlgren coastal defense cannon sat on garrison carriages on either side of the monument.
