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TRAVEL GUIDE |
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Milwaukee Travel and the Historic Third Ward
Mayfair Rent A Car Milwaukee travel says if you want to get the fullest cultural experience in this city, then you must spend some time at the Historic Third Ward. It is the hub for artistic activity and exhibition. You'll find:
- More than 20 galleries and art studios
- Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD)
- Off-Broadway Theatre
- Broadway Theatre Centre (home of the world-renowned Skylight Opera House, Theatre X and Milwaukee Chamber Theatre)
In the heart of the Broadway Theatre Centre is a 385-seat 17th Century baroque style theatre. In recent years, the association started co-sponsoring a quarterly art event Gallery Night and Day. More than 5,000 people come to each of these events.
If you're looking for something than art, you may consider visiting the upscale women's boutiques and clothing shops tailored for children. Or you may want to take a look at the high-end home furnishing businesses. Mayfair Rent A Car Milwaukee travel estimates that 20,000 visitors who come to the Historic Third Ward area each week.
Discovering the Historic Third Ward
Located right by downtown Milwaukee, you'll find the Historic Third Ward is bound by I-794 East to the north, the Milwaukee River to the south and west and by Lake Michigan to the east. You'll have no problem hopping on the public transit or taking your Mayfair Rent A Car Milwaukee travel vehicle on the freeway system to the downtown business district and all the downtown hotels.
This area is rich in history. The Historic Third Ward area is on the National Register of Historic Places as the city's oldest centre of commerce and warehousing. This area was also the site of the city's most devastating fires.
The Great Third Ward Fire in 1892
This fire destroyed 16 square blocks of the thriving riverfront commerce district. It's estimated property damage was about $5 million, or about $60 million in today's standards. Within three decades, the area was rebuilt. Now, there are 400 businesses that call the Historic Third Wad their home.
Mayfair Rent A Car Milwaukee travel note that the Historic Third Ward Association was established idn1976 to promote, foster, encourage business retention and recruitment in the local. This association owns $5.5 million parking structures that hold 1,000 parking stalls and 13,000 feet of retail space. When you come to the Historic Third Ward area, you'll have plenty spaces to park your Mayfair Rent A Car Milwaukee travel vehicle.
Origins and Development of the Historic Third Ward
Originally, the area was a swamp. After the land was drained, Irish immigrants settled there. On the east side of the Ward, a residential area developed while factories and warehouses were built along the Milwaukee River. The area developed a reputation for its colorful fistfights. Soon the area was dubbed as the "Bloody Third."
The first railroad linked Milwaukee to the Mississippi River in 1856. This new mode of transportation was an important development because the railway enabled a means for the settlers to receive goods from wholesalers.
Soon after the 1892 fire, prominent local architects stepped in to design many of the commercial structures. Construction continued over the next 36 years and because of this relatively short span of development, the buildings exhibit an interesting continuity that unifies the neighborhood.
After the great fire in 1892, Italian immigrants replaced the Irish. They worked in the warehouse businesses, established the grocery commission (that soon became to known as Commission Row). In 1915, in the ward, there were:
- 45 Italian groceries
- 29 Italian saloons
- 2 spaghetti factories
- 1 Italian bank
Mayfair Rent A Car Milwaukee travel can take you to this Historic Third Ward to see this notable area for yourself.
