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UWM Post •

Milwaukee-Downer College Unidentified Photo Gallery - UWM Post

During my research at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Archives, I sorted through hundreds of photos that were taken in Milwaukee-Downer College. Many of them were labeled which helped with placing them in a certain building.

However, many of them were not labeled and I had to use context clues to identify which building they took place in. These are the photos that I was not able to identify using labels and context clues.
UWM Post •

Milwaukee-Downer College Building Blueprints - UWM Post

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Archives has a collection of the blueprints of many of UWM’s existing and demolished buildings. Here is a collection of the blueprints for the Milwaukee-Downer College Buildings.

The Milwaukee-Downer College Buildings were designed by several different architects. Many of these blueprints were designed by the architects while others were designed by different companies who were tasked with the foundation, electrical, and HVAC.

Milwaukee-Downer College Qu...
UWM Post •

Milwaukee-Downer College Campus Through the Years - UWM Post

Throughout Milwaukee-Downer College’s lifetime, many maps of the college were produced showing the college’s progression through the years.

This map is part of a full map of Milwaukee made in 1910. It shows McLaren Hall, Albert Hall, Holton Hall, Hawthorn Den, Merrill Hall, Johnston Hall, Greene Hall, Kimberly Hall, the Seminary Buildings, the Infirmary, the Lodge and the Laundry Building.

This map was the cover page of the Milwaukee-Downer College Cumtux 1938 issue.This map shows McLaren Hal...
UWM Post •

Milwaukee-Downer College Smaller Buildings - UWM Post

In September of 1905, the Power House was completed, containing the heating and lighting plants and the steam laundry. It was designed by Gates, Weiss, and Cramer architects. This building was razed in 1970 when UWM’s new Central Heating Plant was put into operation.

A separate infirmary building was funded by Elizabeth Plankinton and opened in March of 1906. The Powerhouse and infirmary were both designed by Howland Russell. 

The Lodge was built as a bus shelter for Milwaukee-Downer College C...
UWM Post •

Greene Memorial Museum - UWM Post

Throughout the college’s existence, they received several private collections. The largest and most renowned collection received was the Thomas A. Greene geological collection which contained about 75,000 specimens of minerals and fossils, especially fossils from the Silurian and Devonian periods.  

These images show the collection as it was originally displayed in Thomas Greene’s house. In 1912, Mrs. Horace J. Upham presented this collection to the college and contributed $10,000 towards the c...
UWM Post •

Domestic Science at Milwaukee-Downer College - UWM Post

Milwaukee-Downer College was a pioneer in educating women in the sciences. In the spring of 1901, the college catalogue announced that they would add Domestic Science classes which would be housed in two rooms in the basement of Merrill Hall. 

A new building to house the Domestic Science department was funded with a $10,000 endowment fund from the College Endowment Association. The building was designed by Russell, and completed in January of 1908. It was named Kimberly Hall in honor of Helen C...
UWM Post •

Milwaukee-Downer College Libraries - UWM Post

In Merrill Hall, at the east end of the second floor the first library was established by Mrs. Horace A. J. Upham. It was named the Greene Memorial Library in honor of her mother Elizabeth L. Greene, one of the original trustees of Milwaukee Female College. It held about 4000 volumes. An adjacent room was used for the Art Library assembled by the Ladies’ Art and Science Class.  

In 1904, Mrs. Horace J. Upham gave the college $10,000 to build a new building to house the library which was complet...
UWM Post •

Milwaukee-Downer College Seminary Buildings - UWM Post

In 1909, plans were underway for a new Seminary campus across the street from the college buildings. The estimated cost of these buildings and their furnishings was $155,000. Alice Chapman helped fund the construction, and the main building was named Chapman Hall in her honor.  
The first story held six class rooms, each 18 by 24 feet. The second story held seven large class rooms and a reading room. The third story had a library and an art room. Chapman Hall also housed a senior lounge and a fa...
UWM Post •

Milwaukee-Downer College Dormitory Buildings - UWM Post

Milwaukee-Downer College had several dormitory buildings to house their large student population. The dormitory buildings were designed by Alexander Eschweiler and Howland Russell in collaboration.

The first dormitory for Milwaukee-Downer College was built for seminary students. It was named Holton Hall after Edward D. Holton, one of the original trustees for Milwaukee Female College. Holton Hall also served as the main entrance to the college for any visitors, so it was the fanciest place on c...
UWM Post •

Milwaukee-Downer College: Merrill Hall - UWM Post

The first instruction building for Milwaukee-Downer College was named Merrill Hall after Mr. William P. Merrill who gave $10,000 for the construction of the building. The building was designed by Alexander Eschweiler and Howland Russell in collaboration, and the cornerstone was laid on June 16, 1898.

Lets begin with the basement of Merrill Hall. In 1900, Mr. James Bryden provided the funding for two bowling alleys that were installed in the basement of Merrill Hall. 

The basement would later b...
UWM Post •

The History of The Milwaukee-Downer College Buildings - UWM Post

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is an amalgamation of old and new buildings. As a student, I had always wondered how UWM came to possess these buildings, and what the story behind them was. 

In particular, the red-brick buildings on the northeastern portion of campus always stood out to me. This area of campus is more peaceful and down to earth compared to UWM’s usual urban university feeling. 

UWM purchased these buildings from Milwaukee-Downer Female College when they merged with Lawre...
UWM Post •

UWM Urban Spelunking Episode 4: UWM Office of Sustainability - UWM Post

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Office of Sustainability was founded in 2008, and oversees all of UWM’s recycling, composting, and surplus.

In this episode, we toured the UWM University Services and Research Building at 4090 N. First St. and got an exclusive look at how they process UWM’s recycling.

We also toured the Surplus Store where UWM students and members of the community can visit to purchase surplus items at a discounted price. The most common items according to Sustainability...
UWM Post •

UWM Urban Spelunking Episode 3: RetroLab - UWM Post

Professor Thomas Haigh manages the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee History Department’s Retrocomputing Lab which holds a growing collection of fully functional personal computer hardware.

The RetroLab holds around 50 fully-functioning machines including 8-bit, 16-bit, Desktop PCs, Apple Macs, Laptops, Handheld Devices, and Gaming Consoles from different decades.

There are only four Retrocomputing Labs in the U.S. at UWM, the University of Victoria, the University of Colorado and Washington State University. UWM Students can visit by appointment or during open house sessions which are announced on their mailing list.

UWM Urban Spelunking is a docuseries that explores several of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s most historic buildings and locations.
UWM Post •

UWM Urban Spelunking Episode 2: Center for Nursing History - UWM Post

Emeritus Professor Laurie Glass manages the Center for Nursing History at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Founded in 1973, the Center for Nursing History is the largest collection of nursing memorabilia in the United States.

The Center for Nursing History has a three-pronged approach for collecting. Photographs and documents are sent to UWM’s Golda Meir Library Archives Department. Rare historical nursing books are sent to the library’s Special Collections department, which currently hou...
UWM Post •

UWM Urban Spelunking Episode 1: Cunningham Hall - UWM Post

Cunningham Hall houses the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Nursing. To learn more about the building, we talked to Laurie Glass, professor emerita and manager of the UWM’s center for nursing history.

In this episode, we will explore the new UWM Marketing, Communications and University Relations studio and what’s left of the old TV studio that was in the building when it was built in 1973.

UWM Urban Spelunking is a docuseries that explores several of University of Wisconsin-Milwau...
UWM Post •

UWM Urban Spelunking: Bobby Tanzilo Interview - UWM Post

Bobby Tanzilo is a senior editor and writer for OnMilwaukee.com who writes about Milwaukee’s history and architecture. Bobby Tanzilo writes a column at OnMilwaukee called Urban Spelunking where he gets to explore historic buildings in Milwaukee and learn about their history.

This column inspired us to make UWM Urban Spelunking, so we were thrilled when Bobby agreed to let us pick his brain. In this interview, we talked about how Urban Spelunking began, some of his favorite places he’s explored,...
UWM Post •

An Out of this World Experience: Sally - UWM Post

Kicking off the 19th Annual Milwaukee Film Festival this past Thursday, Sally served as the opening night movie to commence the two-week-long celebration, followed by a block party with discount drinks and free bowling to boot. 

The picture is directed by proud Wisconsinite Cristina Costantini. She was inspired by the lasting hero of her childhood and the far-reaching feminist icon of Sally Ride to make this showcased documentary all about the first American woman in space, from her personal ac...
UWM Post •

Here's What to Watch at the 2025 Milwaukee Film Festival

The Milwaukee Film Festival is back this spring with a sprawling, eclectic, and emotional slate of films, celebrating storytelling from Milwaukee to Mumbai. Artistic Director Cara Ogburn announced that this year’s lineup includes 208 films representing 40 countries with 96 features and 112 shorts showcased across 13 shorts programs and scattered pre-feature screenings.

The festival will take place from April 24 to May 8. With 265 total screenings hosted entirely on Milwaukee’s east side—at the...
Media Milwaukee •

Johnnie Patterson Missing from Milwaukee: A Family Man Diagnosed With Dementia

In Media Milwaukee’s attempts to get in contact with the Johnnie Patterson family, a student journalist called over 100 phone numbers without an answer. Soon after Carrie Davis, Patterson’s daughter, called back and agreed to do an interview. 

When the team of student journalists arrived at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Golda Meir Library on the day of the interview, they were expecting a simple interview with Davis. But then they saw four members of the Patterson family walking tow...
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