Inside a Greendale Originals Home- Then and Now

(Part one of two)

by

Tucked off of west Grange Avenue in Greendale is a pocket of modestly sized houses and multi-family structures that appear straight out of an English village. Known as Greendale Originals, these homes, many of which still have the original cincrete (a type of cinderblock) façade, were part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal Resettlement Administration’s Greenbelt projects.

Greendale is one of only three Greenbelt projects; the other two are in Greenbelt, Md. and Greenhills, Ohio. All three were built around the same time, between 1936 and 1938. These villages today are National Historic Landmarks.

“Previously farmland, the government bought this land due to its close proximity to Milwaukee,” says Ted Mainella, treasurer of Greendale Historical Society (GHS). Their Apple Court Project house is a 1,000 square foot Greendale Originals home located at 5597 Apple Court, Greendale. It was purchased by GHS from Milwaukee County in 2019 for $70,000. Two years and $120,000 later, the house was restored to its near original state.

At a glance, these houses appear “backwards.” The living rooms are situated at the back of the house. There are no front yards, save for a small sitting area. The design allowed residents to enjoy views of their spacious backyards, Mainella says. The kitchen faces the street.

The houses are all connected by paths so that children wouldn’t have to cross a busy street, adds Marge Hill, president of the Greendale Historical Society. “Paths were intentionally designed to be narrow to encourage people to engage with neighbors.” A nearby walking path leads directly to Historic Downtown Greendale.

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The homes were originally all rentals, Mainella says. The structures have two, three and four-bedroom units, and renters were assigned homes based on their family size. In 1952, the government started selling the homes via a lottery system. All 366 Greendale Originals structures still stand today, and Mainella notes most are in good condition.

Built to Last

The Apple Court home retains the original 85-year-old clay tile roof, but some tree-damaged tiles above the utility room had to be replaced. The GHS had been stockpiling the unique clay tiles for years from people that had modernized their homes. “There’s no way to destroy these tiles except to break them. They don’t disintegrate or collapse,” Mainella says as he raps on one to demonstrate its durability.

Most windows are repurposed from other Greendale Originals homes. A carpenter built a replica of the kitchen window. Near the side entrance, a cast iron lid on the ground slides open to expose an underground garbage pail that could be lifted out.

Greendale Originals homes were built without basements. Because the Greenbelt communities in Maryland and Ohio were built first, the government began running out of money by the time they were ready to start building in Wisconsin. “They wanted to still build here. There was a big housing crisis in Milwaukee and a need for affordable housing for families with small children,” Hill relates. To save money, the government just built the Greendale structures without basements.

Interior highlights include exposed wood ceiling beams. In the Apple Court house, beams had been covered by a drop ceiling installed by a previous owner. “Most of the originals have been remodeled and are very modern. They’re gorgeous, but they’re not historic,” Hill remarks. “We lucked out when we found these beams still intact under the drop ceiling.”

Historically accurate Art Moderne pieces furnish the living room. Being in the midst of the Great Depression, clothing and decor were simple and lacked the intricacies signature to Victorian Era furnishings, Hill says.

The gray and multi-colored tile kitchen floor consists of six-by-six-inch tiles that were specially cut. The metal cabinets are all original, as is the butcherblock countertop, and the kitchen sink. Hill notes GHS got the kitchen table from an antiques dealer who brought the price down once he found out it would be used for their historic renovation project.

The utility room displays a photo of Eleanor Roosevelt, who frequently traveled to check on WPA projects. When she came to Greendale to view the homes, all of which were heated by coal, she immediately noticed that the small coal chute and coal room was separated from the laundry facilities by just a half wall.

“The coal delivery truck would tip coal out from the back of the truck and through the chute, getting coal dust everywhere,” Hill says. “Mrs. Roosevelt saw that and was like ‘oh, no, no, no, not by the laundry!’ After that, she insisted on having a woman on the planning board. Coal rooms were redesigned to be separated by a door.”

All of the original wood floors were refinished. A staircase leading to the second floor has the original flat wooden handrail. Three bedrooms varying from small to large, or “mama bear, papa bear and baby bear,” Mainella remarks, have ‘30s era furniture that was donated by people with Greendale connections.

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The upstairs bathroom has the original bathtub and a glass towel rod, which is also a trademark to the house.

Most restoration was done by volunteers during the COVID-19 shutdowns. Hill expresses thanks to all volunteers and notes that J & J Contractors removed for no cost the siding that previously covered the house. Waterstone Bank approved loans to complete some of the costlier renovations.

“It truly is a labor of love,” Hill concludes.

The Apple Court house is available for overnight stays. For more information, visit VRBO, airbnb, and booking.com, or call 414-421-1938.

Curious to see what a modernized Greendale Originals house looks like? Watch for the January 2024 issue of the Shepherd Express as we visit the home of Joe and Marlene Bruno, who live in a remodeled Greendale Originals home that seamlessly melds the past and present.