Walker’s Point Then and Now

by

In 1834 George H. Walker built a house south of the Milwaukee River and the area came to be known as Walker’s Point. In recent decades the neighborhood has been in constant evolution with gentrification and nightlife. The neighborhood—usually defined by the Milwaukee River to the north, the expressway to the west, Beecher Street to the south and by Lake Michigan or the inner harbor to the east—was largely made up of German, Polish and Hispanic immigrants working blue collar jobs.

By 1986, when Art Muscle magazine began publication, editor and publisher  Debra Brehmer saw promise in the neighborhood’s unused industrial and warehouse spaces. She recalls the magazine’s combination office and living space at 909 W. National Ave. “The neighborhood was wonderful. There was a little diner on the block, with great tacos. The corner bodega was run by a wonderful family and their kids. I found it the warmest place I've ever lived, with many different nationalities: Hmong, Polish, Mexican, Puerto Rican, etc.,” Brehmer said. The area was also home to several LGBTQ bars.

Milwaukee author, historian and musician Bobby Tanzilo grew up in Brooklyn. By the time he landed in Milwaukee in 1983 he saw Walker’s Point as reminiscent of Manhattan's Lower East Side. Tanzilo’s ground-zero was the Bern Boys building at 5th and National. Today known as Bern Office Systems, the four-story building was home to poets, photographers, bands and other creatives. He recalls chatting with a local television news personality whose car wouldn’t start. She observed the musicians were “"the nicest gang members" she’d ever met.

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While Kodric’s tavern, Kizivat’s Deli and the Acapulco Restaurant and Lounge are long gone, the neighborhood still is home to a variety of restaurants including the sprawling Botanas, Cafe El Sol at the United Community Center, Toast, Café India and Anodyne coffee shop, roaster and music venue. South Fifth Street’s growing vitality is thanks to Arts at Large which offers education, workshops, resources and outdoor music performances, Dave’s Guitar Shop (spun off from the world-renowned La Crosse shop) and Fuel Café’s spacious location. Nearby, Shaker’s Cigar Bar offers haunted, historical tours, while Great Lakes Distillery and Mobcraft Brewery and Taproom serve locally crafted spirits and brews.