Along with including the entire Walker’s Point district I also added a block of Harbor View into the evaluation extending it Easter ward to Barclay St. This is really the only cohesive part of the Harbor View neighborhood, a mostly industrial area.
The Walker’s Point District got its name from George Walkers who in 1834 staked a claim of 160 acres on the point of land south of the confluence of the Milwaukee and Menomonee Rivers and built a crude cabin and trading post at what is now 4th Street & Bruce St. Walker’s Point developed slower than other competing settlements in current day Milwaukee but slowly began to grow in the 1840s hosting 1,366 residents by 1846. Within a decade Walker’s Point more than doubled its population including a large number of German immigrants. By the 1870s & 1880s the neighborhood welcomed mostly Polish immigrants.
Walker’s Point is also home to the first Pabst Brewing Company facility which opened in 1841. Thanks to the extensive history at Walker’s Point the neighborhood hosts an eclectic mix of styles ranging from workers’ cottages to large architect-designed homes, craftsman’s shops and large factories. More recently Walker’s Point became home to the City’s gay community and welcomed large numbers of Mexican families (now almost 70% of the districts population). Walker’s Point is also a hotbed of foodie activity with many of its historic warehouses converted into office, retail, and residential lofts. I also really like the strong mixed use character of the district, especially east of I 94. There are 7 district business districts here, creating a very walkable neighborhood bolstered by great transit and bike infrastructure. Walker’s Point also has a good range of housing types, often at affordable/moderate prices (esp. west of I-94). For Walker’s Point to become a premier urban neighborhood it needs to continue filling in its vacant and underutilized spaces with quality urban infill along with creating more parks and recreational space. This will naturally create more retail amenities leading to a more vibrancy and walkable community.
Click here to view my Walker’s Point album on Flickr
URBAN STRENGTHS:
* Solid ADA and sidewalk infrastructure.
* Decent tree canopy the father west you go in the neighborhood.
* Great public transit access and solid bike infrastructure.
* Very convenient access to Dwtn.
* Excellent generational diversity with a high pct of families living here. Decent racial and economic diversity. This is a very Hispanic neighborhood comprising nearly 70% of the residents.
* Great # of walkable schools but mixed ratings.
* Generally a pretty safe community.
* Lots of great commercial and warehouse historic architecture. Residential architecture is more modest given this was a working class neighborhood. Good Mixed-use infill on the eastern half.
* Good # of rentals with diverse price points. 1-beds range between $700-1.5K, 2 & 4-beds range btwn $750-3K. Decent amount of dedicated afford hsg here too.
* Similar situation with for sale. Some studios & 1-beds selling in the 100Ks & 200Ks, 2-beds sell btwn 175K-400K, 3 & 4 beds btwn 100K-500K. As a general rule of thumb housing is much cheaper west of I-94.
* Solid cultural amenities including a great # of food & beverage bizs (esp. Mexican), breweries, many art galleries, several local theaters & live music venues, plenty of night clubs, an a bobblehead museum.
* Good retail amenities as well including a supermarket, several grocerias, a couple pharmacies, many boutiques/vintage stores, plenty of gift shops, home good & furniture. Antique stores, several banks, lots of salons/barber shops, plenty of gyms & dessert joints, a post office, and plenty of churches.
* Generally good form in the many biz districts (2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, & 16th streets, Florida, and National Ave)
* Lots of landmarks here with the larger historic factory buildings.
URBAN WEAKNESSES:
* Park space to limited to a couple small parklets.
* Decent amount of underutilized industrial land remaining in spots.
* No public library in the neighborhood.
Evaluating our Urban Communities [with a focus on America] 