Marquette is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Madison with some homes dating back to the mid 19th century closest to Downtown. The district’s fabric shifts more to the turn of the 20th century as it expands Northeast of Downtown. Marquette is well known for its Greek Revival, Italianate, Late Picturesque, and Arts & Crafts Bungalows architectural styles.
In the current day Marquette is one of Madison’s most sought after neighborhoods thanks to its walkable fabric, quirky vibe, haven for foodies, nightlife, the arts, and festival destination. The district also excels at providing excellent park amenities, diverse housing choices, and quality public transit and bike access. Williamson Street is the main commercial spine spanning most of the length of the neighborhood but there is also the node of Winnebago St & Atwood in the Northeast corner and the expanding mixed-use district along Highway 151 redeveloping a once industrial area. The portion of Marquette between the railroad and 151 was once one of Madison’s most industrial areas and home to a major power plant. This is still the lease attractive portion of the neighborhood but is fortunately undergoing an urban transformation. To become a great urban district Marquette could use more density, better racial diversity, and important retail amenities like a local pharmacy, library, better medical options and more church options.
Click here to view my Marquette Album on Flickr
URBAN STRENGTHS:
* Solid ADA infrastructure and sidewalks most curbs where up to ADA standards.
* Great access to Dwtn among all modes of transit.
* Good # of dedicated bike lanes and bike stations throughout Marquette.
* Good economic and generational diversity.
* Overall a very safe community.
* A decent # of quality schools in Marquette and nearby.
* Good # of rental options. 1-beds range anywhere in the 1Ks, 2-beds are slightly more expensive, 3-beds btwn high 1Ks and mid 2Ks.
* For sale runs a bit expensive but good variety and price range. Plenty of 1-beds selling btwn 200K-500K, 2-beds for 230K-600K, 3 & 4 beds sell btwn 300K-900K.
* Excellent park amenities with many small and medium parks spread throughout the neighborhood. There are also several lakefront/riverfront parks, the extensive McPike Park, and the Capital City Trail runs the length of the neighborhood.
* Good tree canopy overall.
* Lots of quality modern in-fill spread through the district showing the health of the community. Attractive historic homes and generally good historic commercial bldgs.
* Great cultural amenities including plenty of food & beverage bizs, lots of breweries, several art galleries, lots of live music venues, some night clubs, several local theaters and convenient access to Dwtn’s cultural amenities.
* Good retail amenities including several supermarkets, some clothing/boutiques, several banks, a hardware & bike store, lots of furniture/home good stores, a bookstore, several gift shops/creative stores, plenty of dessert shops & gyms, and a local post office.
* Generally good urban form and streetscaping. Highway 151 was historically pretty auto centric but has been making great improvement the last decade with dense mixed-use bldgs. Still more improvement needed though.
* One of Madison’s most sought after districts.
URBAN WEAKNESSES:
* So so density
* Racial diversity is pretty lacking is this is ~ 85% white.
* Missing a local pharmacy & local library, few churches are here, and the nearest hospital is 3 miles away,
* Some tree dead spots especially near highway 151 which is a recovering industrial area.
Evaluating our Urban Communities [with a focus on America] 