A Steward of Milwaukee's History: My Promise to the City
Milwaukee is a city of great homes.
Along Lake Drive, Prospect Avenue and the bluffs of the North Shore stand the mansions of the brewers, tanners and bankers who built this city. Their carved staircases, leaded glass and limestone walls hold more than a century of Milwaukee's story.
If you own one of these homes, you are its keeper today. When the time comes to pass it to the next family, its history deserves to travel with it.
Milwaukee's History Preserved through real estate: caring for Milwaukee's historic homes, and for the families who sell them, with all the respect this city's history deserves is not being carried through by the younger generation and the stories behind the great homes of Milwaukee needs to be told when selling them
Milwaukee's Historical Past
Milwaukee was built by giants. Brewers, tanners, bankers and industrialists poured their fortunes into homes along Lake Drive, Prospect Avenue, Newberry Boulevard and the bluffs of the North Shore. They hired the finest architects of their day and the most gifted artisans in the Midwest.
Those homes still stand. They hold the names of the families who built them, the architects who drew them and the craftsmen who carved them. Every one of them carries a story worth telling.
When I represent one of these homes, I represent its history too
House Pedigree Is the Story
In luxury real estate, pedigree is everything. Who built the home. Who designed it. Who lived there. What happened within its walls.
Consider a home designed by Fitzhugh Scott, one of Milwaukee's most accomplished architects of the early twentieth century and a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. A Fitzhugh Scott home deserves to be presented as exactly that: a signed work by a master. His name belongs in the first sentence of the listing, in the brochure, in every conversation with a buyer.
The same is true for the work of Kirchhoff and Rose, Alexander Eschweiler, Ferry and Clas and the other masters who shaped this city. Their names carry value. Their stories carry emotion. Buyers who love historic homes want both.
History sells. More importantly, history matters
The Historical Societies trusted sources of Milwaukee's History
Every historic home I list begins in the archives.
My team and I study the records of the Wisconsin Historical Society, whose Architecture and History Inventory documents the builders, architects and dates of homes across our state. We turn to the Milwaukee County Historical Society, home to the family papers, letters and photographs that bring these estates to life. We read the original permits, the old newspaper accounts and the architectural surveys.
That research is an essential part of the job. A luxury agent in Milwaukee serves as a steward of history, and stewardship requires scholarship
When I recently researched the Joseph E. Uihlein estate on Lake Drive, the archives revealed a love story between two great dynasties, Schlitz beer and Pfister and Vogel leather, and a coach house built at the exact moment the horse gave way to the automobile. That story is the soul of the home. It deserves to be told
Extending the Legacy South to Naples, Florida
Milwaukee's builders reached far beyond Wisconsin.
In 1937, Schlitz heir William B. Uihlein brought his Milwaukee expertise to a tiny fishing village called Naples. He built its first water plant, loaned the town money toward its first town hall and was named its honorary mayor for life. Milwaukee helped build Naples.
Today, Powers Realty Group, Inc. carries that same thread south. Our Wisconsin clients asked us to be their Florida broker, and we answered with our Naples office at 780 Fifth Avenue South. The families who built Milwaukee's great homes are writing their next chapter on the Gulf, and we are honored to walk with them in both places.
The legacy travels. We carry it with care
Our Promise to Milwaukee
To the city that built me, here is my promise.
- I will research every historic home I represent, working hand in hand with the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Milwaukee County Historical Society.
- I will name the architects, the artisans and the families who created each home, and give them their rightful place in its story.
- I will share these stories publicly through my work, so every generation can know the remarkable people who built this city.
- I will guide each home to its next steward, a buyer who will treasure its history as much as its beauty.
- I will carry Milwaukee's legacy to Naples, where Milwaukee families have been building for nearly a century.
Milwaukee's history lives in its homes. I intend to keep it alive, celebrated and cherished for generations to come.
An Invitation
If you own one of Milwaukee's great homes, I would be honored to learn its story with you. Together we will present it with the reverence it deserves and find the next family to love it.
Call me at 414-963-0000
Suzanne Powers
CEO, Founder and Broker-Owner, Powers Realty Group, Inc.
Milwaukee's Luxury Leader | Wisconsin's #1 Boutique Broker™
Shorewood: 4214 N Oakland Avenue | 414-963-0000 | powersrealty.com
Naples: 780 Fifth Avenue South | powersrealtyfl.com
