The Wisconsin Historical Society announced today that the former North Milwaukee High School, 5372 N. 37th St., which was later called Custer High School and, later still, Edison Junior High/Middle School, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 20.
The building earned state historic status in April, too.
The former schoolhouse has been purchased by Oregon, Wisconsin-based Gorman & Co., which has begun work on transforming it into affordable housing.
The school was erected in phases in 1924 and '29 as home to North Milwaukee High School. When that municipality was annexed by the City of Milwaukee in 1929, MPS renamed the school Custer, after the street where it was located.
Later, when Custer moved to a new building in 1955, the Collegiate Gothic building – designed by Van Ryn & DeGelleke – became Edison Junior High School and, later, Middle School. Edison closed in 2007.
You can read a deeper history and see interior and historic photos in this Urban Spelunking story.
The school was listed, according to WHS, because, "it retains character-defining features of the Progressive Era High School, including spaces that focus on secondary education such as physical education, vocational training, music, and the arts. It remains the largest and most prominent building within the former city limits, constructed during the height of pre-annexation growth."
The designation could aid Gorman in securing federal historic tax credits, which is said it would seek as part of its financing package for the affordable housing plan.
Gorman's $20 million project includes 64 affordable apartments with another 11 affordable townhouse units on the site.
Gorman recently closed on the property and has begun interior demolition and remediation work. The project is expected to be completed in mid-2024.
The company recently opened another of its adaptive reuse of former school buildings as apartment complexes at the former McKinley Elementary on 20th and Vliet.
Also on Wednesday, WHS announced that Wilhelm Tischer's 1870 Boomtown-style blacksmith shop in Jackson was added to the NRHP on April 14.
The same family ran the shop until 1976, when it was among the last blacksmith shops around.
"It is an excellent example of a rare property type and style that was prevalent at the time of construction along commercial centers," WHS noted.
"The two-story building features wood siding, a false front, a large central entrance to work on carriages and wagons, modest wood elements, and double-hung windows."
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
