The Mysterious Empty Mansion of Milwaukee

Discover the hidden history of the most extravagant yet empty mansion ever built in Milwaukee. From the heights of a romantic love story to the depths of deceit and betrayal, this Richardsonian Romanesque Mansion stood as a testament to a relationship that never was.
Like, Comment, and Share our video, Subscribe if you enjoyed this video!
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Check out our Merch: thishouse.media
Join our Membership program:
/ @thishouse
Public Domain Photos from: Library of Congress, Milwaukee Public Library, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Library
Assets from: Envato Elements
Music from Epidemic Sound

[@jenpink4298]

Oh my gosh, my jaw literally dropped when you showed us that picture of the wreckage. What a shame! That was really some extraordinary craftsmanship!

[@joemontano71]

@Jen Pink - Same here. Not sure why, but I thought since this beautiful house was firmly intact, it was going to end up preserved in the end.

[@raallen1468]

@@joemontano71 This stunning home fell into the wrong hands, & was destroyed by "educated" people.

[@rzella8022]

Stupid people, or were they controllers. Just makes ya mad.

[@crisfield4364]

My jaw dropped, too.

[@freemason4979]

The original McMansion

[@marcyking461]

The really sad part about finding out about these demolitions is knowing that these magnificent mansions of yesteryear will never be reproduced like they were, back in the day when true craftsmen took pride in their work. These days, houses are built to last 40-50 years, and the majority of today's architecture can't hold a candle to the prestigious workmanship oozing from the homes of yesterday, including the smaller homes. So sad to destroy such beauty for a parking lot that could be built anywhere. What's the point in stealing a spot already occupied by a gem that could have been refurbished into student housing, class rooms, or whatever other purpose a college might have?

[@emakelley6807]

Party house. It is Milwaukee. 🍻

[@saanrio]

I'm sure the English department would have had some professors who would have drooled over the idea of having one of the bedrooms as an office.

[@DurgaUsagi]

😩😩😩💔💔💔💔💔

[@arosefortes6507]

My thoughts as well. The college have used it art exhibits, for meetings, for clubs like poetry or as you mentioned. Even better the City itself could have bought it , refurbished and and done the same, a place for special events or occasions, a historical museum of the city. Surely great minds could come up with something .... one would think, right?

[@yvngloww]

Marquette has been taking over for yrs

[@CatherineKasper-v2h]

When I was very little....3 or 4 years old, (1957 and 1958) the Knights of Columbus owned this house. My grandfather was a member and, every year, they threw a Christmas party for the children. The huge tree was, if I recall correctly, placed in the parlor to the right of the front entrance. I clearly remember staring at it for an extremely long time since it was the first time I ever saw antique ornaments. I remember that the staircase wood was honey colored, like oak. The interior sort of glowed and I think they had lit fires in those fireplaces too. I also remember asking my father to buy a house just like that one and he got a real kick out of that. We walked through the rooms where they had tables set up and they gave each of us a wrapped gift, a popcorn ball, and a huge stocking full of candy that I did NOT have to share with my siblings. It was my first time seeing all those things. I felt awful the day they tore this down. Nobody knew it would happen until, suddenly, there were special news reports on tv. For heaven's sake. What idiot suddenly needed to tear the Plankington mansion down?

[@arosefortes6507]

It looked as if the demolition man was even upset about having to do his job! 😕

[@Taranberk2]

I grew up in Milwaukee and remembered passing by this place as a child in the 60s. My mom told me it belonged to the Knights of Columbus and I had no idea who they were. Wow it’s been ages since I saw an image of this place. How sad this happened. I live in Phoenix now and, a lot of historic buildings from yesteryear have also been demolished here to make way for housing developments.

[@brendadrew834]

@user-lx3ud4uj2v Wow, can feel your heartache! Felt the same way when they closed down the wonderful famous landmark restaurant in historic Boston , Durgin Park that served great authentic Yankee New England cooking and had been such a success since it first opened in 1827! Many famous people had eaten there, too! Thankfully, I have their great cookbook, but now so many have been deprived of ever eating there and enjoying their great food with an also great atmosphere! Europe doesn't do this they still have buildings since the ancient Roman and Greek eras, Mideival era and Victorian era, castles, palaces, mansions, restaurants like one I ate in, in beautiful Paris created 400 years ago! They still have the palace and kitchen of King Henry the 8th and his kitchen is still in use for demonstrations about how they cooked and what he ate back then! I also went to Rome and visited their ancient ruins and toured the Palace of Versailles as an art student many moons ago. It's mind boggling how so many have such disregard for our precious history and past! Shame on all of them! smdh

[@christophermyers3758]

It's unbelievable that the university demolished a historic mansion for a parking lot, considering that the surrounding buildings lack ANY architectural significance? 🤔😠

[@RadDadisRad]

Doesn’t surprise me at all

[@sherryreis7951]

They paved Paradise and put up a parking lot. 🤨

[@susanlongb4]

Yes. Don't know why people continue to will them places like this.

[@califdad4]

At least with this one destroyed, it caused more to be saved. Same thing happened in Sacramento CA, a gorgeous theater was torn down for a Safeway grocery store, many worked to save it but nothing worked but the preservation group got stronger and Sacramento as a city government got behind it

[@waynejensen4224]

The college is ruining down town Milwaukee . seems that's almost all you can see now.😢

[@emilyfink1185]

The woodwork on the staircases was incredible! I could spend an hour just looking at the detailing. So much talent went into these kinds of homes back then. Makes most of today’s homes look like “blah”.

[@paco7992]

Makes ALL of modern architecture look like a sick joke! A smack in the face to all sense and sensibility.

[@dianetheisen8664]

"Blah" indeed

[@LaurenceDay-d2p]

The superb woodwork could have been saved and reused in other homes. What a shameful waste!

[@sandysimmer1279]

I had tears in my eyes when I saw the pictures of the demolition of this home! What terrible people, and so very sad.

[@amandab.recondwith8006]

Such a shame. But back then, these fabulous structures were considered to be ugly. They'd rather have a nasty modernist block instead. I still can't believe the damage done from the '60 - -70s.

[@paco7992]

That generation will be remembered as most destructive in history. They turned beauty into blight, history into hearsay and culture into consumerism.

[@dianetheisen8664]

I don't think it was ugly. Compared to 'mansions' of today, I'd take that one.

[@EcceHomo1088]

Modern architecture is a monstrosity...

[@paco7992]

@@EcceHomo1088 I vote we start tearing modern bMidwest down and save the beautiful ones that came before. I say we start in the midwest.

[@EcceHomo1088]

@@paco7992 you’d have to start with the eastern seaboard and the South… it’s where the earliest of settlements were

[@SpanishEclectic]

Oh man! What a tragedy! We see people trying to restore houses of a similar age that have fallen into ruin. If this had been saved back then, and incorporated into the University as a special event space, library for special archives, art display space, or even offices, how many people could have enjoyed the views from the fun tower, the decorative facade, and that fantastic interior woodwork? Too bad there aren't more pictures. I'm always glad when I see a Victorian house that has been incorporated into the grounds of a school or hospital. So much of that late mid-century commercial construction was just boring and ugly. In our Downtown, a number of old warehouses, commercial buildings, hotels, and private homes from the 1880s through the early 1950s have been restored and are living on, though often with a new use. Fun to see a night club or cafe in a 1930s former auto shop. Every one has something decorative or unique about it.

[@shannonobrien9922]

There a similar one in St. Louis (I can't remember the school) but a channel similar to this one did a tour of it once- it was AMAZING!!!! My all time favorite room in it was the top floor turret room!!!!

[@vault7137]

That's heartbreaking. Whoever made that decision should be ashamed of themselves.

[@krazmokramer]

The interior woodwork was fabulous. Like Joni Mitchell sang: "Paved paradise. Put up a parking lot."

[@dianetheisen8664]

Not crazy about that song, but, in this case, SO true.

[@barbarabonnette2705]

You don’t know what you e got til it’s gone….. At least the one thing everyone here has in common is great architecture and the desire to preserve a part of history. Sadly such a mistake….especially when it featured architects from that area.

[@tudorjason]

Shame. It was definitely more appealing than the newer buildings surrounding the property.

[@gwenyoung7789]

I almost teared up when I saw the demo picture. Why would anyone want to destroy such a monumentally beautiful house in favor of a parking lot? It seems that the university could have used it as offices, etc. Sad, sad, sad

[@adamheskett6245]

Hide the past

[@DeanRussellHickey]

Well that was a shocker.... There I was watching the video and looking forward to seeing the house as I thought it might exist today, then out of nowhere the house is gone! I wasn't expected that ending at all, and I actually gasped and said "No way" out loud. It's true. Others have commented as to the damage done mid-century and it is certainly a shame that so much has been lost. On the plus side, there are a great many restored homes and buildings, and what is happening in Detroit is a great example, where they restore a crumbling mass of bricks into an amazing architectural treasure. I really do enjoy this channel.

[@afterthestorm221]

I do hope a salvage company was allowed to come and save some of the decorative work.

[@501rivet]

..yes, some of the architectural features were "saved" and given to the city. Those features were in storage for years and auctioned off over 15 years ago (from this posting 2023).

[@rosssoutherland8118]

Great home and what a bunch of BS to destroy it!

[@proudvirginian]

Shutters that pulled up from the base is something I hadn't seen before. That's pretty cool

[@jenpink4298]

I’ve never seen that either, that was amazing!

[@fred_fred_fred]

Shame on you University.

[@501rivet]

Exactly !

[@rosiemcnaughton9933]

What a crime! Such a wonderful house, and not a thing wrong with it. Good video.

[@theresawilson2647]

What a terrible waste. A beautiful intact house demolished. I can't say which room was my favorite as they were all so beautiful. I did really like the entrance hall.

[@GoodToGoIndustries]

I'll never forget seeing a hallway in the James J. Hill mansion, which cost a million to have made. All hand carved wood, it was more of a sculpture than wood paneling.

[@HORSEYANIME2024]

Pls do more mansions of Wisconsin

[@TomSarelas]

University should have known better. Disgusting. TFS

[@ponysoldier6770]

Ouch this ones about places no longer exist always hurt. I accept life is transitory but I dont like beauty being destroyed for no reason...

[@derricklangford4725]

That old growth wood must have been extremely expensive. I'm always amazed at the quality of craftsmanship that it took to create something so beautiful, more than likely with only hand tools. Milwaukee had at the time a large German population who brought the artform over to America. Sadly very few people have the knowledge to replicate those techniques. Which makes saving buildings like these extremely important.

[@LunaShimmyDiva]

Neither the skills nor the materials even exist to build a home remotely as wonderful these days…

[@Jim-Tuner]

The old growth quality wood was not expensive in the United States at the time these houses were built. But eventually the majority of the old growth wood had been used and it became much more expensive. The craftsmanship associated with these buildings is mostly gone because the majority of people don't want it. The vast majority of people today prefer sterile, factory-produces styles for their homes. They want plain metal and stone for the most part. If they include wood, they want to appear almost inorganic. Houses like this could still be built if there were enough people who wanted them. But there are not.

[@The_Smith]

I liked that alcove off the library, looked like a nice place to spend a stormy day with a book, cat, and mug of tea.

[@portaltwo]

Whatever shreds of respect I may still have held for academia have just evaporated. "Monument to Victorian bad taste"? There's only one thing in bad taste in this tale, and it's not the house.

[@chrisludwig5101]

What a waste !!??

[@georgemiller6765]

It’s todays culture. Tear down and erase the past build and install banal and generic everything. God forbid we keep what little culture we had or have.

[@ropeburnsrussell]

Sickening....

[@Joy-TheLazyCatLady2]

I will never understand how people can be so cold. They care more about money than history.

[@501rivet]

..you are correct about $ rules when it comes to a city. Marquette brings in so much, that the city officials cave in to any issue Marquette needs to flex their muscle. ...and MU knows they can get away with almost in not, anything.

[@SusyJacuzzi]

When i see buildings like this, I bounce between being in awe of the design and craft, and scorn for its extravagance when so many live in poverty. I wonder how the craftspeople who made this building lived.

[@501rivet]

..there is nothing wrong with extravagance of this nature as, it is a personal art form. Back in that era, homes were an expression of ones self-achievement. Not everyone wanted/wants a big home, but for those that do, they have a born right to do what they want. A home is not built to offend. Socialism as seen as an even keel structure for social living fairness, is actually unfair to achievers who aspire to personalize their self-expression, in this case, a home. Poverty, and how some choose to have it influence and manage their lives, will always be alive in a social system, for whatever reason. View the house as art, and not as a related social commentary.

[@emily76m]

@@501rivet 💯

[@Jim-Tuner]

The craftspeople who built houses like this lived well. At the time, they were valued for their particular skills & artistry and paid accordingly. They were sought after individuals. But as work like this house (and public works of high craft in general) became politically unacceptable to people like you, they tended to no longer find valued employment and were often replaced by unskilled labor. Their pay went down, their lives got worse and the skills associated with them largely disappeared. Poverty still existed but we lived in a more ugly world.

[@501rivet]

@@Jim-Tuner ..realistically stated.

[@SusyJacuzzi]

@@Jim-Tuner I'm glad that the craftspeople who built these homes were well paid. But please elaborate on "But as work like this house...became politically unacceptable...they tended to no longer find valued employment..." I'm wondering if the craftspeople weren't hired as much because the economy changed and there were fewer people who could afford to hirer them. You're welcome to elaborate on "politically unacceptable" since I'm apparently in that group.

[@yada-yadadragon1947]

I lived in Milwaukee as a child and remember this house along the lake front, along with many others. I can not believe it has been torn down. How sick is the university to be so brazen to think it was "in bad taste" and also believe they were capable to judge. They obviously were not qualified. Just so sad they did this.

[@hollyw9566]

This was fairly common in the 50s, 60s and 70s. That is why so many people interested in restoration today have to fix things like added drop ceilings, cheap parquet flooring laid over beautiful woods, and so on. It still happens. My little Craftsman with its wavy glass windows, all original, the big sheets of glass windows in my living room and dining room, all these original things the house had in abundance, since it had been owned by the same family since it was built in 1912, have been, since I sold the house, utterly and totally destroyed. Also, the heirloom plantings, the summer blooming hydrangea, all my ferns, the black raspberry bushes, the raised beds behind the house - destroyed. I've never met the current home owners but boy oh boy am I glad I haven't. I'd have said unforgivable things. I cried when I saw what they'd done to my house.

[@shabsewerther6245]

To be perfectly clear, the Plankinton Mansion did not stand on the Lakefront. It stood on Grand Avenue. You can tell from the round building behind it, which was still standing when I left Milwaukee in 2005. Most (if not all) of the Mansions along the lake from north of the North Avenue Water Tower are still standing.

[@iamspartacus7756]

So many uses could have been done with this beautiful mansion. A counseling or welcoming center, museum, library….but instead they got a parking lot. Thank you, Ken, for keeping architectural history alive. Wish you had been able to give a live tour before it was torn down.

[@verak66]

Horrible. Marquette could've used that incredible house as part of their campus. It's better now but the struggle continues. And what do they usually replace such beauty with? Parking lots, athletic fields, more condos and sky high buildings. Ugh.

[@edgarsnake2857]

A spectacular house. The woodwork was so extensive and beautifullydone throughout that I can't pick a favorite. I will never understand how and why buildings like this could not be saved. I guess the upkeep is massive.

[@Jim-Tuner]

They were built so well that upkeep was rarely ever an issue. The usual problems in buildings like this were lack of modern internal infrastructure for heating, cooling, electricity and plumbing. Its difficult to retrofit the houses to properly fix those things.

[@JohnSmith-bq4vh]

That home was built to last centuries! The upkeep on a trailer or modern home is extensive. Modern homes can go to crap in 30 years. That is all they are engineered to last for. The roof will need redone, the plumbing, the electrical, the windows and if it is a newer wood frame house, it will need to be demolished because the timber won't be structurally sound due to rot and insect destruction.

[@salviabuckwheats7434]

The saddest story since the demise of Penn Station in New York in 1963. Oh god, how horrid that was. How can people destroy such beauty, I'd die to have to witness it. Very well-done video, thank you.

[@CEC321]

SUPER interesting. Please research more of Milwaukee’s beautiful mansions. 🎉

[@choryferguson2196]

What a terrible loss. Thanks, Ken, for sharing this story.

[@jillczerwinski8870]

As kids we would take the bus downtown and pick out "our" house, the house we'd live in if we were rich. I always picked out the Plankinton mansion. It was heartbreaking when Marquette forever destroyed that work of art. They are disgusting. I've never seen the inside of that beautiful home until now. Thank you.

[@lukasdoerr9167]

That University ought to make a public apology. Some serious groveling is required on their part.

[@tinasan3870]

I grew up in Milwaukee and moved to Dallas in 1978. I stayed away from Milwaukee for a long time. In 2010 I went back to visit. I was amazed at all the beautiful architecture and gothic and victorian buildings. The Milwaukee Public Library - which I used to walk by every morning and never noticed - was absolutley AMAZING. Dallas does not have buildings like these.........When you don't have it, you appreciate it more.

[@baja63383]

Back then they gave their kids homes to live in, my parents gave me nothing but trauma.

[@merryfergie]

Some parents continue to give houses to newlyweds.

[@CarterKey6]

Boomer generation are selfish

[@barbarahendryx809]

Only the "well to do" who could afford to give their kids houses did so.

[@marvwatkins7029]

For this crime against Milwaukee, no one should EVER donate as much as a penny to Marquette University ever again. (BTW: the millwork and carving was the best part overall, IMHO.)

[@robertwrede7843]

That sucks. Progress is unrelenting and disrespectful of out past.

[@501rivet]

..you should check out Milwaukee's historic old train station torn down in the late 1960's. A travesty to historical creation and relevance.

[@gmanette188]

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot Joni Mitchell

[@ndog2005]

Horrible that the once Gorgeous mansion was demolished... Thank goodness for the photos, that are treasured...

[@CarolLustgarten]

Tragic and sad that the city of Milwaukee did not save and preserve that house of beauty and historic significance. The city is stupid and beyond dumb for not saving that gem of a mansion.😢😢😢😢

[@jimwiskus8862]

Remind me to never support that university in any way, shape or form. The fiancée was despicable for sure, but the university eclipsed even that. I am left speechless. Well, sort of.

[@brokenglass849]

Thank goodness when a new architectural style emerged in Europe, they didn't immediately see everything built before it as hideous, and in need of being demolished, as was the case in the US. This greedy lustful country didn't and doesn't deserve the riches bestowed upon it..

[@JA51711]

What an incredible museum and educational historical visit that would have been for all the schoolchildren in the area over the generations. Landmarks used to be protected and that certainly should have been protected . Unfortunately the anti-Americanism over misinformation about our history and foundation it's causing people to disrespect and not appreciate our historical sites. Local communities like certain Universites do not cherish and do not call for preservation any longer and that is a problem. What an incredible study hall it would have been. I've have noticed that local universities will buy home after home and surrounding areas and once they attain a block that will knock down the homes and then they force their policies on local communities overpowering the residence and influencing elected officials in order to control the neighborhoods that they sprawl and take over and some of the policies are very anti-American, unconstitutional, endangering security and history and this has to stop.

[@ryanpatrick4920]

The university could not find some use for the building? All those eggheads, and a parking lot was the extent of their thinking?

[@jeffc7486]

I like how Europe retains its history as much as possible, and hate how the US destroys ours.

[@gandfgandf5826]

Only 9 seconds in, the staircase! My favourite. No need to watch any further. Magnificent woodwork.

[@paco7992]

That campus certainly understands bad taste and demonstrated that when they thought it was a good idea to raise this structure.

[@Zealor365]

The cost to replace that building today would be in excess of $150 Million.

[@conniegaylord5206]

Every house has a soul from the people who designed it, built it, and lived in it. So sad! 💓💔

[@charlottemiller961]

How terribly sad and such a waste! They should be so ashamed of themselves for destroying such a great example of architecture!

[@pmn2821]

This University needs to be shamed.

[@mariusmcleod2487]

Sadly a similar fate befell a grand Victorian mansion here in Ohio. A local high school purchased it only to demolish it to build a new high school where it once stood.

[@FeedScrn]

Thank You for the tour of a once grand home. Surprisingly, many do not cherish old-ish gems like the mansion depicted.

[@riot4jem]

Like the university couldn’t have used the house as it was. 😡

[@t.j.m3987]

I hope they reaped what they had sown in Destruction😢

[@catheyashburn433]

Devastating it was torn down😢

[@vickilindberg6336]

Heaven forbid the university show respect for history.

[@pmn2821]

As long as they can spread their liberalism they're happy.

[@tamieckert4548]

The wrecking ball could do work on something else instead of wiping out historical architectural beauties,like this. Some only get a small waiting period going off the market and the destruction ensues. Much labor goes into many buildings that can have another chance for a start up,But insurance and codes and rezoning taxes,take over. And it takes monies to keep it up, but it’s worth investing in.

[@Mistydazzle]

Demerits to the decision makers at Marquette University! But, these sad actions still occur, today. The college in the city, here - which has ironically won Historic Preservation awards in the past for saving some buildings - during the last 10 years has been the destroyer of many an old building so that they can reuse the land space with modern developments. Many of these buildings could have been moved, but not for this college. The Plankinton House was so divine in all its detail.

[@jonrussell1690]

It’s a SHAME & INCONCEIVABLE how a University defied the public and city when it was in Pristine condition. Just to knock it down to have an empty field there is unconscionable! Why? That could’ve housed the University’s President or something besides tearing it down. That was a shame and a massive earthquake in architectural design being destroyed for what, an empty field. 😢😢😢😢

[@charleholst3881]

As a lifelong Milwaukeean, I remember the building, and the furor when it was demolished. However,I can't quite remember where it stood...was it around 16th and Wisconsin Ave?

[@synchronicity1470]

Not hard to fathom that magnificent structure being ripped down. Fair Warning - mini rant re: corporate greed in politics to follow. Corporate influence always prevails. It all goes down to who is on the local planning boards & who controls the local governing bodies. It is why local Public Policy is far more important that one can imagine; from school boards to public works. From the Republican Party banning of books to the poisoned city water people drink to the architectural gems being torn down, it all boils down to local planning boards. Message - get interested in the backgrounds & motivations of the local people being elected to your school boards & government offices. The Federal US House of Representatives, currently under a slim Radical Republican majority is controlled by Corporate interests. Republicans legislate for big business & the wealthy, NEVER the average hard working guy & girl. The massive corporate tax break trump made permanent was a giveaway & a thank you to the corporate donors who contributed to rumps campaign. That needless tax give-away added 3.5 TRILLION $$ to the US deficit. It is we the taxpayer who financed the tax break to millionaires. And laws are crafted to benefit big business at the expense of & to the detriment of average citizens who ironically pay their salaries. It is why people must smarten up & vote Democrat, as Dems always fight for the Rights of people: children, women, seniors, impoverished, mentally ill AND in protecting beauty & the Earth. While still strong-armed by corporate greed, their track record proves a consistent commitment to the average citizen over Corporate greed. It is always a challenge saving these Great historic masterpieces of architecture, craftsmanship & design; sometimes taking years to come to a decision to preserve or destroy. Sadly it usually reduces down to profit gains. Pay attention to who you put on seemingly minor governing bodies. Vote Dem if you care about democracy and protecting your Freedoms & Rights. The Radical Right now owns the tainted Supreme Court. Republican Fascists have taken away Women's Rights to bodily autonomy; brown people's Right to Vote,; children's & parental Right to choose what to read. A for-profit University chose corporate profit over Historic Preservation. It's all connected, my friends.

[@jekalambert9412]

Holy crap!!! I grew up in Milwaukee. I left in 1974 never to return. I have fond memories of this beautiful house and had no idea that Marquette University had acquired and demolished it. Such a travesty!!! Thanks for your video.

[@seattlebeard]

Seeing the walls painted white seems inappropriate for its time. Perhaps because it was unfinished? I love heavy Romanesque buildings. They look like they'll last centuries. Sadly not so.

[@ishajac3637]

Oh my god 😢. I was completely shocked at the end. I hadn't realized it was demolished after all. That's just criminal.

[@jeanhansel5805]

i grew up in Milwaukee and lived a few blocks from this mansion. Marquette demolished many mansions on Wisconsin Avenue as it expanded its campus. i was born in a house located on 25th Street, between Wells and Wisconsin. I remember the two mansions on this block which were demolished. The one on the corner of Wisconsin and 25th, was demolished when I was a child and was replaced by a gas station. What an insult to that house! As I remember the house, it had a large front porch that faced Wisconsin Avenue and was constructed with cream city bricks. The mansion directly next door to it on 25th Street was torn down sometime after i had already moved out of Wisconsin, and was replaced by a generic and ugly apartment house. The house I was born in on 25th Street had been built in 1908. My parents bought the house from two sisters who had lived in the house for many years before selling it. My parents walled off the open staircase and converted the second and third floor rooms into rooming house rental units. Some of the houses across from what was Concordia College mirrored our house, and i was able to see years later what the house looked like pre-conversion via a house tour of historic homes in the 80's. The Schindler mansion (my mother said this mansion was always known as "the castle" in her childhood) had been located on 24th and Wisconsin and was demolished sometime in the 1920's and replaced by what was then Milwaukee County Hospital. Fortunately, the hospital building preserved most of the grounds located on that site. When the hospital was moved and the building was replaced by a school, much of the landscaping was torn down. That neighborhood at one time was lovely, and every house on 25th Street had flower gardens in the front and back yards. Wells Street also had mansions that were demolished. I'm always seeking out old photos of the demolished houses, but so far I've had no luck in finding any photos with the exception of the Schindler mansion.

[@brianmccarthy5557]

Thanks Marquette, which has recently distinguished itself by its WOKE subservience, for destroying beautiful architecture and replacing it with barren concrete and sterile Modernist architectural bunkers. You're a true tribute to the modern educational Establishment.

[@nickgibb4687]

Houses like this are all over Wisconsin. Milwaukee, Oconomowoc, Okauchee, Lake la Belle

[@tashayar75]

Racine and Kenosha, too. Not to mention all the Frank Lloyd Wright houses and other buildings in Racine/Wind Point.

[@nickgibb4687]

@@tashayar75 yes. im not a fan of the wright houses. beaver dam has some great ones. i have pictures of some of the old mansions in milwauke as my family use to own red star yeast in Milwaukee. old pics of my grandmother in fur coats as a child driving excalibers around. those were made off of 107th st...aka hwy 100

[@pamelaulrich3928]

@@nickgibb4687 What a great family history you must have! I never realized Red Star Yeast was made here in Milwaukee

[@Jim-Tuner]

In the same style, but not like that one.

[@wernerdanler2742]

In Europe they have buildings that are almost 2000 years old still in use. They would never think to demolish them. Here, we can't seem to keep much that is 200 years old.

[@stevelee4653]

a classic Beauty!!! I love the craftmanship!! all the working.. its such a Beautiful sight!!

[@johnwood551]

Another “Enlightened “ University . UNBELIEVABLE!!

[@crypticself80]

I love this channel. Great work. Incredible houses we wouldn't have known existed. Truly a shame that they are lost forever. Thanks to you at least they won't we forgotten.

[@billiejomcmillan7632]

What a horrible shame! The could've at least taken it apart carefully and re-built it somewhere else with lots of lovely landscaping around it. The detailing throughout it was magnificent. Thankfully, now cities are turning these lovely mansions into tourist attractions people can walk through.

[@chrisvanderveer-w9r]

ken your- videos are amazing, You should be managing the Breakers, I really love the channel. gets up the fantasy that never can be, all the best!

[@clarechomyn9686]

Instead of using the mansion as a teaching tool for it's architecture and craftsmanship, they demolished it. This is unforgivable. A university doing this shows their lack of intelligence. I am amazed and so sorry this happened. This is also a good reason not to support this school.

[@russ4338]

It’s just sad, something that well handcrafted and just beautiful would be allowed to be destroyed.

[@juliasouthick2232]

It makes me sick to think of it. ARGH…

[@bullrunready]

Milwaukee has plenty of these old mansions but they're occupied.

[@robertrickett7816]

Throw away society is what we've become, and it's proven every day, this is just another example

[@lindadavis8236]

Please highlight other mansions on Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee. Wi Thanks😊

[@williamthomson638]

Paved paradise and put up a parking lot. It was a beautiful home. I hope some builders went in and removed the saleable pieces.

[@benlogan430]

Seems worth the expense of tearing it down to build nothing in its place? What a destructive waste of time and money.

[@CarolLustgarten]

Correction not the city the university that did not save the beautiful mansion which is worse. They should be sent to detention. 😢😢😢

[@asylumlover]

BUY ME A TICKET TO SOMEWHERE WHERE THIS KIND OF SHIT DOESN'T TAKE PLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@PantherU]

Marquette University were a bunch of bastards for tearing this down.

[@dak85016]

Durkee Mansion, Kenosha Wi

[@steelgranny9027]

What a crime, the house was beautiful, I do hope they salvaged the woodwork, and stained glass.

[@christopherkraft1327]

That university sucks!!!

[@dmd5645]

So, sad. That last side shot shows that it had become island. No longer surrounded by a neighborhood. I would have loved to see that long gone neighborhood where probably every home was different. And just think about the trees and landscaping that had once existed. All in the name of progress. .. yea right. Nice to see it though!! These homes are like differing patterns of porcelain dinnerware, with all of the homeowners unique taste stamp. Fascinating!

[@mr.x8259]

Disgusting! Victorian buildings have more elegance than anything built today.

[@sharonrynes2433]

I had a friend who bought a house like that in Southern IL in the 80s. Not nearly so fancy though, but very fancy for the area. Not in town, but a half mile away. It was built with running water for the full bathroom and kitchen and boiler heated hot water. Very high profile in 1904

[@bertspeggly4428]

The university should be made to reconstruct it exactly, at their expense.

[@raallen1468]

Disgusting end to this stunning mansion. I thought; Universities / Colleges were supposed to teach / educate instead of destroy..... I stand corrected about institutions of higher "learning.". 🙄

[@HORSEYANIME2024]

Pls do a video on the historical Pabst mansion of Milwaukee Wisconsin