The Mysterious Empty Mansion of Milwaukee

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  • Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
  • 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.
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    Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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    Public Domain Photos from: Library of Congress, Milwaukee Public Library, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Library
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    Music from Epidemic Sound

КОМЕНТАРІ • 473

  • @jenpink4298
    @jenpink4298 Рік тому +185

    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
      @joemontano71 Рік тому +12

      @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
      @raallen1468 Рік тому +21

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

    • @rzella8022
      @rzella8022 Рік тому +3

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

    • @crisfield4364
      @crisfield4364 Рік тому +5

      My jaw dropped, too.

    • @freemason4979
      @freemason4979 4 місяці тому +1

      The original McMansion

  • @marcyking461
    @marcyking461 Рік тому +161

    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
      @emakelley6807 Рік тому +1

      Party house. It is Milwaukee. 🍻

    • @saanrio
      @saanrio Рік тому +8

      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
      @DurgaUsagi Рік тому +2

      😩😩😩💔💔💔💔💔

    • @arosefortes6507
      @arosefortes6507 Рік тому +3

      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
      @yvngloww 9 місяців тому

      Marquette has been taking over for yrs

  • @CatherineKasper-v2h
    @CatherineKasper-v2h Рік тому +69

    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
      @arosefortes6507 Рік тому +2

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

    • @Taranberk2
      @Taranberk2 3 місяці тому

      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
      @brendadrew834 2 місяці тому

      @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

  • @emilyfink1185
    @emilyfink1185 Рік тому +100

    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
      @paco7992 Рік тому +12

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

    • @dianetheisen8664
      @dianetheisen8664 Рік тому +5

      "Blah" indeed

    • @LaurenceDay-d2p
      @LaurenceDay-d2p 6 місяців тому +1

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

  • @sandysimmer1279
    @sandysimmer1279 Рік тому +55

    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
    @amandab.recondwith8006 Рік тому +139

    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
      @paco7992 Рік тому +1

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

    • @dianetheisen8664
      @dianetheisen8664 Рік тому +13

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

    • @EcceHomo1088
      @EcceHomo1088 Рік тому +13

      Modern architecture is a monstrosity...

    • @paco7992
      @paco7992 Рік тому +6

      @@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
      @EcceHomo1088 Рік тому +1

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

  • @SpanishEclectic
    @SpanishEclectic Рік тому +60

    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
      @shannonobrien9922 Рік тому

      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!!!!

  • @christophermyers3758
    @christophermyers3758 Рік тому +357

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

    • @RadDadisRad
      @RadDadisRad Рік тому +18

      Doesn’t surprise me at all

    • @sherryreis7951
      @sherryreis7951 Рік тому +39

      They paved Paradise and put up a parking lot. 🤨

    • @susanlongb4
      @susanlongb4 Рік тому +12

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

    • @califdad4
      @califdad4 Рік тому +10

      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
      @waynejensen4224 Рік тому +12

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

  • @vault7137
    @vault7137 Рік тому +101

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

  • @krazmokramer
    @krazmokramer Рік тому +36

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

    • @dianetheisen8664
      @dianetheisen8664 Рік тому +4

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

    • @barbarabonnette2705
      @barbarabonnette2705 4 місяці тому

      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.

  • @gwenyoung7789
    @gwenyoung7789 Рік тому +27

    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

  • @DeanRussellHickey
    @DeanRussellHickey Рік тому +18

    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
    @afterthestorm221 Рік тому +22

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

    • @501rivet
      @501rivet Рік тому +16

      ..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).

  • @GoodToGoIndustries
    @GoodToGoIndustries Рік тому +26

    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.

  • @rosiemcnaughton9933
    @rosiemcnaughton9933 Рік тому +17

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

  • @tudorjason
    @tudorjason Рік тому +19

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

  • @proudvirginian
    @proudvirginian Рік тому +15

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

    • @jenpink4298
      @jenpink4298 Рік тому +3

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

  • @rosssoutherland8118
    @rosssoutherland8118 Рік тому +14

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

  • @theresawilson2647
    @theresawilson2647 Рік тому +10

    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.

  • @fred_fred_fred
    @fred_fred_fred Рік тому +16

    Shame on you University.

  • @HORSEYANIME2024
    @HORSEYANIME2024 Рік тому +16

    Pls do more mansions of Wisconsin

  • @edgarsnake2857
    @edgarsnake2857 Рік тому +10

    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
      @Jim-Tuner Рік тому

      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
      @JohnSmith-bq4vh Рік тому

      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.

  • @yada-yadadragon1947
    @yada-yadadragon1947 Рік тому +7

    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
      @hollyw9566 Рік тому

      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
      @shabsewerther6245 8 місяців тому +2

      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.

  • @salviabuckwheats7434
    @salviabuckwheats7434 Рік тому +4

    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.

  • @ponysoldier6770
    @ponysoldier6770 Рік тому +9

    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
    @derricklangford4725 Рік тому +11

    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
      @LunaShimmyDiva Рік тому +1

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

    • @Jim-Tuner
      @Jim-Tuner Рік тому

      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.

  • @CEC321
    @CEC321 Рік тому +3

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

  • @The_Smith
    @The_Smith Рік тому +6

    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.

  • @SusyJacuzzi
    @SusyJacuzzi Рік тому +19

    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
      @501rivet Рік тому +16

      ..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
      @emily76m Рік тому +2

      @@501rivet 💯

    • @Jim-Tuner
      @Jim-Tuner Рік тому +11

      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
      @501rivet Рік тому +2

      @@Jim-Tuner ..realistically stated.

    • @SusyJacuzzi
      @SusyJacuzzi Рік тому +1

      @@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.

  • @portaltwo
    @portaltwo Рік тому +11

    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.

  • @Joy-TheLazyCatLady2
    @Joy-TheLazyCatLady2 Рік тому +7

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

    • @501rivet
      @501rivet Рік тому +3

      ..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.

  • @ropeburnsrussell
    @ropeburnsrussell Рік тому +7

    Sickening....

  • @iamspartacus7756
    @iamspartacus7756 Рік тому +7

    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
      @verak66 6 місяців тому

      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.

  • @choryferguson2196
    @choryferguson2196 Рік тому +7

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

  • @TomSarelas
    @TomSarelas Рік тому +6

    University should have known better. Disgusting. TFS

  • @dmd5645
    @dmd5645 Рік тому +1

    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!

  • @nickgibb4687
    @nickgibb4687 Рік тому +3

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

    • @tashayar75
      @tashayar75 Рік тому +1

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

    • @nickgibb4687
      @nickgibb4687 Рік тому +1

      @@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
      @pamelaulrich3928 Рік тому

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

    • @Jim-Tuner
      @Jim-Tuner Рік тому

      In the same style, but not like that one.

  • @baja63383
    @baja63383 Рік тому +7

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

    • @merryfergie
      @merryfergie Рік тому +2

      Some parents continue to give houses to newlyweds.

    • @CarterKey6
      @CarterKey6 Рік тому

      Boomer generation are selfish

    • @barbarahendryx809
      @barbarahendryx809 Рік тому +1

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

  • @jillczerwinski8870
    @jillczerwinski8870 Рік тому +3

    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.

  • @jeanhansel5805
    @jeanhansel5805 Рік тому +1

    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.

  • @chrisvanderveer-w9r
    @chrisvanderveer-w9r 10 місяців тому +1

    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!

  • @chrisludwig5101
    @chrisludwig5101 Рік тому +5

    What a waste !!??

  • @tinasan3870
    @tinasan3870 Рік тому +3

    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.

  • @gmanette188
    @gmanette188 Рік тому +3

    They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
    Joni Mitchell

  • @lukasdoerr9167
    @lukasdoerr9167 Рік тому +8

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

  • @marvwatkins7029
    @marvwatkins7029 Рік тому +2

    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.)

  • @JA51711
    @JA51711 Рік тому +2

    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.

  • @ndog2005
    @ndog2005 4 місяці тому +2

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

  • @CarolLustgarten
    @CarolLustgarten Рік тому +2

    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
    @jimwiskus8862 Рік тому +2

    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
    @brokenglass849 Рік тому +2

    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..

  • @pmn2821
    @pmn2821 Рік тому +3

    This University needs to be shamed.

  • @georgemiller6765
    @georgemiller6765 Рік тому +4

    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.

  • @mariusmcleod2487
    @mariusmcleod2487 Рік тому +2

    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.

  • @Zealor365
    @Zealor365 Рік тому +2

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

  • @gandfgandf5826
    @gandfgandf5826 Рік тому +2

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

  • @jeffc7486
    @jeffc7486 9 місяців тому +2

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

  • @ebonylewis1680
    @ebonylewis1680 Рік тому

    What a beautiful home. Sad sad that’s it no longer here

  • @jamesdugan3079
    @jamesdugan3079 Рік тому +2

    So sad.

  • @vickilindberg6336
    @vickilindberg6336 Рік тому +3

    Heaven forbid the university show respect for history.

    • @pmn2821
      @pmn2821 Рік тому

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

  • @samseaborn6410
    @samseaborn6410 Рік тому +1

    I was living in Milwaukee when Marquette demolished the mansion. The issue of whether to save and protect the building or let Marquette take it down was coming before a judge. The night before the judge's ruling, Marquette had a bulldozer plow into it, rendering any decision moot. This was done in the middle of the night so there would be no protesters.

    • @kh3612
      @kh3612 Рік тому +1

      I remember it and the citizen outcry when MU first said they wanted to demolish it. Tragic! ☮️

  • @conniegaylord5206
    @conniegaylord5206 Рік тому +2

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

  • @charlottemiller961
    @charlottemiller961 Рік тому +2

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

  • @riot4jem
    @riot4jem Рік тому +2

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

  • @robertwrede7843
    @robertwrede7843 Рік тому +4

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

    • @501rivet
      @501rivet Рік тому

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

  • @ryanpatrick4920
    @ryanpatrick4920 Рік тому +2

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

  • @FeedScrn
    @FeedScrn Рік тому +2

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

  • @paco7992
    @paco7992 Рік тому +2

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

  • @tamieckert4548
    @tamieckert4548 Рік тому +2

    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.

  • @steelgranny9027
    @steelgranny9027 Рік тому +1

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

  • @johnschultz9023
    @johnschultz9023 4 місяці тому

    They did the same thing to the Chicago & North Western lakefront station (which was at the entrance to Summerfest).

  • @catheyashburn433
    @catheyashburn433 Рік тому +3

    Devastating it was torn down😢

  • @dak85016
    @dak85016 Рік тому +2

    Durkee Mansion, Kenosha Wi

  • @t.j.m3987
    @t.j.m3987 Рік тому +2

    I hope they reaped what they had sown in Destruction😢

  • @Mistydazzle
    @Mistydazzle Рік тому +1

    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.

  • @crypticself80
    @crypticself80 Рік тому +4

    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.

  • @asylumlover
    @asylumlover 8 місяців тому +1

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

  • @jonrussell1690
    @jonrussell1690 Рік тому +1

    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. 😢😢😢😢

  • @PantherU
    @PantherU 10 місяців тому +1

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

  • @charleholst3881
    @charleholst3881 Рік тому +1

    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
    @synchronicity1470 Рік тому +1

    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.

  • @seattlebeard
    @seattlebeard Рік тому +1

    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.

  • @jekalambert9412
    @jekalambert9412 11 місяців тому +1

    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.

  • @johnwood551
    @johnwood551 Рік тому +1

    Another “Enlightened “ University . UNBELIEVABLE!!

  • @christopherkraft1327
    @christopherkraft1327 Рік тому +2

    That university sucks!!!

  • @stevelee4653
    @stevelee4653 Рік тому +1

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

  • @stevem-h5e
    @stevem-h5e 3 місяці тому

    Going to Braves games as a kid, we called it the Adams Family Mansion.

  • @juliasouthick2232
    @juliasouthick2232 Рік тому +2

    It makes me sick to think of it. ARGH…

  • @jeffmrochinski
    @jeffmrochinski 5 місяців тому

    Overall great video with fantastic pictures! It's not exactly an empty lot, now, it is part of the limited and valuable urban green space around the student union. It's important to note that Wisconsin Avenue, formerly Grand Avenue, is the street where this and dozens of other mansions used to exist. Only two remain for two major reasons, the wealthy families that built those homes decided to leave the area and Wisconsin Avenue is now the major commercial thoroughfare through the city. My point is there is very little use for a mansion in that part of Milwaukee, and the anchor that Marquette University has been for the near West side of Milwaukee has been invaluable. Check out the Pabst Mansion and the Wisconsin Club to see what remains on WI AVE, and look towards the north shore of the city to see where the wealthy families relocated to.

  • @bullrunready
    @bullrunready 6 місяців тому +1

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

  • @barbarajoseph5897
    @barbarajoseph5897 Рік тому

    The man who built this home his dream protected future homes so we could see his dream and other’s so All was not in vain! He left a legacy! Thank you for keeping his vision alive!

  • @brianmccarthy5557
    @brianmccarthy5557 Рік тому +1

    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.

  • @ishajac3637
    @ishajac3637 Рік тому +1

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

  • @wernerdanler2742
    @wernerdanler2742 Рік тому +1

    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.

  • @billiejomcmillan7632
    @billiejomcmillan7632 Рік тому +1

    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.

  • @clarechomyn9686
    @clarechomyn9686 Рік тому +1

    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.

  • @mr.x8259
    @mr.x8259 Рік тому +1

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

  • @russ4338
    @russ4338 7 місяців тому +1

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

  • @lindadavis8236
    @lindadavis8236 7 місяців тому +1

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

  • @robertrickett7816
    @robertrickett7816 Рік тому +1

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