Your guide to Milwaukee's Story Hill neighborhood

La Risa R. Lynch, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Updated ·5 min read

The picturesque Story Hill neighborhood is known for its historic homes, many built around World War I. The homes embody several architectural styles, including Craftsman, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival and Mediterranean Revival, and feature a few Sears Roebuck mail-order "kit homes."

But before Story Hill became one of Milwaukee’s 75-plus neighborhoods, it owes its start to the western suburb of Wauwatosa.

Here’s what to know about the Story Hill neighborhood

In 1843, Hiram Story left Vermont with his family to put down roots in Milwaukee. By 1846, the year Milwaukee was incorporated, Story had built a 160-acre farm just west of the city, in Wauwatosa.

But a storm blew him on a different path. High winds toppled a tree on his farm, revealing a rich deposit of limestone.

Story went from farmer to quarryman, furnishing limestone to builders throughout the area. With business plentiful, Hiram brought his brother, Horace, into the fold.

When the brothers built their homes on a high bluff of the quarry, it became known as Story Hill. Milwaukee annexed the neighborhood in 1925 as the area and industry grew.

Rick Schlesinger, Milwaukee Brewers president of business operations, speaks as Gov. Tony Evers prepares to sign Assembly Bill 438 and Assembly Bill 439, a bipartisan package of bills passed by the Wisconsin State Legislature to keep the Milwaukee Brewers and Major League Baseball (MLB) in Wisconsin through 2050, on Tuesday December 5, 2023 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wis.

The brothers operated the quarry until 1938. The land was acquired by the city of Milwaukee for back taxes and converted into a garbage dump. Eventually filled in, the area became home to Milwaukee County Stadium, built in 1953. The quarry’s old footprint is now American Family Field’s north parking lot and adjacent land underneath what's now State 175.

Where’s Story Hill located?

The neighborhood’s boundaries zigzag from the Menomonee River to the north, Frederick Miller Way to the south, Hawley Road and 60th Street along Blue Mound Road to the west, and Brewers Blvd. and 44th Street to the east.

A cemetery and a soldiers home

The main thoroughfare traversing Story Hill brought the neighborhood a new kind of industry. On Blue Mound Road just east of Hawley Road, Milwaukee’s Catholic Church opened Calvary Cemetery in 1857.

It’s the final resting place of some of the city’s most notable inhabitants, including meatpacker Patrick Cudahy, beer baron Frederick Miller and Solomon Juneau, a founding father of Milwaukee.

The cemetery’s ornate Victorian Gothic-style gatehouse came later. Constructed in 1897, the architecturally significant gatehouse has fallen into disrepair. The two-story building served as the cemetery office and residence for its caretakers and their families.

Another architectural gem is the National Soldiers Home. Built in the late 1860s, it served as a convalescent home for disabled Union soldiers from the Civil War. The cluster of Victorian buildings and picturesque landscape were designed to be a recuperative place for soldiers. The 90-plus acre campus still serves that purpose as supportive housing for military vets today.

Individuals gather before the grand opening and first look inside of six historic buildings on the Milwaukee Soldiers Home campus Thursday, May 27, 2021, in Milwaukee. The Old Main building has multiple lounge rooms, three tower lounges, one of which overlooks American Family Field, conference rooms, a television center, a business center, a history room, two fitness centers and much more. Veterans are able to stay at these locations for the cost of 30% of their salary.

The site is one of 43 National Historic Landmarks in Wisconsin. The Soldiers Home contains some of the oldest and most historic buildings in the Veterans Affairs system.

Notable residents and political movers and shakers

Besides its notable architecture, prominent residents such as actor Spencer Tracy and radio personality O. C. White, a soul legend on WAWA, have called Story Hill home. But the area could also be considered a political powerhouse.

Several of the city’s political movers and shakers have roots in Story Hill. Ray Cannon served as a congressman in the 1930s. John and Ray Fleming served as city attorney and clerk of the court, respectively. Doyne Park is named after John Doyne, Milwaukee County executive from 1960 to 1976, who fought to keep the then-Milwaukee Braves in the city. Then-city district attorney E. Michael McCann served from 1968 to 2006. The area’s current alderperson, Michael Murphy, who says the best fishing for steelhead trout is the Menomonee River, has been on the Common Council since 1989.

Places to eat, drink and be merry

If you're not tailgating, the best places to grab a bite to eat before or after a Brewers game are along Blue Mound Road.

The bar was packed at Kelly's Bleachers in Milwaukee, Wis. The bar opened at 6:00 a.m. The first 100 customers got a free t-shirt saying they opened the bar on St. Patrick's Day.
The bar was packed at Kelly's Bleachers in Milwaukee, Wis. The bar opened at 6:00 a.m. The first 100 customers got a free t-shirt saying they opened the bar on St. Patrick's Day.

More: How many neighborhoods are there in Milwaukee? Here's why there's no 'right' answer.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee's Story Hill neighborhood guide

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