Historic Façade Update

Two long-neglected buildings along South First Street have been given new life through a thoughtful restoration of their historic façades. Located in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood, the project centered on the F. Holzinger Building, originally constructed in 1889. The work included restoration of the original Cream City brick, replacement of long-missing windows, and reconstruction of the ground-floor storefronts, returning the buildings to their historic prominence along this important urban corridor.

Equally significant is a three-story aluminum screen that fills a gap in the street wall left by the demolition of a neighboring building decades earlier. Conceived as an abstract birch forest, the perforated metal installation transforms a necessary security barrier into a piece of public art. Its delicate pattern provides a contemporary counterpoint to the restored masonry while reestablishing the continuity of the historic streetscape.

Together, these interventions celebrate the architectural heritage of South First Street while introducing a new layer of character to the neighborhood.