2014 Milwaukee Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55404, USA

Milwaukee Avenue Historic District, Minneapolis

Article by Sarah Shirey

The houses of Milwaukee Avenue were built in the 1880s as high-density homes for immigrant workers. When the Minneapolis Housing and Redevelopment Authority (MHRA) planned to demolish the run-down structures in 1970, neighborhood residents successfully organized to preserve the avenue as a historic district.

In 1883, real-estate agent William Ragan began developing land between Franklin Avenue and 24th Street in Minneapolis to construct low-cost housing for immigrants. To maximize his investment, Ragan turned the alley between 22nd and 23rd Avenues into a narrow street as well, and then divided it into half sized lots. As a result, Ragan placed forty-eight structures along the two-block, narrow stretch with almost no setback from the street.

Ragan used a single plan for forty-six of the houses he constructed here, making the narrow street, then known as 22 ½ Avenue, unique in its uniformity. The workmen’s cottages all featured a brick veneer, wooden porches, and “gingerbread” ornamentation. The street became an ethnic enclave primarily for Scandinavian immigrants.

In 1906, residents petitioned to have the name changed from 22 ½ Avenue to Woodland Avenue because they felt the “1/2” had a negative connotation. The name became Milwaukee Avenue instead, perhaps because many of the residents worked for the Milwaukee Railroad.

By the second half of the twentieth century, the houses were run down. The neighborhood, known as Seward, housed mostly low-income residents. By the 1960s, professors, students, and artists began to move in. This educated, counter-culture class sought out the cheap housing voluntarily rather than out of necessity.

In 1970, the MHRA planned to demolish the remaining Milwaukee Avenue houses, along with much of the western portion of Seward, as part of an urban-renewal project. They argued that the condition of the houses was beyond repair, the lot sizes were too small, and the street was too narrow for conventional traffic.

Some Seward residents opposed the displacement of their neighbors. Many of them had honed their organizing skills during the social and political movements of the 1960s. These activists successfully campaigned to gain control of the Seward West Project Area Committee (PAC), the citizen organization advising the urban renewal process, in its 1971 election.

The PAC believed that many of the houses were in good enough condition to save, that the narrow street was well suited for pedestrians, and that small houses were environmentally friendly. They also cited the block’s unique character as a reason for saving the buildings.

The street held historical importance as a rare example of contiguous brick-workers’ houses. Milwaukee Avenue was probably one of the few intact “common man’s neighborhoods” left in Minneapolis. Preserving the street would also preserve part of “Minnesota’s social heritage.”

After many months of tense negotiations, several PAC and MHRA members jointly formed the Milwaukee Avenue Planning Team in 1973. The team agreed to resurvey the area to determine if saving the buildings was feasible.

In 1974, the Minnesota Historical Society nominated Milwaukee Avenue for the National Register of Historic Places. It received its designation on May 2. This protected the homes from demolition without a public hearing. Despite initial reluctance, the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission also designated Milwaukee Avenue a historic district in 1975.

With demolition unlikely, the MHRA reversed course and began to work with PAC members as allies. They cooperated with the planning team, who advocated saving most of the original houses and demolishing some that were beyond repair. They wanted new construction that would blend with the restored structures to replace the demolished buildings. They also called for a pedestrian walkway and greenspace to replace the narrow street.

PAC members organized the Milwaukee Avenue Community Corporation to oversee the rehab process. They received funding from several public and private agencies to purchase select houses from the MHRA for restoration. The MHRA also offered grants for homeowner restoration and low-interest mortgages. This allowed some longtime residents and those unable to afford restoration themselves a chance to stay in the neighborhood.

Restoration, to historic guidelines, began in 1975. Most of the houses were completed over the next several years. Nine replica houses replaced demolished ones, as did new townhomes that complemented the original architecture of the street.

In 2007, for the thirtieth anniversary of the restoration, Milwaukee Avenue residents hosted a walking tour featuring eight of the restored homes.

Milwaukee Avenue Restoration - Hennepin County History

Milwaukee Avenue Restoration
19th Century Neighborhood Rehabilitated by Historically Minded and Dedicated Residents

By Jerilee N. Richtman

(Summary of the document, the full PDF is saved in below)

Milwaukee Avenue is an anomaly in the realm of historic preservation. It has not witnessed any great events, nor has it given birth to any eminent or notorious personages. Its historical message is delivered without fanfare through the quiet dignity of its aged visage. It is the story of the lives of immigrants who came to Minnesota when America was a new world to Europeans, and not yet a "melting pot." Throughout its history Milwaukee Avenue has provided homes for working class families. Its residences served often as temporary homes to immigrants during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The narrow street with its small, look-alike houses, tucked closely together offers a visual lesson in economic and social history. It serves as a contrast to those artifacts of the aristocracy, which have been the normal fare of historic preservation. Its vision does not entertain romantic notions of the "good old days." The simplicity of the late 19th Century streetscape and its individual elements speaks eloquently of the lifestyle of the common men and women who lived without servants, buggies and grand balls and without those amenities that are taken for granted today.

The reasons for the unique streetscape that formed along Milwaukee Avenue are, the continuity of modest and similar forms; and the simple rhythm of the gabled roofs of houses built right up to the sidewalk. The first house on Milwaukee Avenue was built in 1884 and most of the other homes were completed by 1890. The street was originally platted for an alley, and until 1906, this alley street was named 22 1/2 Avenue. Residents of the street had requested the City to change the name because, as they stated in a 1906 petition, " . . . we find the "1/2' objectionable in speaking of it or writing letters. The giving the impression that we live in an alley." These petitioners asked the City Council to change the name to Woodland Avenue and it is not known why the name Milwaukee Avenue was substituted. The proximity of the street to the "Milwaukee Road" tracks was perhaps the reason for the name selection.

The plot of land which includes Milwaukee Avenue was originally developed by real estate agent, William Ragan. "Ragan's Addition to Minneapolis," as it was originally platted, comprised two full blocks and two three-quarter-size blocks. To increase the development potential of his parcel, Ragan divided the land into four half-blocks. The alley between 22nd and 23rd Avenues was transformed to a street by taking thirty-eight feet from the cast-face of the short lots on Blocks I and 2 of Ragan's Addition. The lots thus platted, already shortened lengthwise because of the street easement, were then measured in widths of only twenty-five feet about half the normal size of a city lot of the time. As a result of Ragan's intensive use of the land, the forty-six houses which were built along Milwaukee Avenue were extremely close together and had little, if any, setback from the sidewalk. According to building permits that were recorded, William Ragan also acted as the contractor for the construction of many of the houses.

🚶‍♂️🛤️ Uncovering History Together 🛤️🚶‍♀️

Our friend AJ recently shared an amazing story about Milwaukee Avenue—one of Minneapolis’ most historic and unique neighborhoods. This pedestrian-only avenue in the Seward neighborhood nearly faced destruction in the 1970s, but through a passionate community effort, it was saved and transformed into the beautiful space it is today.

Originally built in the late 1800s, Milwaukee Avenue was home to working-class immigrants, many of whom worked on the nearby Milwaukee Railroad. These modest Victorian homes were built by a developer looking to maximize land usage, with small plots and uniform homes designed for immigrant families. By the 1970s, however, the homes had fallen into disrepair—some were even boarded up and condemned. The Minneapolis Housing Authority had plans to demolish the entire area.

But a group of activists, including local architect Bob Roscoe, and the residents—many of them refugees and immigrants—had a different vision. They recognized the historic and cultural value of the neighborhood and fought to save it. It wasn’t just about preserving buildings, but about protecting a community rich with stories and history.

One such story is that of Erik Erickson (pictured), a Swedish immigrant who purchased his home at 2014 Milwaukee Ave in 1917. Erickson lived in his beloved home for nearly 60 years, right up until his passing in 1976. His home stands as a testament to the immigrants who helped shape the avenue and the surrounding community.

With creativity, hard work, and urban renewal efforts, some homes were restored, while others were carefully rebuilt. The community saved this hidden gem, transforming it into a tranquil, pedestrian-friendly space. Today, Milwaukee Avenue is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, preserving its legacy for future generations.

The avenue also tells a story of the Norwegian and other immigrant communities who lived here—people who helped build the infrastructure of Minneapolis. Their legacy lives on in the restored homes and the families that continue to cherish the area. The success of this preservation effort laid the foundation for future historic districts in the city, proving that historic preservation is not just about buildings but about the people and stories behind them.

Check out these features to learn more:

•CBS News: Milwaukee Ave in Minneapolis
•Star Tribune: 1970s Activists Saved Milwaukee Avenue
•Learn More: History of Milwaukee Avenue (PDF)

2014 Milwaukee Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, USA

2014 Milwaukee is the second house in on the right. Photo by Charles W. Nelson in October of 1973. Part of the inventory of homes used in the application for the National Register of Historic Places.