Wauwatosa Historical Society will present its 37th annual Wandering Wauwatosa Tour of Homes on Saturday, Oct. 17, and this year's tour is pairing the event's traditional fare of historic homes with lower ticket prices seemingly out of an older era as well.
Advance tickets are now on sale for $17 on the Historical Society's website or for $20 on the day of the tour, down from $35 last year. The price drop is part of the organization's latest efforts to make the tour more accessible to the wider community and to encourage more residents to learn about local history.
“We want as many people as possible to be able to experience these homes and the stories connected to them,” Amanda Saso, executive director of the Wauwatosa Historical Society, said in a news release. “The tour is one of the best opportunities we have to bring Wauwatosa history to life. Lowering the ticket price this year was an intentional decision to make that experience accessible to more people.”
This year's tour focuses on the Milwaukee Avenue corridor, which runs east to west along the north side of Tosa Village and includes some of the city's oldest homes. Five homes will be featured on the tour, as well as the Wauwatosa Women's Club.
Those properties collectively span from 1860 to 1925 and represent significant architectural development in Wauwatosa over those decades. The tour also will offer participants a look at how subsequent generations of homeowners have preserved and adapted those homes over the years.
“These homes have been standing for well over a century, but they aren’t frozen in time. They’ve been added to, adapted, restored and lived in by generations of Wauwatosa families," Saso said. "The Tour gives us an opportunity to tell those stories while also showing how historic homes can continue to work beautifully for the people who live in them today.”
The tour runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 17. Advance ticket holders can start their tours at any of the six properties described below. Tour booklets will be available at each stop, and visitors can make their way from stop to stop at their own pace.
The following are descriptions of the six stops, as provided by the Wauwatosa Historical Society.
1608 Wauwatosa Ave. – c. 1860, Greek Revival
One of the oldest homes on this year’s tour, the property is historically associated with George W. Ringrose, an early Wauwatosa resident who operated greenhouses after moving to the community in the 1870s.
1504 Church St. – 1884–85, Queen Anne
Built as the parsonage for First Congregational Church, the home housed at least nine ministers before becoming a private residence in 1951. Original features include a fireplace, built-in china cabinets, bannister and railings.
7029 Milwaukee Ave. – c. 1885, Queen Anne
This Milwaukee Avenue home is connected to several families who played roles in Wauwatosa and Milwaukee-area history, including Addison B. Myers and Robert W. Baird. Its history reflects Milwaukee Avenue’s transformation from a rural roadway into a residential corridor as Wauwatosa developed into an early streetcar suburb.
7006 Milwaukee Ave. – 1887, Eastlake-style Queen Anne
Built for Edwin R. Godfrey Jr. and Florence Swan Godfrey, this Victorian home features a wraparound porch, fish-scale shingles, original doors with beveled glass, maple floors, pocket doors and a distinctive Eastlake staircase.
1621 Church St. – 1914, Colonial Revival
Built for August C.O. Peter and his wife, Daisy, the home reflects Peter’s passion for gardening. A founder of the Milwaukee Rose Society, Peter was instrumental in the creation of Boerner Botanical Gardens, and several trees associated with his gardens remain on the property today.
Wauwatosa Woman’s Club – 1925, Georgian Revival
The historic clubhouse at 1626 N. Wauwatosa Ave. will serve as tour headquarters and will be open for guests to explore, including the Pioneer Museum, largely original kitchen and second-floor ballroom with its barrel-vaulted ceiling, original maple floor and raised stage.
