1958 Map of Milwaukee

About this map

Lake Michigan dominates the eastern expanse of this mid-century survey, its coastline defined by the industrial activity of Milwaukee Bay and the affluent residential growth of Whitefish Bay and Shorewood. The central urban core of Milwaukee is a dense grid of infrastructure, where the Milwaukee River snakes through the landscape toward its outlet at Jones Island. The map records a city in its post-war zenith, capturing the expansion of institutions such as the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and the Milwaukee-Downer College, alongside major recreational landmarks like County Stadium and the Washington Park Zoo. To the north, the transition from urban density to suburban developments in Brown Deer and Mequon is evident, with large U.S. Military Reservations and early television infrastructure, including the WITI-TV Tower, marking the changing landscape of the late 1950s.