Lincoln Village Is a Slice of Polish History

Distance: One mile
Start: Corner of S. 6th St. and W. Lincoln Ave.
Parking: Metered on Lincoln

Much of the early development of Lincoln Avenue, also known as Lincoln Village, parallels the development of Mitchell Street, six blocks north. First the Polish arrived in the late 1800s looking for work, then approximately 50 years later, Hispanics, mainly from Mexico, began to move west from Walker’s Point to Lincoln Village. Because they shared a work ethic and their Catholic faith, this was a relatively conflict-free merging of two cultures who continue to live in harmony in the neighborhood. Today, Lincoln Village incorporates a potpourri of newcomers including Asians, Pakistanis, and many immigrants from the Middle East, making this a melting pot of international cultures and a neighborhood where diversity appears to contribute to its stability.

It’s also densely populated, thanks to those thrifty Poles who filled the streets adjacent to Lincoln with Polish Flats, small cottages raised one-half-story to add basement apartments underneath the main house. This gave the owners additional space to rent or to accommodate their growing families. As you walk on 12th Street, you will recognize the Polish Flats by their steep exterior staircases and ground level first floor entrances and windows.

Start the walk at 6th Street and Lincoln Avenue at the magnificent Basilica of St. Josaphat, a monument to Polish ingenuity and their backbreaking labor of love. It was mainly erected by the parishioners who worked on it in their spare time. According to legend, the women helped by using aprons and skirts to haul away dirt from the construction site. It is also recorded that Father Wilhelm Grutza formed the parish in 1888 and named it after Josephat Kuntsevyesh, a Polish monk and a victim of anti-Catholic violence in the 1600s. He was later declared a martyr and saint of the Catholic church.

Father Grutza purchased salvage from the Old Chicago Post Office for $20,000, enough to fill 500 railroad cars with limestone blocks, marble granite columns, and Corinthian woodwork. Using these materials, the parishioners modeled the church after St. Peter’s in Rome, broke ground for it in 1896, and in 1929 it was designated a Basilica by Pope Pius XI.

Across the street at 606-614, the Grutza Building, purchased by Father Grutza in 1899, was a commercial building which utilized leftover materials from the Basilica’s construction. It is said that it was designed in a Baroque style to complement the Basilica. Today it houses the offices of Rivas & Hockstaffer Immigration Law Services.

At 7th Street on the east-facing wall of Lincoln Art Pottery, a stunning mural by Mauricio Ramirez assisted by Chacho Lopez, should be, if it’s not already, a landmark destination on Lincoln Avenue. Ramirez and Lopez’s depiction of Our Lady of Guadalupe completed in June, 2020, received national recognition in the New York Times. Notable also because of its location across the street from the Basilica, Ramirez was quoted as saying, “It’s important to me that certain works like this one make a cultural difference.”

Across the street at 703, Rozga Funeral Home started as a furniture store when Stephen Rozga and his wife Clara Rozga opened it in 1898. They soon noticed their best-selling items were caskets and as they were astute business people, they closed the furniture store and opened Rozga Funeral Home which continues to operate today.

Across the street, Kosciuszko Park, located on land purchased by J. C. Coleman, was originally called Coleman Park, then renamed Lincoln Avenue Park in the late 1890s. In 1900 it changed names again to honor General Thaddeus Kosciuszko, a Polish General who served our country in the American Revolution. “To the hero of both hemispheres by the Poles of Milwaukee,” is inscribed on the stone monument next to the sculpture. Sixty-thousand admirers came to the dedication in 1904, many of whom had donated nickels and quarters to the $13,000 needed ($250,000 in today’s money) to erect the statue.

At 1005 W. Lincoln Ave. the former Riviera Theater constructed in 1919 for $125,000, has an unimpressive façade which camouflaged an elaborate interior. In 1919, it seated 1,200, had a house organ, and showcased an occasional 10-piece orchestra. It also had a stage, several dressing rooms, and a balcony which was accessed by a stadium-style ramp that led up from the main floor.

At 11th Street, detour one block south to see Holy Name of Jesus Church, still attended by the Polish-American community. Return to Lincoln and continue one-and-one-half blocks west past 12th Street to A & J Polish Deli, a great place to stock up on Polish grocery needs, especially Polish Sausage and Pierogies.

Now turn right or north on 12th Street and walk one block to Grant. You will see many Polish flats between Lincoln and Grant before you turn right and walk two blocks to 10th Street and Kosciuszko Park. Walk through the park on the paths where impressive maple and oak trees are scattered in the grass. Here is an example of what is possible after 200 years because someone had the foresight to establish a park on Lincoln Avenue instead of leaving the land vulnerable to the development of homes, apartments and paved streets. This is a lovely park, which rewards lingering. Continue around the pond and back to Lincoln where you began this historical stroll through Lincoln Village.

Along the Walk

Cari Taylor-Carlson is the author of Milwaukee Walks: 20 Choice Walks in a Classy City.