Riverwalk Offers Many Different Views

Distance: Five miles round trip (on the west side of the river)
Start: 2134 N. Riverboat Rd.
Parking: On the street

The Milwaukee Riverwalk is a journey through the heart of Milwaukee with multiple views of Downtown, magnificent public art, and the river itself, a fascinating panorama of life on and adjacent to the river.

The idea to utilize the Milwaukee River as a recreational corridor began to take shape soon after the multi-year river cleanup started in 1979 with the formation of the Water Pollution Abatement Project. As the condition of the river gradually improved, so did its potential as a way to encourage use of this resource by locals and tourists.

In 1988, then Mayor John Norquist, spearheaded the Riverwalk Initiative with the intent to promote a walkway to connect business and leisure activities along the river. This was the beginning of a public/private partnership between the city and local business owners. Norquist authorized public spending while business leader Gary Grunau spearheaded the creation of Business Improvement District #15 to raise funds for the project from the private sector. The Riverwalk was designed in the early 1990s and in 1997, the first section, eight downtown blocks were completed.

Now Milwaukee has a paved pedestrian walkway, a contiguous promenade on the west side of the river from the North Avenue Bridge to south of Clybourn Street, where it ends, just short of the I-794.

It’s also possible to continue into the Historic Third Ward on the east side if you cross the river on the pedestrian bridge just south of Juneau Avenue. For the sake of clarity, this walk stays on the west side through the Beerline and then Downtown, and on to its conclusion at I-794.

The Walk

Head south on Riverboat Road, walk under the Humboldt Street Bridge, and watch for the concrete path on your left that leads to the river and the Riverwalk. The Beerline section follows the former industrial corridor, part of the railroad route that serviced Schlitz, Pabst, and Blatz breweries. Today, this part of the Riverwalk is lined with condos on both sides of the river, creating a riverside canyon in between these mid-rise buildings.

After you walk under the Holton Street Bridge, you will come to Lakefront Brewery where tables overlooking the river invite a respite and a beer. The next landmark will be a wooden ramp that takes you up to Pleasant Street. Cross Pleasant Street and straight ahead you will see the Aurora parking lot. Continue into the lot and look for the paved trail that continues alongside the river. Now the Riverwalk takes you through Schlitz Park; past the world headquarters of Manpower Inc.; and underneath McKinley Avenue, the final underpass on the walk.

The next street is Juneau Avenue. After you cross, note the sculptures on the left side of the walkway. These four sculptures, part of the Elmer Winter Sculpture Collection, were donated by Manpower Inc. Vertical Spirit, followed by A Phoenix, Israeli Figures, and Crescimus, make up this remnant of the Elmer Winter Collection. Crescimus, a word that loosely translated means “together we grow” is the work of Elmer Winter, the founder of Manpower Inc.

Just beyond the sculpture, look for the pedestrian bridge that leads across the river to the Riverwalk on the east side and follows the river through Downtown and on to the Historic Third Ward. On the pedestrian walk, look for sculptures on the posts known as River Gems, an odd assortment of reclaimed objects repurposed as art by John Ready, a former jeweler. When sunlight strikes them, they resemble giant pieces of jewelry.

Across Highland Avenue, Paul Sebban’s cast iron Limitation Bowls stand four feet high and appear to be giant planters. Don’t be fooled. Despite their use as summertime planters, they are actually sculptural bowls, intended to be viewed as such.

In Pere Marquette Park look for the three sculptures. First there’s one of Pere Marquette himself, larger than life, holding a cross in his left hand. This French missionary allegedly camped in the vicinity in the 1670s. Behind this bronze sculpture is a granite wall where there is a representation of a Native American in a canoe.

Nearby, Dancing Through Life by Schomer Lichtner, was inspired by dancers in the Milwaukee Ballet. At Kilbourn Avenue, the S.S. Core by Robert Smart, shaped like a globe, is made of repurposed end caps from propane tanks.

Beyond Kilbourn Avenue, Acqua Grylli by Beth Sahagian, represents a mythical female figure, when combined with the adjacent bronze arch, could be a guardian or a gatekeeper.

After you cross Wells Street, Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery might merit another beer break before you continue to the end of the walkway.

At Wisconsin Avenue take a brief detour to see Gertie the Duck, a bronze representation on the site of her nest on the bridge. Her efforts to hatch her six ducklings attracted worldwide attention in 1945. As Robert W. Wells wrote in This is Milwaukee, “If you asked someone who lived in Milwaukee in 1945 what he remembers from that year he’s apt to say, ‘That’s when we used to go down by Gimbels and look at Gertie.’ He may also recall that World War II ended that year. It’s easy enough to remember when that happened – it happened about two months after Gertie was moved to the lagoon.”

Just beyond Wisconsin, Fish Out of Water by Jesse Meyer shows a school of fish swimming along the Riverwalk in planters, adding more color and art to the walk. From here, it’s two blocks to the place where the walkway abruptly ends at Clybourn Street and I-794.

This is a walk you can enjoy many times. It brings you close to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, formerly Old World Third Street, Wisconsin Avenue and the 3rd Street Market Hall, the Fiserv Forum, and multiple shops and restaurants. Because it can be accessed from several points along the way, you can make the walk a short outing or a day long riverside adventure.

Along the Walk