History

The King Drive BID neighborhood has a long, rich history beginning in the mid-1800s when German settlers migrated to Milwaukee and established a neighborhood by building homes, churches and schools. The area quickly became a self-sustaining economic zone as retail businesses opened up shop on Downtown 3rd Street, now known as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. The community continued to grow. By the early 1900s, the northeastern section of the community became a large-scale industrial district, much of which still exists today. The neighborhood’s close proximity to the city and easy access to the Milwaukee Road rail line and the Milwaukee River system, encouraged block after block to be developed by manufacturers of shoes, beer, pianos, wooden toys and more. The largest of the factory was an auto body plant built in the 1920s that later became an American Motors manufacturing facility. In the 1920s, new ethnic groups moved into the neighborhood and among them were the first African-American families. These new African-American families followed the community-building pattern of their German predecessors, establishing new churches, establishing new businesses, and creating a diverse neighborhood with a distinct cultural flavor. Today the neighborhood is experiencing an unprecedented growth in commercial and housing development. The quality of life has never been better and continues to grow every day.