Milwaukee's Bronzeville community getting new look to show off its history
Colorful benches and decorative historical markers and banners will dot several streets along Dr. Martin Luther King Drive to spotlight Bronzeville's history in Milwaukee.
Ray Hill, executive director of the Historic King Drive Business Improvement District, updated the Bronzeville Advisory Committee Monday on the King Drive streetscape project.
The nearly $800,000 project will include colorful steel benches, street signages and informational makers as well as decorative planters, bike racks and trash receptacles in an effort to beautify and brand the Bronzeville community. Installation will begin in a couple of weeks, followed by a mural installation later in the summer.
The markers and banners will highlight the area’s German, Jewish and African-American roots. The business improvement district talked with community members and the Jewish Museum to get historical context on notable individuals from the area, including Golda Meir and real estate broker Beechie O. Brooks, who developed the Black enclave of Halyard Park, known as the “suburb within a city.”