We here at Milwaukee Record love ourselves some cartoon maps of the region. We’ve written about a ’70s-era cartoon map of Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin and a brand-laden, delightfully detailed illustrated map of Milwaukee from 2022. Well, it’s now time to focus our cartoon cartographic coverage on a late-’80s map of one specific neighborhood: Bay View!
During a stop at Happy Dough Lucky earlier this summer, we happened upon a framed copy of a vintage illustrated map we’ve seen a few times in the wild, but haven’t encountered in a number of years. This map depicting Bay View and “Milwaukee’s fabulous southeast side” comes to us from 1988, when Mike McKeough and Bud Endries drew the neighborhood (as well as parts of St. Francis, Cudahy, and the “Airport Area”), its various landmarks, and businesses of the time.
Even though it’s nowhere near being the correct scale and countless homes/businesses were omitted, this map is still a fun and interesting look at what Bay View and the surrounding area was like more than 35 years ago. With Bay View Bash coming up this Saturday, we felt it was the perfect time to show you this 1988 cartoon map and let you see a few of the ways Bay View has changed—and some ways it’s remained the same—since the map came out.
Remember Midwest Express Airlines? It’s featured prominently in this map! The Faust Music building was demolished in 2015 and a mixed-use apartment building now stands in its place.
O’Brien’s Call Box? That’s been Burnheart’s since 2007. Reel Videos Inc. (one of like five video stores pictured on this map) is now Bay View Quick Mart. The hardware store by both is now Crafty Cow.
It’s not all new developments and a steady cycle of new businesses. G. Groppi Food Market and Club Garibaldi are both still around. Heck, the Pryor Avenue Iron Well is still flowing, too!
The Packing House is still going strong as well!
Gold Rush Chicken is still at it, too.
Really, much of this map shows how some places have stood the test of time while other places have come and gone. The Walgreen’s on KK and Oklahoma and Bert’s are still around, for example. As is Francisco’s…after a lengthy tenure being known as Crabby’s. Meanwhile, Bud E’s Filling Station is SmallPie these days and the Jim’s Auto Center building will allegedly become a pizza place called “doh’p” that was supposed to open like a year ago. Earlier this year, Romans’ Pub was given new life as Busby’s.
Pretty much none of the businesses pictured directly above are around anymore.
Or these (minus the Target). Whoa, did part of what’s now Lulu Cafe used to be a George Webb?
DeMarinis Cocktail Lounge was Lee’s Luxury Lounge for many years before recently being reopened as Wiggle Room. Oklahoma Tap is now Straight Shots, Bucky’s Super Video is a vape shop connected to the Bay View Post Office. The comment section will let us know if we’re wrong, but the facade of Butch’s Place looks an awful lot like the longtime home of what’s now Blackbird.
What’s Judy up to these days?
While Stemper’s is still selling holy items and the bar that used to be called Puddler’s Hall is now Puddler’s Hall once more, Marino’s Sportsman’s Tap is now Palomino and DeMarinis Pizza Place (not to be confused with the nearby and still-existent Dom & Phil Demarinis) has been Goodkind for a decade.
Milwaukee is a place that’s constantly changing, and there’s arguably no Milwaukee neighborhood that’s changed more over the past 35-plus years than Bay View. Though change isn’t always a bad thing (and many of the neighborhood’s amenities actually remain to this day), it’s fun being able to look back at a time when Midwest Express planes were scattered about the skies, folks were getting drinks at Tuna’s Bar, and kids were killing time at Mr. Wilson’s Skateboards before heading to the South Shore Waterfrolics.
Whether it’s the version we see today or a crudely-drawn depiction made by two artists back in 1988, there’s no place quite like Bay View.