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Milwaukee Then and Now
As part of the popular Then and Now Series, the city of Milwaukee is celebrated with archival photographs shown alongside specially commissioned contemporary images of the same scene. This visual account features over 100 photographs. It shows us how Milwaukee has evolved into the city it is today-a diverse range of architectural styles, where the massive arches of the old Federal Building, sleek lines of late 20th century high-rise offices, and the imposing mansions of Lake Drive all present one fascinating landscape.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published April 5, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 15, 2025
A Visit To Milwaukee
I lived in Milwaukee from birth until graduating from college in 1969 but, until my 50th high school reunion in 2015, had hardly been back. I remember the city fondly and love to see old photographs and other reminders of my youth.
This new edition of "Milwaukee: Then and Now" (2014) by Sandra Ackerman is a reissue of a book first published in 2004. The coffee-table sized book presents a photograph of an old Milwaukee scene or landmark on the left hand page accompanied by a photo of the same site as viewed today on the right. The old photographs generally are in black-and-white while the recent photos are in clear, well-defined color. Ackerman, a Milwaukee native and Executive Director of the preservationist organization Historic Milwaukee, selected the photos and wrote informative commentaries about the sites and their histories.
Many of the old photos predate my time in Milwaukee while the recent photos postdate it. A city which seemed to me stolid and unchanging in my younger days has actually changed a great deal. Still, the book brought back many memories.
I enjoyed seeing places and landmarks I knew well, both before and after the time I knew them. Photographs of downtown Milwaukee, with the unique bridges over the Milwaukee River that would divide and rise in the air for passing ships brought back memories. I remember places that I knew, including the lakefront, the old Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Station, the Northwestern Life Building, Layton Art Gallery, County Stadium, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the old Plankinton Mansion and much more. The only photograph of a place near my home was of Washington Park, where I spent some time at the old zoo and even more time walking around the lagoon and hearing concerts at the band shell. The park, lagoon, and band shell are still there and Ackerman's photograph of the shell and amphitheater look much as it did many years ago. Ackerman also includes photographs of Milwaukee's famous breweries, Pabst, Miller, Schlitz,and Blatz, all of which had tours which included samples of the breweries product for adults and of root beer for the kids. Most of the old breweries are gone; but Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, also featured in the book, continues in Milwaukee and thrives.
I took little notice when I was young of the old, ornate, German-style buildings which graced the city. I appreciate them more now that they are largely gone. Besides the buildings, the photographs show a great deal of street life, the pedestrians, old cars, streetcars or horse-drawn cars in some instances, and advertising signs that capture the flavor of the Milwaukee of old.
The book includes many photographs of parts of Milwaukee I didn't know or paid little attention to when I lived in the city. It was good to learn about them and to see them with fresh eyes.
This book brought back feelings of a time and a place. Any reader with a connection to Milwaukee would love this book. It made me want to catch a train (my favorite means of transportation) and to see Milwaukee again and hold it close.
Robin Friedman
I lived in Milwaukee from birth until graduating from college in 1969 but, until my 50th high school reunion in 2015, had hardly been back. I remember the city fondly and love to see old photographs and other reminders of my youth.
This new edition of "Milwaukee: Then and Now" (2014) by Sandra Ackerman is a reissue of a book first published in 2004. The coffee-table sized book presents a photograph of an old Milwaukee scene or landmark on the left hand page accompanied by a photo of the same site as viewed today on the right. The old photographs generally are in black-and-white while the recent photos are in clear, well-defined color. Ackerman, a Milwaukee native and Executive Director of the preservationist organization Historic Milwaukee, selected the photos and wrote informative commentaries about the sites and their histories.
Many of the old photos predate my time in Milwaukee while the recent photos postdate it. A city which seemed to me stolid and unchanging in my younger days has actually changed a great deal. Still, the book brought back many memories.
I enjoyed seeing places and landmarks I knew well, both before and after the time I knew them. Photographs of downtown Milwaukee, with the unique bridges over the Milwaukee River that would divide and rise in the air for passing ships brought back memories. I remember places that I knew, including the lakefront, the old Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Station, the Northwestern Life Building, Layton Art Gallery, County Stadium, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the old Plankinton Mansion and much more. The only photograph of a place near my home was of Washington Park, where I spent some time at the old zoo and even more time walking around the lagoon and hearing concerts at the band shell. The park, lagoon, and band shell are still there and Ackerman's photograph of the shell and amphitheater look much as it did many years ago. Ackerman also includes photographs of Milwaukee's famous breweries, Pabst, Miller, Schlitz,and Blatz, all of which had tours which included samples of the breweries product for adults and of root beer for the kids. Most of the old breweries are gone; but Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, also featured in the book, continues in Milwaukee and thrives.
I took little notice when I was young of the old, ornate, German-style buildings which graced the city. I appreciate them more now that they are largely gone. Besides the buildings, the photographs show a great deal of street life, the pedestrians, old cars, streetcars or horse-drawn cars in some instances, and advertising signs that capture the flavor of the Milwaukee of old.
The book includes many photographs of parts of Milwaukee I didn't know or paid little attention to when I lived in the city. It was good to learn about them and to see them with fresh eyes.
This book brought back feelings of a time and a place. Any reader with a connection to Milwaukee would love this book. It made me want to catch a train (my favorite means of transportation) and to see Milwaukee again and hold it close.
Robin Friedman
December 27, 2015
This book was given to my parents as a Christmas gift. I picked it up and couldn't put it down! The pictures were lovely, although I would have loved more! The info was also intriguing! It certainly made me want to dig into my city's rich history some more!
May 19, 2020
A delightful look at the past and present of one of America's great underrated cities (and my hometown). The photos are of high quality, and the selection of sites, while we could all argue with what hasn't been included, presents a good cross-section of the city and its history. The book is marred by a few minor errors and irritants, included the author's unfortunate habit of referring to singular entities and organizations as "they" on second reference. Better editing would have corrected that. The book also would have been improved by including street addresses for the sites that are featured. Recommended for anyone interested in urban and ethnic history, or for readers who just want to learn more about Milwaukee.
August 14, 2015
Interesting concept. This oversize book shows about seventy pairs of photographs — an old black-and-white photo on each lefthand page and a current color image on the facing right, each one taken from the same vantage point. My head swiveled back and forth while comparing details of one photograph with the other.
The organizing design scheme: Taking Milwaukee City Hall as the center of a spiral, the image locations spiral out from there.
If a picture is still worth a thousand words, then this book is worth over a hundred-and-forty-thousand words. Editors of the original book limited each caption to ninety words, said the author while appearing at the Milwaukee Public Library for her talk and book signing.
This is a 2014 revision of the book, published in 2004. Three and a half stars.
The organizing design scheme: Taking Milwaukee City Hall as the center of a spiral, the image locations spiral out from there.
If a picture is still worth a thousand words, then this book is worth over a hundred-and-forty-thousand words. Editors of the original book limited each caption to ninety words, said the author while appearing at the Milwaukee Public Library for her talk and book signing.
This is a 2014 revision of the book, published in 2004. Three and a half stars.
October 7, 2015
At its heart, this a picture book with some short captionsbregarding the building or site's historic significance. Most of the captions were incalcuably dull, but since I have a thirst for this subject infrequently caused to want to learn more. An odd sensation to say the least.
September 14, 2011
Easy to read, it's mostly pictures.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews