ABOUT US
“These grounds and buildings talked of an earlier time, when healing was not just about pills and procedures. It was about nature, fresh air, and majestic trees; where the buildings themselves are art…
We could learn much from these healers of a century ago, to help our newest generation of veterans heal their wounds of war.”
-Bob Curry, Vietnam Veteran and Founder of DryHootch
The Milwaukee Soldiers Home National Historic Landmark District is an invaluable historical asset to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the nation. Established just after the Civil War, this 90-plus acre district rests on the grounds of the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center and represents Milwaukee’s role in furthering veteran care in America. One of only 43 National Historic Landmarks in Wisconsin, it is the most intact Soldiers Home in the country and the only one with the majority of its surrounding recuperative village remaining. However, for years, this great historic asset was threatened.
In response to a roof collapse at the rear wing of Old Main in February 2010, The Milwaukee Preservation Alliance (MPA), in partnership with key local, regional and national stakeholders, spearheaded a renewed effort to protect, repair and rehabilitate the Milwaukee VA Soldiers Home District. MPA nominated the Soldiers Home to be listed on the National Trust’s 2011 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list, the same year, the National Park Service (NPS) designated the Milwaukee Soldiers Home a National Historic Landmark, the highest honor the NPS can bestow on places of national significance. In 2012, the National Trust for Historic Preservation designated the Milwaukee Soldiers Home a National Treasure.
MPA’s effort leveraged grassroots advocacy and engagement and key preservation tools such as Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 to bring together local, state, and national preservation groups, veterans and related organizations to encourage action to return some of the District’s most threatened historic buildings to the service of veterans.
PRESERVATION SUCCESS
Thanks in large part to the advocacy and awareness effort led by the Milwaukee Preservation Alliance (MPA), six of the Soldiers Home’s vacant buildings – including the iconic Old Main - have been renovated to provide 101 supportive housing units for veterans and their families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Veterans in need are once again receiving care and healing at the Soldiers Home, because every hero deserves a home.
ROAD TO RESTORATION
Though veterans once again call Old Main home, other key historic buildings remained threatened. MPA knew its work was not yet done and set its sights on the preservation of the Soldiers Home’s Chapel, Theater and Governor’s Mansion.
Now, plans are in place to restore these three remaining vacant Soldiers Home buildings to provide additional community space and support services for veterans.