Doors Open Milwaukee

media release: Historic Milwaukee’s annual key to the City returns September 28 and 29, showcasing more than 140 locations extending from Downtown to Milwaukee’s neighborhoods.

The 14th annual event will showcase new sites including Davidson Park, the newly developed Baird Center - North Building, WUWM Milwaukee’s NPR located in the Chase Building, Bronzeville Center for the Arts’ Gallery 507, and more. 

We are also pleased to welcome back crowd-favorites like the Bradley Symphony Center, Federal Building & US Courthouse, America’s Black Holocaust Museum, and Frank Lloyd Wright's Burnham Block. Visitors may explore Historic Milwaukee’s website to begin planning their visit: https://historicmilwaukee.org/doors-open/.

While visitors tour locations throughout Milwaukee, the Historic Milwaukee tour app is a great way to get to know neighborhoods in more depth. This year’s newly launched app tours include Lindsay Heights, created in partnership with Venice Williams, Executive Director of Alice’s Garden Urban Farm and Fondy Food Center and Historic King Drive, developed with the Historic King Drive BID. The tours feature public art and green spaces, as well as small businesses and new development. 

Ray Hill, executive director of the King Drive BID, said this about the tour: "The Historic King Drive Business Improvement District, on Milwaukee’s near north side adjacent to downtown, is truly a great reflection of Milwaukee. Our organization is working to increase vibrancy and density throughout the corridor. The spotlight on our district as part of this app tour will help us further achieve this goal and leverage the work that we are doing to encourage people to experience an area that ties diverse neighborhoods together." 

Families are welcome to spend time on King Drive and to stop by America’s Black Holocaust Museum on Saturday, September 28 to make art with Artists Working in Education’s Art Truck Studio. 

Visitors can also view the “Summer to Be Seen” exhibit at Milwaukee’s City Hall. This interactive traveling exhibit is curated by the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project, the state’s largest digital collection of historical LGBTQ media. 

Historic Milwaukee is seeking volunteers to help greet and count visitors at locations throughout the event. Volunteers receive an exclusive badge that allows them to head to the front of all lines and many other perks. 

Doors Open Milwaukee is free to attend. Historic Milwaukee is grateful to these sponsors and partners who make this program possible:  Johnson Controls Foundation, Zilber Family Foundation, Associated Bank, Northwestern Mutual Foundation, Veolia, We Energies Foundation, Fund for Lake Michigan, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Davidson Park, MGIC, Reinhart Law, Greenfire, Saint Johns on the Lake, Visit Milwaukee, Weathertight Corp, Zimmerman, Downtown BID. 

Historic Milwaukee is grateful for support from these funders for our app tours: Milwaukee Arts Board, Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts, Bader Philanthropies and Zilber Family Foundation.