Washington
Here’s a guide to Milwaukee’s Washington Heights neighborhood
Milwaukee has more than 75 distinct neighborhoods.
Home to about 7,000 residents and surrounded by budding business corridors is Washington Heights — one of the most historic neighborhoods in Milwaukee.
Where is Washington Heights?
Located on the west side of Milwaukee, Washington Heights’ northern boundary is West North Avenue and its southern boundary is West Vliet Street.
The neighborhood’s western boundary is North 60th Street, which also marks the beginning of Wauwatosa’s Washington Highlands. The eastern edge is North 47th Street, and just east of that is Highway 175, which may be converted to boulevard, and divides the neighborhood from Milwaukee’s Washington Park.
Much of Washington Heights is old farmland
The area’s earliest nonindigenous civilization in the Washington Heights area began in 1835. George Dousman, a Michigan fur trader’s son was part of the first wave of European settlement that same year. He settled his family farm on much of what Washington Heights is today.
Dousman and his son, George P., continued to hold much of the land until the 1890s when he and his neighbors began to sell parcels to developers. This happened about the same time that the Milwaukee Park Commission Board hired Frederick Law Olmsted to design West Park — what is now Washington Park.
Nearly all of the homes that still currently stand in Washington Heights were constructed between 1910 and 1930. A number of prominent families owned homes in the area, including the Harleys and Davidsons of motorcycle fame.
As the neighborhood developed, the Germans built three churches, St. Sebastian’s Parish, Mount Olive Lutheran, and St. James’ Lutheran. A smaller Jewish community built a synagogue, Congregation Beth El.
By 1924, the boundaries of the City of Milwaukee were extended west to North 60th Street. The current set of map boundaries was established by the neighborhood association.
According to Richard “Rocky” Marcoux, Milwaukee’s longest-serving city development commissioner, Washington Heights had many attempts at establishing a neighborhood association, but finally the Washington Heights Neighborhood Association was formed in 1989.
There were two separate efforts in the 1990s and mid-2000s by residents to improve the neighborhood and its homes as realtors began to be concerned with status of the neighborhood as one of the most sought after places to live.
Where to eat, drink and hang out in Washington Heights?
Washington Heights, which is mostly a residential area, has budding business districts on both its northern and southern end.
“I love that the Heights is bookended by North Avenue and Vliet (Street),” said Sabrina Eder, president of the neighborhood association. “These budding business districts that continue to have growth and new businesses open up.”
Eder said the walkability of the neighborhood makes it possible for residents to get to restaurants and shops along the prominent Milwaukee streets. Many of the businesses along these corridors are owned by people who live in Washington Heights.
There are two main coffee shops in the neighborhood, along the southern edge is Valentine Coffee Co. at 5918 W. Vliet St. On the northern edge is Vennture Brew Co. at 5519 W. North Ave.
Many bars and pubs are in the neighborhood, including Neighborhood Draft at 5921 W. Vliet St. and McBob’s Pub & Grill at 4919 W. North Ave. — a Milwaukee staple known for its corned beef. There is also Charles E. Fromage at 5811 W. Vliet St.
For a hefty serving of barbecue check out Heavens Table BBQ at 5507 W. North Ave and for frozen custard there is Fred’s Frozen Custard & Grill at 4726 W. Vliet St., which has been around since 1967. For pizza, there is Wy’east Pizza at 5601 W. Vliet St.
What is unique about Washington Heights?
Washington Heights has many of its residents involved in the area’s events and the residents strive to get to know each other.
“We are a small town within a large city, and each block is its own community,” said Heidi Steeno, vice president of the neighborhood association. “Having lived many other places in the state of Wisconsin, I’ve never experienced the neighborliness the Heights offers.”
Many Washington Heights residents have been in the neighborhood for 20 to 40 years. Eder said there are different generations of families that were raised in the Heights, from children to grandchildren, who attend one of the many public and private schools in the neighborhood.
The residents often invest in their homes. “What is really special, is people are continuing to reinvest in their homes by updating them,” Eder said, adding that residents often ask for recommendations on contractors or painters. “So you know that people really care about their homes,” she said.
Likely the event that is most unique to Washington Heights is its nighttime trick-or-treating event it has every year called Spooktacular.
When the neighborhood association sponsored a Halloween party at Hi Mount School in 1991, the event included nighttime trick-or-treating. It was the first time a City of Milwaukee neighborhood had nighttime trick-or-treating in over 25 years.
The event was such a success it became an annual event, sparking other neighborhoods to take notice and bring back nighttime trick-or-treating. Washington Heights has the longest running nighttime trick-or-treating in Milwaukee.
Washington Heights is also home to the city’s only remaining independently owned children’s bookstore — Rainbow Booksellers at 5704 W. Vliet St. The side of the building features a mural called The Heights Dream Library and has many created book titles named by nearby residents.
“They’re not books that exist. They’re books that people would dream about finding,” said the building’s owner, Dan Schley.
Schley said the mural has become a staple in the community. “There’s been people taking wedding shots in front of it. There’s been people taking baby bump photos in front of it,” he said.
The mural was painted by artist Fred Kaems, a Washington Heights resident, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020.
Bastille Days, the popular downtown Milwaukee festival celebrating all things French, also has a west side adaption of the festival in Washington Heights called Bastille Day West.
Two noted painters lived in Washington Heights, Karl Priebe and John Wilde, and two former mayors of Milwaukee have lived in the neighborhood, Henry Maier and Tom Barrett.
This research comes from previous Journal Sentinel coverage, John Gurda’s “Milwaukee, City of Neighborhoods,” and Urban Anthropology Inc.
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An 18-year-old who was shot and wounded in Northwest D.C.’s Tenleytown neighborhood on Thursday afternoon has died, authorities say.
Brady Flowers Jr., of Southwest, was the victim, police said in an update Saturday.
Flowers was found shot in the 4500 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW, behind the CVS store. Jackson-Reed High School and American University are nearby.
Flowers was rushed to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and pronounced dead a day later, police said.
Police said 10-15 teens were seen running after the gunshots.
An investigation is underway. Anyone with potentially relevant information is asked to contact police.
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Washington
Governor Moore Continues “Delivering for Maryland” Tour in Washington County, Highlighting Transportation Infrastructure, Economic Development, and Early Childhood Education
Updated:
ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore today continued his statewide “Delivering for Maryland” tour with a series of engagements in Washington County, highlighting vital investments in local transportation infrastructure, manufacturing job growth, and early childhood education. The governor emphasized state contributions to modernize the Hagerstown Regional Airport, toured the state-of-the-art Hitachi Rail facility, and celebrated the opening of a new child care center in the South End of Hagerstown funded by the administration’s historic ENOUGH Initiative.
“From investing $1.5 million to update Hagerstown Regional Airport’s aging control tower to supporting 1,300 jobs at Hitachi Rail, the Moore-Miller administration is delivering for Hagerstown, Washington County, and Western Maryland,” said Gov. Moore. “Through our administration’s ENOUGH Initiative partnerships and investments, we’ve tripled child care capacity in the South End of Hagerstown — because no parents should be forced to pick between staying in the workforce or securing quality care for their kids.”
The governor began the day at the Hagerstown Regional Airport, touring the Air Traffic Control Tower and airport grounds. During the visit, Governor Moore highlighted the State’s $1.5 million Fiscal Year 2027 investment to complete the design for a critical replacement of the airport’s aging air traffic control facility. As a primary airport in the Maryland Aviation System Plan, the Hagerstown Regional Airport is a vital economic engine for Washington County, supporting more than 1,800 jobs and generating over $140 million in local business revenue.
Following the airport tour, Governor Moore visited the Hitachi Rail STS facility alongside Congresswoman April McClain Delaney, Senator Mike McKay, Senator Paul Corderman and state transportation leaders. The governor toured the factory floor and rode a test train to observe the manufacturing process. Opened in September 2025 with the support of a $1.6 million state conditional loan, the 307,000-square-foot, carbon-neutral facility is a $100 million capital investment by Hitachi. The factory supports 1,300 jobs — including 460 newly created jobs — and is actively manufacturing railcars for both the Maryland Transit Administration and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
“Hitachi Rail has built a cutting-edge model for advanced manufacturing here in Western Maryland which is focused on delivering clean, safe, efficient regional transportation across our state and the rest of the country,” said Congresswoman April McClain Delaney. “This facility is powered by Maryland’s second-to-none workforce and world-class innovation environment. I’m proud to work with Governor Moore and our public, private, and philanthropic partners to drive global investment that supports jobs and economic growth along our I-270 Tech Corridor.”
Governor Moore concluded the day at the Children’s Learning and Empowerment Center in the South End of Hagerstown, where he met with parents, children, and community leaders. During the visit, the Governor highlighted the administration’s ENOUGH Initiative, which provided critical support for the center’s opening. The new facility is a major win for the community, tripling local childcare capacity with 24 new slots and generating six new early childhood education jobs.
The Children’s Learning and Empowerment Center’s opening was accelerated by a $100,000 investment from San Mar Family & Community Services, the ENOUGH grantee in Hagerstown. ENOUGH grant funding was also supplemented by a $100,000 philanthropic contribution from the Bainum Family Foundation — a member of the ENOUGH Alliance — to complete necessary facility upgrades. The center’s completion underscores the strength of the ENOUGH Initiative’s public-private partnerships to deliver on community priorities and work towards ending child poverty.
Governor Moore’s visit to Washington County follows the third stop of his “Delivering for Maryland” tour in Montgomery County, where he marked a historic milestone by installing the final segment of rail for the Purple Line. This installation completes the 16.2-mile light rail corridor connecting Bethesda and New Carrollton, with passenger service expected to begin in late 2027. The governor also visited Max’s Best Ice Cream in Bethesda, a local business dedicated to creating meaningful employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through the Best Buddies Jobs program.
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A man charged with attacking the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is seeking to disqualify top justice department officials from direct involvement in prosecuting him because they could be considered victims or witnesses in the case, creating a potential conflict of interest.
The acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, and US attorney Jeanine Pirro were attending the 25 April event at the Washington Hilton hotel when Cole Tomas Allen allegedly ran through a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer.
In a court filing late on Thursday, Allen’s attorneys argued that it created at least the appearance of a conflict of interest for Blanche and Pirro to be making any prosecutorial decisions in the case.
“As this case proceeds closer to trial, the country and the world will continue to wonder – how can the American justice system permit a victim to prosecute a criminal defendant in a case involving them?” defense attorneys Eugene Ohm and Tezira Abe wrote.
Ohm and Abe, who are assistant federal public defenders, suggested that the appointment of a special prosecutor might be warranted. They urged US district judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump nominee assigned to Allen’s case, to disqualify Pirro, Blanche and possibly other justice department officials from direct involvement in the investigation and prosecution.
“Both heard gunshots, which presumably forced them to duck below the tables with the rest of the occupants. They were quickly evacuated. Shortly thereafter, they learned that law enforcement believed the target was certain administration officials,” Ohm and Abe wrote.
Pirro said her office would respond to the defense lawyers’ arguments in its own court filing.
“We will not tolerate people who come to the District of Columbia to engage in antidemocratic acts of political violence; and we will prosecute all such acts to the fullest extent of the law,” Pirro said in a statement.
Allen is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday on further charges in an indictment handed up Tuesday by a grand jury in Washington.
The charges include attempting to assassinate Donald Trump, who is a longtime friend of Pirro. Blanche served as a personal attorney for Trump before joining the justice department last year. Blanche, through a spokesperson, referred a request for comment to Pirro’s office. Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, is also charged with assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon and two additional firearms counts.
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