Garden Homes

Quaint, historic homes set Garden Homes apart from other neighborhoods on Milwaukee’s Far North Side, where residents can enjoy proximity to three Milwaukee Public Schools and a quick commute downtown.

Garden Homes was first envisioned in the very early 20th century as a city-funded cooperative housing project, which began construction in the early 1920s. Though it didn’t quite become a sprawling residential haven, the project resulted in a cluster of eye-catching two-story cottages, which today comprise the northern section of the neighborhood. These historic homes boast a variety of colors on their mainly wood-sided facades; others have stucco exteriors, while a few are even wrapped in ivy. Most houses outside this section are bungalows — some of brick or stone — while you’ll also find Cape Cods and duplexes in the neighborhood. Home prices average about $111,000 here, which could get you a well-kept Garden Homes cottage, while a recently updated, nearly 2,300-square-foot house could cost up to $250,000.

The original Garden Homes section centers around Garden Homes Park. A small, relatively modern playground anchors this roughly 2-acre green space opposite some houses’ front porches. At the opposite corner of the neighborhood, you’ll find the Green Tech Station, an educational outdoor spot where visitors can learn about stormwater irrigation. The park was designed to capture 100,000-plus gallons of water on rainy days, which irrigates the 440 trees planted on site. Meanwhile, many neighborhood kids spend free time at Lighthouse Youth Center, which partners with Garden Homes Lutheran Church to provide after-school and summertime care for ages 10 to 18 at no cost. “We have free time every day — a lot of kids in this neighborhood love going and playing basketball or throwing the football outside,” says Director of Programming Abbie Helwig. “We have homework help, so we do tutoring during the school year.”

Barbee Montessori is the neighborhood’s closest public school, welcoming kindergarten through sixth grade students to experience a hands-on, creativity-focused curriculum in true Montessori style. Benjamin Franklin School offers a more traditional public education for kindergarten through eighth grade a few blocks west of the neighborhood. Garden Homes Lutheran School offers classes for this same age group and has earned four stars from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. And Rufus King International High School, among Milwaukee’s best public high schools, operates just east of Garden Homes. This school of 1,400-plus students is impossible to miss with its regal brick exterior, but it's best known for what goes on inside the building. Rufus King’s International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum attracts ambitious youths from all over the city and has helped it land a rare A rating from Niche.

Another northern Milwaukee landmark, Mr. Perkins Family Restaurant, operates just a block from the southeast corner of Garden Homes. This unassuming, family-owned eatery has been a staple for many residents since it opened in 1969. When you grab a table or a bar seat for a hearty breakfast or soul food-infused lunch, odds are you’ll be sitting next to someone who’s gone to Mr. Perkins for years. Several other locally owned pit stops punctuate the blocks around Garden Homes. If you’d like to venture a little farther, downtown Milwaukee offers countless trendy spots to eat, drink or catch a show and is about 10 minutes away via Interstate 43.

If you need to load up on groceries or other errands, check out two robust commercial areas within a few minutes of Garden Homes. Midtown Center sits about seven minutes west and includes a Pick n Save grocery store, a Forman Mills department store and other brand-name shops. Roughly the same distance in the other direction is the Riverworks district, where you’ll find a Walmart Supercenter, Outpost Natural Foods and more.

Written By

John Battiston

Photography Contributed By

Kyle Arn

Video By

Melinda Anselmo