Overview
Since 1867, the Milwaukee VA Soldiers Home campus has provided care to veterans throughout the region. Though many of the Soldiers Home buildings remain in use, three of the largest and most visible – Old Main, Ward Memorial Hall, and Home Chapel – are currently unoccupied with roofs in danger of collapse. The buildings could be lost unless they are restored to support veterans’ needs.
A community advisory council has formed to help save the Milwaukee Soldiers Home. This group includes members from the veteran, preservation, and historical communities, as well as representatives of neighborhoods, associations, and organizations. The council has created a consensus report that describes the most critical veteran needs and how vacant Soldiers Home buildings could be used to meet those needs. The report is being shared with Veterans Administration personnel in charge of the site.
National Significance
The Milwaukee Soldiers Home National Historic Landmark District is one of three remaining original Soldiers Homes in the country. It is an outstanding representation of the development of a national system of medical and residential benefits for disabled veterans. The homes were designed as places of refuge and recuperation for physically and mentally disabled soldiers who had survived the Civil War.
The Milwaukee Soldiers Home contains some of the oldest buildings in the VA system, and the majority of its recuperative village and designed landscape is still intact. Old Main is the only original Soldiers Home building in the country designed to combine multiple basic veteran care functions under one roof. The Milwaukee Soldiers Home is beloved by veterans who believe its recuperative powers should remain accessible to aging Vietnam vets and returning Iraq and Afghanistan vets suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.
Campaign Goals
- Create and fund a plan that will identify how to best reuse the vacant Soldiers Home buildings and how much it will cost to restore them.
- Find interested parties who can restore the buildings to provide services and treatment for veterans.
Ways To Help
Endorse the report supporting the reuse of the Soldiers Home.
Donate to support our advocacy work at the Soldiers Home.
Tell us why the Soldiers Home matters to you.
Partners
Posted by Genell Scheurell, Project Manager
I wanted to share with you one of the beautiful aerial images of the Milwaukee Soldiers Home just finished by Mark Fay, Faystron Photo, Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Please check back often for additional updates on the Milwaukee Soldiers Home. Also, donate today to support the National Trust's ongoing advocacy work at this National Treasure.
Posted by Genell Scheurell, Project Manager
On April 26th, the Milwaukee VA Medical Center hosted a tremendously successful unveiling of a hand-struck brass National Historic Landmark District plaque that will be mounted in a place of honor in the District. Several dignitaries were there to participate in the tribute including Milwaukee's Mayor Tom Barrett; Michael Reynolds, Midwest Regional Director, National Park Service; and Robert Beller, Director, Milwaukee VA Medical Center. In addition, color guards in period uniforms and Civil War re-enactors in period dress lent a historic ambiance to the occasion.
The fantastic weather was just the topping to a beautiful and moving commemoration of the Milwaukee Soldiers Home District listing as a National Historic Landmark. The speakers were truly inspiring and the size of the audience underscored the importance of the NHL district to veterans, preservationists and Milwaukee residents.
Please check back often for additional updates on the Milwaukee Soldiers Home. Also, donate today to support the National Trust's ongoing advocacy work at this National Treasure.
Posted by Genell Scheurell, Project Manager and Dawn McCarthy, President, Milwaukee Preservation Alliance
Two staunch supporters of the Milwaukee Soldiers Home, U.S. Congresswoman Gwen Moore and Stephanie Meeks, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, co-authored an opinion piece published in today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (see below).
The piece also highlighted the upcoming celebration hosted by the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center to unveil the Milwaukee VA Soldiers Home National Historic Landmark District plaque. For more information and to RSVP to attend the event, please click here.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Celebrate our Soldiers Home
By Gwen Moore and Stephanie Meeks
Just west of Miller Park, on the grounds of the Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, lies a series of historic, ornate buildings known as the Milwaukee Soldiers Home. These buildings once welcomed home veterans of the Civil War and, in the ensuing decades, have allowed generations of our soldiers to heal and adjust as they returned to their pre-war lives.
The Soldiers Home has served our veterans for more than a century, and its historic significance cannot be overlooked.
In recognition of this significance, last summer, the Soldiers Home was designated a National Historic Landmark. The distinction is the highest level of recognition a site can receive and puts the Milwaukee Soldiers Home in the company of just 41 National Historic Landmarks in Wisconsin and fewer than 2,500 across the nation.
While most area residents have seen these buildings while tailgating at the stadium or driving on I-94, many people have not had the opportunity to experience up close the grandeur of the Soldiers Home. Along with Veterans Affairs, we would like to invite community members to attend the official unveiling of the National Historic Landmark plaque on April 26 and help celebrate this important milestone.
Click here to read more.
Please check back often for additional updates on the Milwaukee Soldiers Home. Also, donate today to support the National Trust's ongoing advocacy work at this National Treasure.
Posted by Genell Scheurell, Project Manager
One of the most touching stories of a veteran’s relationship to the very special Milwaukee Soldiers Home has been put on YouTube. Here is Howard Hinterthuer speaking eloquently about the meaning of the Milwaukee Soldiers Home to local veterans.
Please check back often for additional updates on the Milwaukee Soldiers Home. Also, donate today to support the National Trust's ongoing advocacy work at this National Treasure.
I was a nursing instructor from UWM and had senior students who did a rotation with the Dom vets when they still lived in the main dom building. The first day of clinical we got a tour of all the buildings- the library, Ward theater, the chapel. Even then- 1979 and 1980 -the buildings needed repair. We had a Christmas party for the Dom vets in the library and I dressed up as Santa and the students provided food and decorations. Our time with the vets and this special place will not be forgotten. I believe the vets felt special having these students and the students and I sure felt honored. I very much hope this place can be saved!!!
I've always had a passion for architecture and specifically how it affects the human spirit. When I was a kid I always knew of that old Victorian tower of Old Main, but after I served and came back for care, there were many occasions that I sat and contemplated my own thoughts. Though I was dealing with my own level of PTSD I absorbed the gracious surroundings of mature trees and buildings designed to mend the body and spirit. There is peace and tranquility at this site, which is what us veterans need. All of the buildings need to be rehabbed since they are history and the future. There are many needs of today's homecoming vets that need to be fulfilled, and these buildings could serve these needs, of which also includes the grounds surrounding these historic buildings. I believe in preservation, since these buildings tell a story for today's and future generations - but these buildings, like cemeteries are special places worthy of special protection and preservation.
I was a laborer in the late 50's working my way through college. I was unloading box cars of bricks at the nearby railroad siding and transporting them to what has now become the main hospital. Before work, during the lunch hour and sometimes after work I used to spend time with the veterans and listen to their war stories and music. One fellow played an amazing banjo and it really was a great attraction to me... I learned to respect what those fellows did for us.
The lawns, trees and isolation from street traffic at the Soldiers Home must certainly have had a calming affect on any soldier or sailor who sought to escape the noise and dangers of war while healing both physically & mentally.
Pls help people CLEVELAND Dam it ARCHITECTURE needs you,take 2 mins & sign this and save a land mark and pass it to as many people as poss It will be your fault and your loss if it goes. https://www.change.org/petitions/councilman-jay-westbrook-cudell-improvement-director-anita-brindza-requesting-a-town-hall-meeting-prior-to-the-sale-or-demolition-of-fifth-church?utm_campaign=mailto_link&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition
I think vets, certainly disabled vets, who lived there thought "This was built for me" and appreciated what was offered. I hope the buildings are not torn down, but rehabbed, preserving their beauty and elegance, and made useful again.
For me as a Nam vet it always helps even to drive through the grounds and see the beauty both manmade and natural. This new batch of vets seem to be having more physical trauma due to the IEDs so anything that calms and helps them heal is beneficial.
Over the years, the peaceful setting most certainly must have contributed to the rehabilitation and renewal of many of the residents. We are extremely fortunate to have this Soldiers Home here in Milwaukee. We should marshall all possible resources, public and private, to preserve this fabulous resource for our veterans of today and tomorrow.
It's on a sacred and respected location with so much history and when I'm there taking pictures it helps me relax and think about all the spirits that are still there.
My great Uncle lived on the grounds. He was in the domiciliary until he was in his 90's and then was moved to the VA hospital. I visited him there in 1978 when he was about 100.
Its the most amazingly beautiful place--the rolling hills of green, all the trees. Its a peaceful place of remembrance. I love all of the history that it holds--the memories of the people that will live there forever and the amazing buildings. I can only imagine all of the amazing stories that the places hold.
I moved to Milwaukee in 1997, and being a huge Civil War historical enthusiast, read about The Old Soldiers Home. Little did I know just four years later I would live less than a mile away and be able to enjoy its grandeur on a regular basis. Then I learned my Uncle was buried there, so it's even more special to me. Living in a nearby neighborhood, I visit Wood [Cemetery] regularly. While walking my dog I enjoy the peaceful serenity and take in the beauty of the buildings, landscape, and truly appreciate our fortune as a community to have this rare historic treasure in our backyard.
I love the un-landscaped rolling hills, the pathways and the small lakes. The building architecture is outstanding and gives one a clear view of the past. I have biked through the grounds many times and it is a good place to bike. I enjoy the historical plaques and was able to spend some time in the library.
I did my graduate school training and research at Wood VA Hospital in the laboratory of Shirley Johnson, PhD, from 1963-1968. After I obtained my PhD in physiology from Marquette University in 1968, I was employed as a Research Scientist at Wood VA and rose to the rank of Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin. I moved to the Durham NC VA Hospital and Duke University in 1983. I retired in 2000 and returned to Wisconsin as a year round resident in 2009. I am proud of my 30 plus years of service in the Veterans Administration I regret that I never took time to explore the National Soldiers Home in the 20 years that I worked on the Wood VA campus. Their stately presence on campus was readily apparent and we were proud that retired veterans were cared for there. I don’t know how the buildings were allowed to deteriorate but believe that it would be very sad for the memories contained there to be eradicated by loss of the buildings and failure to develop the grounds for use by the public and especially veterans. It would be wonderful to see the buildings restored to their prior glory and put to use in the service of veterans. I strongly support the Consensus Report and look forward to being part of the process in some way.
As a boy, I gazed across the right field fence at County Stadium and saw hundreds of veterans blanketing the hillside in front of Old Main. “What’s that Dad,” I asked. “That is the Veterans Home,” he replied. “They are guys who were wounded during the war.” “What are they doing?” I asked. “Watching the game,” he said. “They can see over the fence from up there.” It’s nice to know they have a place, I thought to myself. The shingled look of Old Main seemed like a voice from the past, with stories to tell. Vietnam vets like me were told not to wear our uniforms on the flight from Seattle to our homes. “There’s no sense in stirring up trouble with protesters in airports,” the army advised. I’m sure it was intended as a kindness. They sincerely wished us a safe journey and hoped we wouldn’t bloody the nose of someone taunting “baby killer!” Veterans from all wars have often struggled with a variety of issues coming home. In my case, my girlfriend had “gone hippy” and was living with another guy. My parents were in Europe. I had no one to pick me up at the airport, and thoughts of sleeping in my own bed were nothing more than a dream. Mom had turned my room into an office. To me the message seemed to be, “We didn’t think you’d come home.” In truth, it is more likely I was just simply off of their day-to-day radar—sort of a non-person. But readjusting to “home” is also problematic in the sense that each of us had been profoundly changed. My friend, Robert, spent a month on the couch sleeping, emotionally paralyzed. His mom finally said, “Robert. You have to get off the couch and do something.” So Robert went back to Vietnam as a civilian, got off the plane in Saigon, kissed the tarmac, hitched a ride back to his old unit, and opened a bar. Robert told me, “Vietnam seemed more like home to me. It also made more sense.” Here’s the whacky thing: I understood perfectly how he felt. The military has been dumping broken people back into civilian life since David slew Goliath. At times we’ve done a good job addressing their physical wounds. My training as a clinical specialist was world class. As a twenty-two-year-old, I was effective in my job and well prepared for a host of unbelievable challenges. We knew how to deal with all sorts of physical insults. But psychological and spiritual pain is a tougher nut to crack, diagnosis- and treatment-wise. Returning veterans need a healing environment where they are able to transition from the insanity and loss of personal control that characterize combat, to a state of relative calm and personal safety. They need another sort of “basic training,” the kind that will prepare them for normality. All vets need it, to varying degrees, and honestly, it is hard to predict who will need it or when issues may bubble up. The Veterans Home could serve the purposes of “retraining” vets for civilian life, and touching up the dents along the way. It can also be a research institution devoted to developing effective methodologies. In many ways, The Veterans Home is the perfect setting. The historic architecture, mature trees, bucolic grounds, and village ambience speak of solid continuity and calm. Even the cemetery says, “You will be cared for and cared about.” These elements have iconic value. Combine them with meaningful activities that engage and connect vets with each other and with their families, and you have a recipe for success. That’s the way it looks from here.
My first experience with Milwaukee's Soldiers Home Historic District was when it was named one of the 11 most endangered historic places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. I remember learning about the buildings and remarking that I hadn't heard of them before. I went out to the District to walk around the site and I remember seeing Old Main for the first time and shortly after, seeing this picture. The size and detail of Old Main is overwhelming. If you haven't seen it in-person I recommend getting out to the site. The building itself incites a sense of awe but then to step back and think about the history it possess makes it even more powerful. To see it open to the elements and threatened due to the roof collapse was saddening. I am encouraged by recent efforts to stabilize the building - all in the name of returning it to the service of our veterans, its original purpose.
I first experienced the National Soldiers Home in Milwaukee on an unexpectedly warm, sunny April afternoon. I had gone in search of the almost haunting tower that loomed over the tree line just west of Miller Park; it was unlike any other in the city beckoning my curiosity from across the freeway. The nature of the former recuperative village took hold of my afternoon where I pleasantly strolled between the buildings rekindling the grounds original use as center for veteran healing and a tranquil park for the residents of Milwaukee.
I first discovered these gems of history when I strolled up a hill taking a break from my PTSD groups at the VA Hospital. 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. A place where the community helped heal their veterans by visiting on the weekends, both enjoying music in the park and the company of each other. We could learn much from these healers of a century ago, to help our newest generation of veterans heal their wounds of war.