• Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin

Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Your neighborhood. Your News.

newsMilwaukee NNSMilwaukee NNSSearch
Subscribe to NNS today!
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
    • Arts and Recreation
    • Community
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Health and Wellness
    • Housing
    • Public Safety
    • NNS Spotlight
    • Special Report
  • Posts From Community
    • Submit a Story
  • Community Voices
  • How To
  • Multimedia
    • NNS Local Video
    • Photos
    • NNS on Lake Effect
    • NNS WGLB 1560 Radio
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
  • About
    • Staff
    • Partners
    • News 414
    • The neighborhoods we cover
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Diederich College of Communication, Marquette University

You are here: Home / Posts from Community / An ordinary alleyway

An ordinary alleyway

August 26, 2012 by Graham David Caflisch Leave a Comment

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

Graham Caflisch is a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. This summer he completed a Field School course about Thurston Woods taught by Arijit Sen.

The setting for this particular story takes the shape of an ordinary garage that was built along an ordinary alleyway, similar to what you see in any other residential neighborhood that was built in the mid twentieth century.

My group partner Nathan Beyer and I were allowed inside to record any architectural features we found to be interesting or unique while another group surveyed the neighboring owners home. Inside of the garage we noticed that 90 percent of the material used in its construction had clearly been used prior. Evidence for this was the excessive number of nail holes in the exposed studs that line the walls as well as the roof boards. In some of the holes we even found rusting cut nails. The production for this type of nail predates modern wire nails and in many cases can be dated to the nineteenth century.

In addition to the nail holes remnants of plaster stained the studs in a very particular way. The staining on the studs suggests that they were once joined together by lath, a technique that was popular in the Twenties and Thirties to construct interior walls. Another way we dated the material was by noticing the random sizing of the wooden stud dimensions which lacked any uniform dimensioning, predating the modern 2×4 size.

This garage is a wonderful example of change and transformation within the Thurston Woods neighborhood. The garage was very likely constructed in the Fifties after the material used for its construction was taken from the east end of the neighboring owner’s house, which we are guessing was built in the Twenties.

The reason why we have taken such an interest in this neighborhood, over others, is its representation of a particular time period in Milwaukee. Most of the construction present today in the neighborhood dates to the decade following WWII when returning veterans understood that every American deserves their own home, including a garage to house a new automobile and other materials: a lawnmower, bicycles, etc. All of these veterans would have lived through the an economic depression and therefore adopted the “Do it Yourself” mentality.

The construction of the garage is a prime example of this type of post-war American vernacular architecture where the owner of the project was responsible for recycling of material and the labor in the construction. It is through the hands of the owners that transformation occurs but the past is never erased.

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

Filed Under: Posts from Community, Thurston Woods

Avatar

About Graham David Caflisch

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Top Stories

Advertisement

How To …

How to avoid stimulus check scams

A new round of stimulus checks will likely also bring out a new round of scams. Here’s what to watch out for.

More "How To" articles

Advertisement

Recommended Reading

A Vaccine Reality Check

The Atlantic

UWM study on the state of Black Milwaukee describes the city as ‘the epitome of a 21st century racial regime’

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Videos Show How Federal Officers Escalated Violence in Portland

The New York Times

These mayors want to fight Covid-19 and the recession with one big idea: A guaranteed income

Vox

The World John Lewis Helped Create

The Atlantic

News

  • Arts and Recreation
  • Economic Development
  • Education
  • Health and Wellness
  • Housing
  • Public Safety
  • NNS Spotlight
  • Special Reports
  • Multimedia
    • NNS Videos
    • Photos
    • NNS on Lake Effect Radio

Engage with us

  • Posts from Community
  • Community Voices
  • Submit a Story

About NNS

  • Staff
  • Partners
  • News414
  • The neighborhoods we cover
  • Internship opportunities
  • Careers
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS feed

Communities

Contact

mailing address
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Diederich College of Communication
Marquette University
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Johnston Hall 430
Milwaukee, WI 53233

email
info@milwaukeenns.org

phone & fax
PHONE: 414.604.6397 FAX: 414.288.6494

Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service is a project of Diederich College of Communication and Marquette University.
© 2020 Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Terms of use.
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee WI 53233 • info@milwaukeenns.org

Copyright © 2021 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in