Ward Memorial Hall - Milwaukee, WI
Posted by: 
REUAHNESIE
N 43° 01.499 W 087° 58.594
16T E 420433 N 4764051
The theater was completed in 1881 and named for Horatio Ward, an American banker and patriot, who created an endowment to construct theaters at several Veterans Homes.
Waymark Code: WMAAWP
Location: Wisconsin, United States
Date Posted: 12/15/2010
Views: 3
The most celebrated building on the grounds of The Northwestern Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (now the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center)is Ward Memorial Hall (Bldg. 41) or Ward Theater. Completed in 1881 it is the only one of the National Register of Historic Places district buildings to so far also be listed individually on the National Register. For eight decades, the theater was a popular stop for minstrel shows, vaudeville, variety acts and drama. Entertainers included Will Rogers, Bob Hope, George Jessel, Burns and Allen, Sophie Tucker, Ethel Merman, Nat King Cole, and Liberace.
One of the first theaters in Wisconsin, Ward Memorial Hall was designed by Henry Koch in the Victorian Gothic style as a Multi-purpose building with a flat-floored hall. It was a theater and a place of worship and an amusement hall, a resaurant, home store, and post office. A ticket window served passengers on a major railroad line.
The GPS location is at the bottom of the front steps of the building. I intend to return next summer to see the stained glass equestrian portrait of General Ulysses S. Grant which can be seen from east of the building when lit from inside at night.
Theater Name: Ward Memorial Hall
Country: USA
Address:
5000 W. National Ave. BLDG 41
Milwaukee, WI USA
53295
Web Site: [Web Link]
Venue: Community Theater
Type of Productions:
Multi-use
Restored Building: no
Date of Construction: 1881
Architect/Designer: Henry Koch
Stage Type: Not listed
Seating Capacity: Not Listed
Special Productions/Events/Festivals: Not listed
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