Summary
Lloyd A. Barbee House
321 East Meinecke Avenue, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County
Date of construction: 1890
The modest frame house was home to African-American attorney Lloyd A. Barbee from 1966 to 1980. Barbee was Wisconsin’s most prominent twentieth-century civil rights activist. He led a campaign to integrate Milwaukee’s public schools, served 12 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, taught at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and defended many victims of police harassment and those arrested during protest demonstrations.
Lloyd Barbee’s successful efforts to integrate the schools combined direct-action protests and a long legal battle. In 1964, he formed the Milwaukee United School Integration Committee (MUSIC). MUSIC organized school boycotts and blocked school buses both to protest segregation and bring the public’s attention to the issue. Later, some MUSIC members helped Barbee prepare an integration lawsuit filed in federal court. After 14 years of tireless work, Barbee secured a consent decree that integrated most of the Milwaukee school system.
Barbee’s former residence is located 1.8 miles north of downtown Milwaukee in a neighborhood known historically as the Near North Side. The area was built up between 1870 and 1910. Middle-class African Americans began buying in this area in the 1930s and it was majority black when Barbee bought the house in 1966. Lloyd Barbee worked on the integration lawsuit in his home office and held MUSIC meetings in the living room. Activists from out of town, including comedian and activist Dick Gregory, slept in his guest bedroom. Little changed from its 1966-1980 appearance, the house is an important link to the fight for equal rights in Wisconsin and the most notable leader of that fight.
This property is private. Please respect the rights and privacy of the owners.
Property Details
| Criteria | Event,Person |
|---|---|
| Area Of Significance | Social History,Ethnic Heritage/Black |
| Period of Significance | 1966-1980 |
| Architectural Style | Late Victorian |
| Architect | |
| Resource Type | Building |
| Historic Use | Single Dwelling |
Resources Within The Property
| Contributing Buildings | 1 |
|---|---|
| Contributing Sites | 0 |
| Contributing Structures | 0 |
| Contributing Objects | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Buildings | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Sites | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Structures | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Objects | 0 |
Designations
| Historic Status | Listed in the State Register |
|---|---|
| National Historic Landmark Listing Date | Feb 15, 2019 |
| Historic Status | Listed in the National Register |
| National Historic Landmark Listing Date | May 7, 2019 |
State & National Registers of Historic Places
The State Register and National Register recognize buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that are significant in national, state, or local history. The State Historic Preservation Office in conjunction with the National Park Service maintains the list for Wisconsin and makes the data available to the public for research and education.
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Email UsAttribution
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2944 N 9th ST
100003909
Located in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County
Justice for All
Monday, October 30, 2017
Explore the poignant and insightful writings of a major civil rights leader and champion in Wisconsin’s fair housing, desegregation, and civil rights battles of the 1960s and '70s.
2442 N 20th ST
100005256
Located in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County
Lloyd Barbee at Milwaukee County Courthouse
1966
Lloyd Barbee and others gathered in front of the Milwaukee County Courthouse for a rally addressing Civil Rights, education, housing, and police brutality. They are gathered in front of a pediment ...
