2463 N Palmer St

Summary

Jones-Hill House
2463 N. Palmer Street, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County
Architect: H. Messmer & Son
Construction Date: 1905-06

Completed in 1906, this house was originally built for the twice-widowed tannery owner William Engelbert Conrad and his youngest son Clarence. The elder Conrad died in 1917 and the house passed on to his eldest child Anna Dietz; her family remained in the home until 1953. Following a short-term owner, the house was purchased in 1953 by Willie and B. Fostoria Jones, the first confirmed African American owners of the home. By the early 1950s, the Joneses had established or assisted in establishing a number of black-owned businesses (including a jazz club, bowling alley and a number of taverns) in or near W. Walnut Street, the heart of the African American neighborhood that had come to be known as Bronzeville.

Perhaps most notable among their concerns was the Hillcrest Hotel, the singular Milwaukee hotel listing in the Negro Travelers’ Green Book in the 1950s and early 1960s. Although details remain scant, the House at 2463 North Palmer Street—or rather its basement, is confirmed to have functioned as a social and recreational outlet in the black community from the mid-1950s to the late-1960s. With a separate and relatively discreet rear entrance, those “in the know,” could access the home’s lower level for libations at the bar, as well as engage in the leisure sport of gambling.

In 1967, the home was sold to Miss Eva Hill, with whom the Joneses had previously co-owned a boarding house on N. 4th Street. That home, known as the Casablanca Hotel, also included a basement bar and, in addition, a stage that was host to after-hours jazz musicians. Immediately following purchase of the North Palmer Street home, the basement bar was again host to a few after-hours parties; however, they ended within just a few years.

The home is privately owned; please respect their privacy.

Property Details

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