Table Of ContentLittle Vfilage
Th~
-- \ That Could• ••
, \ andDid
\-'. .
GREENDALE
The Little Village
That Could. ..
and Did
The true story about Wisconsin's "Greenbelt Town",
told by people who live there.
Editor: Hal Prey
Copy Editor: Kristine Krueger
Art Director: Judy Larson
Art Assistant: Maribeth Greinke-Fleischmann
Photo Coordinator: Trudi Bellin
Illustrator: Jim Sibilski
Graphic Art Associates: Ellen Lloyd, Catherine Fletcher
@ 2004 Reiman Media Group, Inc.
5400 S. 60th St., Greendale WI 53 129
Country Books
International Standard Book Number: 0-89821-411-4
Library of Congress Control Number: 2004093567
All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
For additional copies of this book or information on other books,
write: Country Books, P.O. Box 990, Greendale Wl 53129.
Credit card orders call toll-free 1-800/558-1013.
IMAGES OF GREENDALE
The following organizations and persons contributed the photographs that appear
on these pages. The memorable moments they captured have added an indelible
visual dimension to this history of the village. We are grateful to them.
Greendale Hiswrical Society G. Hickok
Resettlement Administration Ed Bengs
Library of Congress, Farm Security Alvin Basse
Administration Collection, John Vachon Carol Rosencrantz
Library of Congress, Prims & Photographs Jack C. Murdaugh
Division, FSA-OWI collection John Kuglitsch
Tri-Town News (Hales Corners) John Hermes
Reiman Publications
How Greendale Grew. ..
CONTENTS
I
Chapter 1-Pioneers Took a Chance 23 "Aunt Jen" Kept Kids Busy ........................... 97
How a Roosevelt vision became a reality- and con- 24 Theatre Opens on Broad Street.. ................. .101
vinced 572.families to "move to the sticks''. ............. 9 25 There's a Tavern in the Town ...................... .105
26 New Library in Big Demand ........................ 109
2 How Greendale Got Its Name .......................... 13 27 Rationing a Wartime Sacrifice ..................... 113
3 Project Attracted Lots of Attention ................... 17 28 Greendale Men Head Off to War ................. l l 7
4 Who Would Be Lucky to Live There? ..............2 1 29 War Sparked "Garden Community" Tag ...... 121
5 Houses Were Built "Backward" .......................2 5
6 Almost All the Streets Bend ............................. 29
7 Look- Elect1ic Stoves! ....................................3 3 Chapter 30-Residential Expansion Begins
8 Predictably, Eleanor Spoke Her Mind ..............3 7 While 750 homes were originally planned for Green
9 No Shortage of "Advice" from Landlord ........ .41 dale, only 572 were built due to budget cuts. But in
J 940, the Farm Security Administration laid plans for
an additional 200 homes ..................................... l 25
Chapter 10-The Communication Challenge
There were only two telephones- one at the police sta- 31 Greendalers Go on "Rent Strike" ................. 129
tion and a pay phone in the Village Hall ............... .45 32 Emotions Settle Down, Rally Held .............. 133
33 Government Sells Surrounding Land ........... 137
11 Vendors, Gardens Provided Food .................. .49 34 New Businesses Come to Village ................ 14 I
12 Co-operatives Were a Success ........................ 53 35 No Mayor for Greendale ............................. .145
13 One-Room School for Eight Grades .............. 57 36 Greendale "Originals" Go on Market .......... I 49
14 Conununity Emergency Services Needed ...... 61 37 Expanding While Retaining Tradition ......... 153
15 Residents Really Trusted Each Other ............ 65 38 Light Industry Firms Courted ..................... .157
16 Lots of Reasons to "Get Together" ................6 9 39 Earlier Controversy Over Village Center ..... 161
17 Residents Decide to Incorporate ....................7 3
18 Let the Good Times Roll ................................ 77
19 Greendale Gets Its Own School. ....................8 1 Chapter 40-The Rebirth of Greendale
Just as downtown Greendale was becoming a "ghost
town" (only seven businesses remained open by 1996),
Chapter 20-Village Days Celebrations Begin the Grandhaven investment firm stepped i11 and prom-
Home to over 2,000 families by 1938, Greendale ised a renovation and new beginning .................. .165
celebrated its first birthday, started a tradition .....8 5
41 Village Gets New Face, New Future ............ 169
21 Social Calendars Filled Up ............................ 89 42 New Ideas Keep Greendale Exciting ........... 181
22 Recreational Facilities Are Built.. .................. 93 43 Now "Jewel" of Milwaukee Suburbs ........... 187
This Book Had a Whole Lot of 'Editors' Fischbach and Diana Munger for all the time they spent
arranging and conducting interviews with the more than
WE ARE deeply indebted to a large group of people for
70 residents who shared their experiences of life in early
their help in producing this "history or Greendale".
Greendale. Their personal recollections included in these
First and foremost, we thank the members of the
pages provide an invaluable recounting of the human spir
Greendale Historical Society for their support and help
in gathering the narrative background of our beloved it as a new frontier of suburban living unfolded. The rem
community. They searched through scrapbooks, family iniscences of these pioneers-some of whom are no
albums. newspaper clippings and miscellaneous items, longer with us-add a fascinating personal dimension to
and also shared their memories. this telling of a modern urban miracle.
We are especially grateful to Historical Society Pres No one. though, deserves more credit than this book's
ident Sally Chadwick for her ever-cheerful encourage editor, Hal Prey, who spent a good part of 3 years gather
ment and hours of dedication- she provided names, ing the facts, figures, photos and anecdotes compiled here.
dates and sources ... then read this whole book twice and He, as well as we, thought we knew this village well ... but
some parts three times to assure its accuracy. we learned so much more to appreciate in the process.
We also thank Quentin Zillig, Teel Mainella, Bill Pog Greendale really is a special town, with a unique his
litsch, Carol Curtin, Jim Curtin, Roy Reiman, Dorothy tory and a lot of really special people.
The Story of Greendale ... f1•om Vision to Reality
EVEN TODAY, il's exciting to hear or read of a new and hundreds of homes, plus where to place the slreeLs,
community that's being planned, one being built in a etc. BuLa ccomplish it they did, creating one of the pret
country venue that will include a shopping center, tiest villages in all of the Midwest.
schools, parks and an abundance of new homes. This town was named "Greendale". When it was fin
It's even more impressive when you learn thal this ished, the challenge of its designers and builders was
kind of progressive planning happened back in 1934, matched by the pioneers who moved here-572 families,
when a group of visionaries in the Roosevelt Adminis each selected basically because they were poor. They
tration gathered to select sites to design and build three would all be renters, albeit at a reasonable rate, and the
"Greenbelt Towns". U.S. government would be their landlord.
Over 100 major cities were first considered ... these This book brings you the story of the builders and
lection was then narrowed to eight ... and finally Mil the settlers, much of it in their own words, illustrated with
waukee was one of the three chosen. The latter selec more than 250 photos, many from family albums. Their
tion was partly due to the large, attractive tract of rolling words and memories allow you to immerse yourself in
farmland on the city's southern border-it seemed a per- the spirit of these pioneers, who made it possible for
fect fit for the designers' plan. · Greendale to grow from a novel idea to the charming,
Just imagine that group's challenge back then, as they historical village it is today.
walked over this land-3,410 acres of it-and decided So find yourself a comfortable chair- once you be
where to put the business center, the schools, the parks gin, you're going to be reading awhile. Enjoy!
ALLOiMt.µ1
ClAs:tOt:.N!'> .
I ··~
'
L E
A Neighboftf'
Way of
U(i.~·:~::_~-
- - -·.~ +
THIS MAP was prepared iI_!:l~?,4-. f
It's the blueprint of GreendaI~ aS it$<
planners envisioned turning.more th~ -:
a
3,000 acres of farm1and,into pe~v -~:~
t
type of urban cominunity. ., :-, _, ; ·~c_- ~
vltiag<s ...
They decided to~set tb,e .~
orig,inal ~ome~ hmid a up.ique.:p_~{!em_::
of curving, ''functiomil''. thorougnf-iire~·:::
.. tp di!scoun1ge undue traft4~ and~µ~~t~~~
".persona.I. ~a.fety. TJie~"1.desrg,iied}fs.~· ~
. main Sll:eet~alJed.Bfo~1dSt:reef':'to' ,:
c1:eiKl~en'd· at·t he ViJh1ge.,fta1i)th~:ifi~Jrtt · ··
of
the comtn'LinL~y . . · .... :;'~'· ; ·:;:~~-.:~·:.;
They foi·med borders aro@d the,yik :·:
· lage center with roads 'called "ways"_:_;_.·-.:
Northway, Eastway; Sou:th.w_aY.~~nd ·
West way. The outer 'lfiri.its oftli~~iJ:-..: }
.- \/' -"'--
!·_· !age were defined by GrangeAv~riue ··_.
~> on the north, Loomis Road ontiit·e~t. · :
---- Root River Parkway on the _so.u.tll.:an~·:·-
'r:l~---1 ~--1 I ! / 92nd Street on the west. · · .~ -·~ -.:- ·
·--"" r·--~ They designated narrowey-r_oads-:_
~':;br.=:=:=:::::;-. --====--l ,=-1'( "'J' ,,J,, ' as "lanes" ' "courts" and "cul:de. :----_s·-a-c-s-'-~- ·-.
~ \ ,," to serve the homes. To make~ireasiei: ·
,lJ. \," for work crews to find locations~dtir~
ing construction-a.nd t~ S:~~~·e:ife\v~~
/
residents in the same }VaJ-fa~er:~.s-ec-_.;·
.
\ tio11s were ·~al ph.abe~Lzed".' ·- ···: -; ,..,,.,.: · .. :
.I
The names of coui~s and lane·s\ifl: ·
'qn,e sec;tion. begi ri."wi.H;.t,h~:i¢t~~:f:.~f('~>
0\11g1e.L a'n~ •. Apric6~:co-u~ti:e:-t);:me.. /
:s a:u;
.·s ~.co n.d sectio L1 maihe~i ~.~gfji~~~t.~?·
:B; the i1c~t secti0.11)s. . with:.C;~'efcN}::)L'~-'i',:
· .; . As the.village expai1dedt.tl~1~.:gii[qli~::T
al phabe'ti ca I ideniifi catl on)ia:itel!-:·r
dured. Whe1~ a residenf sa].sf~~tL~li:.\)A~:~
--- --- - in the M section,'' another re§iden{im~~~
·.-
'mediately knows where tl1atis./:'_>.·.;~
---- . -- The designers even gave:~onsi{:ler- c,
/ able thought to a distinctivenetiVoi:kof~
--- paved pedestrian·patbs tbarwfnd.b~..:.~:
hind and between the yards,:pio\64i~8::.';;
-·~
..... s _ _ / - • every home a pleasant, trafflc:fr~ w*~~:
to playgrounds, scbools and t.Qe-0U-~ge ·.
center. These paths were purpg:se_L)i;-~
\._ ---_,---./· made narrow to "encourage'Wa:JJc#S. ·
to meet, chat and get acquai~te4?/':;~·:.:
The designers wanted Gt~eridal~ -
to become a neighborly "fe~~qtiity''..: ..: ·
They certainly su.cceed~cf; ~ ~- :-_., . ;:
;.··.:,
