PEOPLE
INTERVIEWS (ONGOING)
Matthew Armbrust | Commercial Corridor Manager at Washington Park Partners
In early September I interviewed Matthew Armbrust, the Commercial Corridor Manager at Washington Park Partners, to gain greater insight on the neighborhood’s issues, goals and plans for future development.
In general, vacancies pose constant challenges for the neighborhood. Armbrust reported most blocks within the neighborhood are half vacant and either half or three-fourths of each block is owned by the City of Milwaukee. According to Armbrust, the vacant lots attract crime, accumulation of waste and are eye sores within the community. Although the vacancies are detrimental to the health of the neighborhood, they also provide opportunities for adaptive reuse projects, which may help to increase the value and economic vitality of the neighborhood. There are several properties within the neighborhood that are good candidates for this type of development including, 3903 W Lisbon Avenue (Willowglen Academy) and 1715 N 37th Street (37th Street School).
Armbrust also discussed the need for additional commercial and civic development including banks, restaurants, public spaces, small gardens, grocery stores, supportive health services, community centers and fitness services. One of the most significant needs for the neighborhood is access to healthy food. Convenience stores and gas stations are not acceptable sources of nutrition. In contrast, Armbrust also mentioned the neighborhood’s assets including the Progressive Health Clinics, Family Dental Center, Community Care, PACE Program and recently opened Thai and Southeast Asian Restaurants.
Creating a safer environment for residents is also a primary development goal. Armbrust explained there is both real and perceived crime within the community, which detracts investment and value. However, the neighborhood is working closely with the Milwaukee Police Department to resolve issues related to crime and safety. There is also a significant need for traffic calming interventions, especially on W Lisbon Avenue. Bus stops need to be made more accessible and placed in locations with adequate lighting and visibility.
Mrs. Speech | Member of Washington Park Senior Center
Mrs. Speech was born on August 17th 1936 and is an active member of the Washington Park Senior Center. As a child, she remembers attending the Washington Park Zoo, having family picnics in the park and running up and down the grassy hills; “When I was small, it was running up and down hills, but you never saw a hill in Washington Park. But when I was young, they were hills.” As a young adult, she remembers canoeing in the park’s lagoon and playing chess and checkers in the covered pavilion. Now as a senior, Mrs. Speech utilizes the services provided by the Washington Park Senior Center on a daily basis; rain or shine.
Like many seniors I spoke with, Mrs. Speech described the center as a “…place that is warm and nice and friendly and it is open to any and everything that I can think I want to do when I’m here.” For Mrs. Speech, the changes within Washington Park have benefited her life immensely. “To me, all of the changes on the grounds of Washington Park have been a plus for me. This building, being the highlight for me because I can come here every day of the week and keep busy from 8:30-4:30, Monday through Friday on doing it is whatever I want to do. And if I don’t want to do anything, I’m welcome to sit in one of these rooms and have quiet time and I can bring whatever craft or whatever things I want to do. If I want to sit down and write a letter or if I just want to work on something that I have formed in my head and I bring it, I can get into a room and just work on that. And then all of the things that they offer here, from crafts to religions, bible study. They have, it’s just, music, if you want to learn to play music. I do gospel choir because they go out to nursing homes. Everything in this building for a senior, for me, has been a plus.”
As a senior, socialization is incredibly important to Mrs. Speech. When asked a question regarding the importance of socialization at this stage in her life, Mrs. Speech replied, “It is top priority. You do not come to the center just to be by yourself. You shouldn’t. Some people do, but it’s mostly social. Interacting with others, people that you don’t know or you never would’ve come in contact with; being able to socialize with them. It’s a very good learning experience here because you have all different kinds of people that come and participate, so you get a large variety of people to talk with and they’re point of view.” When Mrs. Speech is not attending the Washington Park Senior Center, she spends her time with the members of her church and at home; occasionally entertaining family and friends.
Although Mrs. Speech does not reside within the Washington Park Neighborhood, her current community faces similar challenges regarding vacancies, safety and crime. Mrs. Speech commented, “People that rent houses in my neighborhood need to take pride in being in a house, which they don’t. They seem to…renters seem to destroy perfectly good houses and once they board up the house, the inside is gutted out by…so it’s an eyesore in the neighborhood. Those are the things that I would like to see change in my neighborhood; that a renter will take more responsibility for keeping up the house.”
In regard to vacancies Mrs. Speech explained, “Well, in my neighborhood, they are tearing the houses down, so there are more vacant lots. To me that is not a bad thing because anything that goes up in that will be new. So, new, I know some countries keep houses for hundreds and hundreds of years, buildings for hundreds and hundreds of years, but in Milwaukee it seems like if the house is 100 years old, tear it down. Why? Because the lack of taking care of the house. No one owns it or the owner is absentee, so they’re not putting any money into the house to keep it up and once they put a board on it, that’s an invitation to whoever wants to gut that house; that’s what they do. So I would like to see more homes with owners.”
In discussing safety and the necessary elements that create a safe neighborhood Mrs. Speech stated, “People that are street people, they like the dark. People that are going to not stay in their house and go and do things that are against the law, they love the dark. I don’t know how…I’m not going to be out there so I have all my lights on in my house! I just, my dad, when I was living at home he would say, “Daughter, son, be home before dark.” And that’s how I live today. Be home before dark. And all my lights are on! So I don’t know about the neighborhood. I try not to ever be out there.”
Mrs. Speech also takes pride in her residence and her collection of keepsakes. Mrs. Speech explained, “Each piece in your home, each piece you brought in. It didn’t fly in. You actually purchased it and brought it in and you’re just going to say that that’s clutter, that I should give it away, get rid of the clutter? No, this is my…I like it. It was nice. Somebody gave it to me. It has some memories. Give it away? Why? Throw away my sons picture when he was a baby. That doesn’t sound right…These are all the things I want to surround me until my last days. I don’t really feel that it’s clutter if you can walk a straight path without stubbing your toe. It’s mine. I want it to surround me until I die."
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