The Greendale Historical Society is inviting the public to stroll and enjoy the past and present in historic Greendale on September 13 during the first “Tour of Original Homes.”

“Visitors to Greendale often express their desire to see the inside of a Greendale ‘original’ home,“ said event organizer Barbara Krawczyk. “For the first time in 70 years, nine of these historic homes will be open to the public and The Greendale Historical Society is proud to be able to offer this opportunity. We believe the tour is going to be a great, fun event for visitors and the community.”

Greendale, which celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2008, is one of the nation’s three historic Greenbelt communities and is recognized by the Wisconsin and National Registers of Historic Places.

Greendale “original” homes are known for their iconic cinderblock construction and wooden beamed ceilings. This inagural event will give the public the first chance to tour the inside of these unique homes since they were built in 1938.

“We are very excited about this first of its kind event in Greendale,” says Krawczyk. “This is a great chance to get an inside look at some of Greendale’s finest ‘original’ homes and we are very grateful that homeowners are opening their homes to the public.”

The walking tour will also allow visitors to tour the historic village which was built on the "garden city" model, in which housing was situated within easy walking access of gardens, employment, and a town center.

Greendale was conceived as part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal in the wake of the Great Depression to demonstrate a new kind of suburban community, combining both city and country life. 2008 also marks the 75th anniversary of Roosevelt’s New Deal.

Advance tickets for tour are $15. To purchase tickets, click here. Or, write to The Greendale Historical Society, 5650 Parking Street, Greendale, WI 53129.

---

Dear Members and Friends:

This summer will be stocked with events celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Village of Greendale. With your help, these events will involve all of Greendale. Check out the “Upcoming Events” listed elsewhere in this newsletter.

One event for late summer is worthy of special mention. Walking tours of the Village have always been especially popular. Most of those on the tours want to see the inside of an “Original” home. The tour will exclusively feature several Greendale Originals. Their owners will graciously open their homes to visitors who will get a glimpse into the past seeing many of the homes as they would have looked when Eleanor Roosevelt herself toured Greendale over 70 years ago.

We have been very busy in learning the challenges of grant writing as we continue seeking funding for The Greendale Community Center and Museum. The grant deadlines and award dates are scattered all over the calendar. To date, we have applied for four grants from local, state and federal sources. Due dates were this spring and early summer but we have to hold our breath for results until late fall and even to next year. More sources of funding are in our sights.

Your involvement as members and committee helpers continues to make us an active organization in the Village. We all look forward to a summer of celebration with the farmer’s markets, 4th of July festivities, Village Days and the Original Tour of Homes.

See you in the Village!

Ted Mainella, President

Photo: Craig Schreiner

Dr. Arnold Alanen, author of "Main Street Ready Made: The New Deal Community of Greendale, Wisconsin” will be the guest speaker at the Greendale Historical Society’s spring meeting on June 19. His talk is entitled, "Two Anniversaries: The New Deal at 75 and Greendale at 70."

“The Historical Society is very excited to have Dr. Alanen share with the community what he has learned about Greendale’s unique history,”said Stephan Zelinksi of the Greendale Historical Society. “This is a great opportunity for Villagers to hear much more about the facinating story of our Village.”

Alanen is a professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the UW-Madison, and is the author of numerous publications.

“Greendale offers a glimpse of the 1930s,” says Alanen. “It was designed by renowned landscape architects, architects, and city planners; and the progress of town building, from start to finish, received widespread attention from newspapers and professional journals.”

In “Main Street Ready-Made,” Alanen examined Greendale as an outgrowth of public policy, as an experiment in social engineering, and as an organic community that eventually evolved to embrace a huge shopping mall, condominiums, and expensive homes while still preserving much of the architecture and ambiance of the original village.

Alanen will speak on June 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Greendale Public Library, Lower Level, Health Dept. Entrance at 5650 Parking Street Greendale, WI 53129, The event is free and open to the public

The Village of Greendale has been designated as Historic Landmark District under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Click the link below to download the nomination papers which contains detailed information about the history of the Village of Greendale.

National Historic Landmark Nomination (PDF)

To Our Members:

I hope you like the new look of our newsletter (click here to download). The goal is to send this to you several times a year and to include timely information about what is going on and how you can get involved in accomplishing our mission: The mission of the Greendale Historical Society is to educate about, encourage interest in, and foster appreciation of the unique and diverse history of the Village of Greendale.

Our plans to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Greendale and the 75th anniversary of the New Deal are designed to involve the entire community. They include Historic Tours of Greendale Homes, special events and exhibits during the July 4th and Village Days celebrations, and other commemorative events. For all this to happen, we rely on you, our members, to help.

At the last general meeting there was a great interest in our new committees. Many of you found a spot where you could help out. There are more opportunities and I hope you will join one of the committees, learn more about Greendale, and help others discover more about our unique Village. Take a look and see if there is
something you would be interested in.

A lot of work has been done with our renovation plan of the Old Fire & Police station. It is a big challenge. Your officers and many members continue to work toward making the Society “grant worthy” and to identify other sources of funding for this project.

We have made great progress in revitalizing our organization to meet that challenge: added more new members this year than ever before, began outreach programs to schools and the community, expanded our board to involve more, revised the by-laws to modernize our way of doing business, and launched our own website and email.

All this is a great start to this special Greendale anniversary year, thanks to our active membership. I look forward to talking to you at our next meeting March 20th. See you there!

Ted Mainella, President

Join the Greendale Historical Society in kicking off the New Year with FREE soup and fellowship! We have exciting plans for 2008 and we want you to be a part of it. You are invited to learn more about our projects, meet our board and share ideas for Greendale's 70th Anniversary Celebration. So, please bring a friend on January 17, at 6 p.m. at the Greendale LIbrary, lower level (enter through the Health Department entrance). For more information please call (414) 384-2730, ext. 32.

The Greendale Historical Society will hold the first of several meetings designed to introduce more residents to the organization and its recently established mission: "to plan, secure funds for and oversee completion of the restoration of Greendale's original police/fire station buildings." Go to story...

At its annual meeting on December 10, the Greendale Historical Society has elected seven new members to the Society’s Board of Directors. The board members are William Attewell, Jeff Birmingham, Kathleen Hart, Sara Hackbarth, Kevin Nitka, Ted Mainella, and Stephan Zielinski. The board met Monday, December 17th at the Society’s offices in the Greendale Public Library and elected the following officers: Ted Mainella, President; Stephan Zielinski, Vice-President; Kevin Nitka, Treasurer; Sara Hackbarth, Secretary. Each will serve a two-year term.

The Board of Directors praised all departing board members and especially President Sally Chadwick for her “many years of dedicated leadership of the Greendale Historical Society and devoted concern for the preservation of the unique history of Greendale.” During her tenure, the Society published an illustrated oral history of Greendale that went to two printings. Chadwick also championed the successful designation of Greendale on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Board of Directors, elected at the last general meeting December 10, will direct The Greendale Historical Society’s efforts to readapt the old Fire and Police buildings into The Greendale Community Center and Museum. The Center will house a vibrant, interactive museum featuring many items of historical significance from the original days. The entire story of this successful endeavor will be told. Plans include a replica of a Greendale original home for young and old to experience. “Our plan is to do it right, making the Greendale Community Center and Museum nationally famous”, said newly elected President, Ted Mainella.

The Board will appoint Society members to leadership roles on committees for grant writing, fundraising events, project design, and local membership drive. A letter will be mailed next month to Greendale residents explaining The Greendale Community Center and Museum project and inviting Greendale residents to join the Society.

The society continues to work with Dr. Stephen DeLeers, a consultant to nonprofit organizations and a grant writer. He will continue to assist the Historical Society’s Board of Directors in a number of areas critical to the success of the project. These include board development, organizational structure, membership enhancement, public relations, budgeting, and grant writing.

The Greendale Historical Society is writing a grant to the Economic Development Initiative (EDI). EDI grant funds can be used in projects that involve activities such as property acquisition and rehabilitation of publicly owned property, such as the former fire and police buildings in Greendale.

The Greendale Historical Society’s next meeting is Thursday, January 17th at 6 pm. This will be the first of several “Bring a Friend” open meetings designed to introduce the Society to residents of Greendale. With over one hundred current members, “we want more of our community to learn about and participate in the special history of Greendale,” said the Society’s Events Chair, Barbara Krawczyk.


About the Historical Society Board:

Ted Mainella (President, Board of Directors)
Born in Greendale and went to Greendale schools (private and public) through high school. My parents lived in a Greendale original home. My wife, Mary, was also born in Greendale where her father Tom Hartman owned an appliance store in the Village for 30 years. We rented a Greendale original and later owned one.

I retired in 2002 from the Mukwonago School District where I was the technology coordinator. I have been a member of the Greendale Historical Society for many years. I worked with the Society to edit and publish two editions of “Greendale Remembers” an oral history of Greendale, which sold over 3000 copies.

I earned degrees from UW-Oshkosh (BS-ED) and UW-Milwaukee (MLS). I am currently teaching as an Adjunct Instructor with the University of St. Thomas, Minnesota as a graduate instructor of computers and technology.

I have a commercial pilot’s license with an Instructor’s rating. My wife and I have two children and two grandchildren.

Stephan Zielinski (Vice-President, Board of Directors)
Born in Greendale, my parents graduated from Greendale High School. I moved back to Greendale after being in Minneapolis for 20 years. During my 18-year career as a hairdresser, I served as an assistant styles director for the Minnesota State Cosmetology Association and on the education committee of the National Cosmetology Association.

I also served on the Board of Directors of Direct Aid (a HIV counseling service) and several other charitable fund raising organizations.

I currently am one of the store mangers at Jo Ann’s Fabrics and Crafts in Greenfield. I am happy to be back home and look forward to the challenges of stewardship with the Greendale Historical Society.

Kevin Nitka (Treasurer, Board of Directors)
I was born in Milwaukee and raised in Greenfield (a suburb of Milwaukee). I've been a resident of Greendale since 1993. Married, with one daughter.

Graduate of Lakeland College with a B.A. in Accounting and a Minor in Economics

Professional Experience:
Certified Public Accountant with over 20 years of progressive experience in the financial services industry. Currently Vice President & Chief Financial Officer for a large credit union in the Milwaukee area. Professional affiliations include membership in the American Institute of CPAs, Wisconsin Institute of CPAs, and Financial Executives International.

I joined the Greendale Historical Society because I have a genuine appreciation for history in general and the historical significance of Greendale as one of only three Greenbelt communities in the U.S. In addition, I want to do my part in helping the historical society to continue to work toward readapting the old police and fire buildings into the Greendale Community Center and Museum.

Sara Hackbarth (Secretary, Board of Directors)
I am the Facilities Information Supervisor at the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A GIS Certificate and M.S. in Resource Analysis/GIS from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota compliment my B.S. in Environmental Geography from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

After functioning as a Geography/GIS tutor and teacher’s assistant during my college years, I found employment managing GIS projects with a small environmental consulting firm. In fall of 2004, I took my current position with MMSD, where I manage CAD, GIS, one call utility marking, and facilities information related activities

Outside of work, my husband, Staff Sergeant Carl Hackbarth, and I care for our one-year-old son, Keegan. My remaining hours are spent on fixing up our 1930s Greenbelt community home, participating in outdoor activities, and cooking. On a personal note, I enjoy sailing, mountain biking, tennis, and snowboarding.

William Attewell (Board of Directors Member)
Attewell was raised in Greendale and owns and operates a marketing and public relations firm. He has previously served as editor-in-chief of two statewide publications. He lives in his historic Greendale original home and has been active in a number of several community organizations in the metro-area.

Jeff Birmingham (Board of Directors Member)
Past President Greendale Original Neighborhood Association, Past Vice President Greendale Historical Society, Past Board of Directors Greendale Entertainment Association, Present Village Board Member, Present Milwaukee County Firefighter/ Fire instructor, Lead coordinator “Fill The Boot” MDA fundraiser, Honor Guard Milwaukee County Fire Department, Seasonal Manager Crystal Ridge ski hill and Greendale Historian.

Kathleen Kendellen Hart (Board of Directors)
Moved to Arbutus Court in Greendale in 1938. Was in the first kindergarten class. Married at St. Alphonsus in 1955, is the mother of nine and has returned to Greendale and lives on Apple Court.

She received a Bachelor of Science degree from UW Milwaukee in Community Education and the Humanities. She worked for the U. S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development and retired in 1998 as a loan specialist.

She was elected to the Milwaukee School Board in 1981 and served for four years. She has been an advocate for numerous non-profit organizations by being an organizer and volunteer coordinator and has served on the boards of Jobs with Peace, the Mental Health Association, and the Pledge of Resistance. She was the program director for a Home and School Association. She was chairperson of the Human Relations Committee of the Committee of 100.

In 2001 she volunteered with the Mercy Corps in Baltimore for one year as a paralegal with Alternative Directions an organization, which gave support to women coming out of prison.

Currently she is a member of the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Milwaukee County Genealogical Society. She is the State Director of WI-CURE (Citizens United to Rehabilitate Errants).

Brenda Siemers (Steering Committee)
Born and raised in Illinois, Brenda Siemers completed her Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology at UW Oshkosh in 1999. She is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Anthropology with a certificate in Museum Studies at UW Milwaukee. She has experience interning and working for the Oshkosh Public Museum, Milwaukee Public Museum, and the Campbellsport Historical Society. Brenda enjoys traveling to National Parks and museums across the U.S. and currently resides in Greendale with her husband and daughter.

Members of the Greendale Historical Society met for a full day of strategic planning on Saturday, November 17. Significant results were achieved in both organizational matters and the Original Police/Fire Station renovation project.

The adaptive restoration of the station and hose tower was the subject of the most discussion. Eight goals were set for the project. These goals included refining the business plan of the proposed community center and museum to assure sustainability; securing the necessary funding through grants, private donations, and fund raising events; and establishing project management. Each goal was then fleshed out into a number of measurable objectives, with timelines and responsible parties determined.

According to Ted Mainella, a member of the Historical Society’s project steering committee, significant progress was made. “The Village of Greendale has entrusted the Historical Society with two important, original buildings for adaptive restoration. Today’s planning day assured that a detailed roadmap is now in place for completion of this project.”

Participants also drafted a revised mission statement for the Historical Society and a new one for the restoration project. Both are to be posted on the Society’s website, www.thegreendalehistoricalsociety.org. In addition, members proposed that the renovated buildings be designated as “The Greendale Community Center and Museum.”

The day also featured the laying of plans for elections to the Society’s Board of Directors. Seven positions are to be filled, with voting slated to occur at a meeting of the Society’s members on December 10.

In addition to Mainella, other attendees included Dorothy Fischbach, Kevin Knitka, Kathleen Hart, Brenda Siemers, Barb Krawczyk, Stephan Zielinski, Marilyn Shepard, and Sara Hackbarth. The day was facilitated by Stephen V. DeLeers, the Greendale Historical Society’s consultant for restoration project issues.

The Greendale Historical Society has hired consultant and grant writer Stephen V. DeLeers as part of its campaign to renovate the historic former Police Station and Annex building.

DeLeers will work with the Historical Society with board development, organizational structure, public relations and grant writing. DeLeers has worked with non-profit organizations for more than 20 years and has assisted groups including the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and the Latino Community Center.

The Historical Society hopes to raise $2 million in less than a year to rennovate the former Police Station and Annex into a museum, gift shop, office space and a community meeting room.

Greendale Now's Stefanie Scott wrote about the Historical Society's effort to renovate the old Police and Fire buildings and the Oct. 4 meeting at which the Society outlined its plans to community members. Click here to read the story.

The Village of Greendale has agreed to give the Historical Society a year to raise money to restore and readapt the old Police and Fire Station for historical and community service. They have signed a lease with us for operation of the Center.

We need people who are excited about this project to volunteer for committees: The committees will be Fundraising, Public Relations, and Volunteer Coordinating.

Please call (414) 384-2730, ext. 32 for more information. Or, please click here to sign-up to be a volunteer.