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Avenues West in Milwaukee in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
 

Captain Frederick Pabst

(1836 – 1904)

 
 
Captain Frederick Pabst Marker image. Click for full size.
June 6, 2008
1. Captain Frederick Pabst Marker
Inscription. Of German birth, Pabst became a ship's captain in the 1850s and moved to Milwaukee in the 1860s. He later joined his father-in-law's brewery (founded 1844), which was renamed the Pabst Brewery in 1889. By the 1890s it was the world's largest lager beer brewery, and he was Milwaukee's leading citizen.

The Captain's elegant Flemish Renaissance Revival mansion was designed by George Bowman Ferry and constructed on fashionable Grand Avenue 1890-93. Its pavilion housed the Pabst Brewery exhibit at the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. Between 1908 and 1975 five Catholic archbishops resided here. In 1978 Wisconsin Heritages, Inc., purchased the property.

Pabst also erected the city's first skyscraper (1891-92), rebuilt the Pabst Theater (1895), operated the Whitefish Bay Resort, headed the Wisconsin National Bank, owned a local hotel and many saloons, a hops farm and street railway in Wauwatosa, and hotels and restaurants elsewhere in the nation.
 
Erected 1992 by the Wisconsin Historical Society. (Marker Number 311.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: ArchitectureIndustry & CommerceReligion & Religious Structures
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Settlements & SettlersWaterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Wisconsin Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1889.
 
Location. 43° 2.331′ N, 87° 56.298′ W. Marker is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in Milwaukee County. It is in Avenues West. It is on West Wisconsin Avenue west of North 20th Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2000 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee WI 53233, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Wisconsin. It is also in the American Midwest, on the Great Lakes, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Power House (approx. 0.4 miles away); Condenser House (approx. 0.4 miles away); At the State Fair on these Grounds (approx. half a mile away); Roman Catholic Church of the Gesu (approx. 0.6 miles away); Mabel Wanda Raimey (approx. 0.6 miles away); B'Ne Jeshurun Synagogue (approx. Ύ mile away); Historic Milwaukee (approx. Ύ mile away); Saint James Court (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Milwaukee.
 
The Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion image. Click for full size.
June 6, 2008
2. The Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion
Frederick Pabst Mansion Plaque image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Paul Fehrenbach, August 18, 2011
3. Frederick Pabst Mansion Plaque
City of Milwaukee Landmarks Commission Plaque
Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Paul Fehrenbach, August 18, 2011
4. Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion
National Register of Historic Places Plaque
Captain Frederick Pabst image. Click for full size.
Photographed by S.L. Stein, circa 1892
5. Captain Frederick Pabst
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on September 23, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 12, 2008, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 2,585 times since then and 76 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on June 12, 2008, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.   3, 4. submitted on August 18, 2011, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin.   5. submitted on September 21, 2024, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.
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Jun. 13, 2026