Title: Walker's Point Development Corporation Records
Inclusive Dates: 1979-2001

Creator:

• Walker's Point Development Corporation

Call Number: UWM Manuscript Collection 270

Quantity:

• 2 cubic ft. (4 boxes)
• 2 videocassettes
• 1 oversize folder

Repository:

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives Department

Archival Location:

UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:

The Walker's Point Development Corporation (WPDC) was created in 1980 as a non-profit organization to revitalize the Walker's Point neighborhood of Milwaukee. The collection contains meeting minutes, correspondence, and financial statements, as well as clippings about the WPDC, background information about the Walker's Point neighborhood, and images of properties purchased and rehabbed by the WPDC.

Language: English, Spanish

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-mil-uwmmss0270

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The Walker's Point Development Corporation (WPDC) was founded in 1980 as a non-profit organization to provide affordable housing and promote neighborhood stabilization and development in the Walker's Point neighborhood of Milwaukee. The Walker's Point neighborhood is bounded by the Menominee Valley on the north, Lapham Boulevard on the south, 16th Street on the west, and 1st Street on the east. To accomplish its goals, the WPDC formed a Rehabilitation Program to provide housing units for resale and rental units for low-income residents.

In 1985, WPDC implemented the Housing Counseling Program to assist first-time buyers with the purchase of both WPDC rehabbed properties and other Walker's Point properties. This program was organized to provide low-income individuals with accessibility to banks and their services. Within ten years, these loan counseling services expanded to include the entire city of Milwaukee, but the principal geographic area served remained central Milwaukee; this area was the target area of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). Milwaukee's central city housed a growing low-income minority population which included African American, Latino, and Asian American residents who faced barriers to home ownership. Most residents rented their homes; it was a WPDC goal to stabilize Milwaukee's neighborhoods by enabling renters to become first-time homebuyers.

WPDC also created the Economic Development Program, which emphasized retaining existing jobs, creating new jobs for the area, and promoting retail, commercial, and industrial activity on the south side of Milwaukee. The program promoted business expansion and new business development in Walker's Point and the south side. WPDC assisted entrepreneurs with launching new businesses, as well as helping small and medium-sized businesses to create new job opportunities. WPDC also revitalized vacant and under-utilized commercial properties in the Walker's Point area to provide additional incentive for continuing economic development.

The WPDC's Rehabilitation Program developed low-income housing units for purchase and long-term rental properties; this program concentrated its efforts in the Walker's Point neighborhood, unlike the Housing Counseling Program which served the entire CDBG target area. WPDC's goal was to improve available housing and address any safety and health issues such as lead and/or asbestos. It was WPDC's commitment to make each unit affordable through the use of development subsidies and grants, free and safe from unnecessary hazards, ensure long-term maintenance costs were kept to a minimum, and produce projects that were an asset to the neighborhood.

The Walker's Point Development Corporation closed in 2001.

The Walker's Point Development Corporation (WPDC) records contain meeting minutes, correspondence, and financial statements, as well as clippings about the WPDC, background information about the Walker's Point neighborhood, and images (negatives, photographs, and slides) that show properties purchased and rehabbed by the WPDC. The collection also includes a video documentary about Walker's Point and a commercial about WPDC in Spanish.

The bulk of the collection consists of administrative files, particularly minutes and images. The Board of Directors meeting files include information and minutes of the WPDC's Economic Development Committee, Executive Committee, Housing Committee, Personnel Committee, and Programs Committee, in addition to materials for these committees found in separate folders.

Images in the collection mainly focus on residential properties before, during, and after rehab, though some commercial properties and general streetscape images are also found in the collection.

Citation Guide for Primary Sources

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

Acquisition Information

The Walker's Point Development Corporation donated the collection to the Archives in June 2002 (accession 2001-142).

Processing Information

Lucy Waldrop and Christel Maass processed the collection from September 2008 to January 2009.

Box   1 Folder   1	Architectural Interest Plaque, undated
Box   1 Folder   2	By-Laws and Articles of Incorporation, 1979-2000
Oversize Folder   1	Certificate, Loan Solicitor, undated
Box   1 Folder   3	Clippings, 1990-2001, undated
Video   2	Commercial, undated Physical Description: Videocassette (VHS)
Box   1 Folder   4	Correspondence, 1985-2001
Video   1	Discovering Walker's Point, 1987 Physical Description: Videocassette (VHS)
Box   1 Folder   5-7	Financial Statements, 1991-2000
Box   1 Folder   8	Grants, 1994-2000
Box   1 Folder   9	La Causa Assistance Center, 1997, undated
	Meeting Minutes
Box   1 Folder   10	Annual Meeting, 1999
Box   1 Folder   11-18	Board of Directors, 1986, 1989-2001
Box   1 Folder   19	Economic Development Committee, 1993
Box   1 Folder   20	Executive Committee, 1993-1994, 1998
Box   1 Folder   21	Housing Committee, 1993-1995
Box   1 Folder   22	Personnel Committee, 1993-1994
Box   1 Folder   23-24	Programs Committee, 1997-2000
Box   1 Folder   25	Mission Statement, undated
	Negatives
Box   3 Folder   1	229 W. Walker, undated
Box   3 Folder   2	316-320 W. Scott, undated
Box   3 Folder   3	324 W. Mineral, undated
Box   3 Folder   4	715 and 730 W. Madison, undated
Box   3 Folder   5	717 W. Madison, 811 W. Madison, 1301 S. 7th, 1320-1324 S. 7th, undated
Box   3 Folder   6	717-719 W. Madison, 416 W. Washington, undated
Box   3 Folder   7	730 W. Madison, undated
Box   3 Folder   8	730 W. Madison, 811 W. Madison, 715 W. Madison, undated
Box   3 Folder   9	1011 S. 3rd, undated
Box   3 Folder   10	1014 W. Mineral, undated
Box   3 Folder   11	1029 W. Walker, undated
Box   3 Folder   12	1228 W. Orchard, undated
Box   3 Folder   13	1314 W. Washington, 1222 W. National, undated
Box   3 Folder   14	1317 W. Scott, undated
Box   3 Folder   15	1333 W. Scott, undated
Box   3 Folder   16	1400 W. Greenfield, undated
Box   3 Folder   17	1421-1423 W. Washington, undated
Box   3 Folder   18	1428 S. 13th St., undated
Box   3 Folder   19	1500 W. Orchard, undated
Box   3 Folder   20	1507-1509 W. Walker, undated
Box   3 Folder   21	1543 W. Mineral, undated
Box   3 Folder   22	Fire Damage, 634 S. 3rd, 1014-1018 S. 5th, undated
Box   3 Folder   23	Joy House, undated
Box   3 Folder   24	Rodreguez Project, undated
Box   3 Folder   25	Unidentified, 1980-1999, undated
Box   1 Folder   26	Organizational Information, 1992-2001, undated
Box   3 Folder   26	Photo Albums, Historic Walker's Point Photographs, 1977, undated
	Photographs
Oversize Folder   1	Aerial View, undated
Box   3 Folder   27	11th and Maple, Modular, 1998-1999
Box   3 Folder   28	811 Project, "Home Sweet Home," 1999
Box   3 Folder   29	1025 W. National, 1999
Box   3 Folder   30	Buildings, Unidentified, 1977-1999, undated
Box   3 Folder   31	Colors and Styles, Houses, 1998
Box   3 Folder   32	Guest House, 4417 W. Lisbon, 1999
Box   3 Folder   33	Houses, 1981, 1996-1999, undated
Box   4 Folder   1	Houses, Before and After, 1989-1999, undated
Box   4 Folder   2-3	McKinley, 1998-1999
Box   4 Folder   4	Modular, 1998-1999
Box   4 Folder   5	North Side, N. 37 and 38 2000, 2200 Block, Lloyd and Garfield, 1999
Box   4 Folder   6	People, 1974-1998, undated
Oversize Folder   1	People, undated
Box   4 Folder   7	Schaefer's Block, 1994, undated
Box   4 Folder   8	South 5th St., 1999
Box   4 Folder   9	Southside Site 84, 1999
Box   4 Folder   10	Streetscapes/Neighborhood Views, 1999, undated
Box   4 Folder   11	Trock Building, 1998
Box   2 Folder   1	Publicity, 2000, undated
	Slides
Box   4 Folder   12	1431 W. Greenfield, 5th Fire, 1992
Box   4 Folder   13	Identified, 1974-1997, undated
Box   4 Folder   14	Model Block, 1990
Box   4 Folder   15	Schaefer's Block, undated
Box   4 Folder   16-17	Trock Building, 1977, undated
Box   4 Folder   18-19	Unidentified, 1974-1995, undated
	United Way
Box   2 Folder   2	Compliance Documents, 1996-2000
Box   2 Folder   3	Funding Awards, 1995-2000
Box   2 Folder   4	Reports, 1995-2001
Box   2 Folder   5	Walker's Point Neighborhood Background, 1969-1995