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Remembering Zita's dress shop, inside an 1850s Milwaukee mansion

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Every week on Urban Spelunking, Radio Milwaukee’s Nate Imig and OnMilwaukee’s Bobby Tanzilo dig into the buildings and architectural features that help retain the city’s sense of history while it builds for the future.

It's not the oldest house in Milwaukee, but it is among them; in fact, at the time that it was built, it was considered so far away of the developing city that critics called it a "folly."

On this episode, we visit a 1852 double mansion at 1122 N. Astor St. which was home to Milwaukee's ninth mayor, and for decades, a high fashion dress boutique called Zita's.

Bobby and I got a personal tour from its building manager, Karl Dickson, and Milwaukee historian John Eastberg. Listen to this episode to tag along, and visit OnMilwaukee for more photos and history.

Director of Digital Content | Radio Milwaukee