When you hear the name Cudahy, you wouldn't be faulted for immediately thinking "bacon" or "ham." Patrick Cudahy built an empire -- and a city -- with his meat packing business in the early 1900s, just south of Milwaukee.
But Cudahy's business dealings weren't limited to meat only. He was also a savvy real estate investor and developer; in fact his property investments help propel the growth of his company and provided housing to his workers.
As OnMilwaukee's Bobby Tanzilo writes in his piece for this week's Urban Spelunking podcast, Patrick Cudahy and his brother John "ran Cudahy Brothers Land Investment Co., which developed the city of Cudahy as well as other properties in the area, like the Walker’s Point commercial and residential building that is now home to Arts@Large."
But the most iconic of Cudahy's property developments is the one that still bears his name today -- the Cudahy tower, 777 N. Prospect Ave., in downtown Milwaukee. Built in 1909 and expanded in the 1920s, the upscale residential tower was designed so that every apartment offers a view of the lake and park, plus many other luxurious amenities inside and throughout the buildings.
Impressive white glazed brick and terra cotta details catch your eye on the building's exterior, including stoic figures and lion carvings.
On this week's podcast, we go inside and learn more about the building and family history, plus Bobby shares his discoveries from the sub basement during his recent tour. Listen below, and follow this link to read his complete story at OnMilwaukee.
