MILWAUKEE — There are many great neighborhoods in and around Milwaukee like downtown Waukesha, Harambee, Layton Park, and the Hindu community of Pewaukee. They are all full of dedicated community members. But the neighbors of Clarke Square in Milwaukee are especially proud.
“So Clarke Square neighborhood is, I think, one of the best neighborhoods in the city of Milwaukee,” Kevin Kuschel, the executive director of the Clarke Square Neighborhood Association, said.
Maybe, neighbors here love the community so much because of its iconic buildings.
“We have The Domes. This is a ridiculously amazing landmark in the city," Kuschel said.
But it goes deeper than that. These neighbors truly care. That's evident in the level of investment the neighbors make in their community. They fix homes.
"I love, like, meeting the neighbors. Helping them out," Marta Alamo, a Clarke Square neighbor, said.
They invest their own cash into the neighborhood.
"I own a few buildings in the area," David Samuel, who is a commercial real estate investor in Clarke Square, said.
And the neighbors put in the hard work, dedicating time and effort to improving the community.
"Somebody has to step up to the plate," Paul Grippe, another resident, said.
In Clarke Square, many of the neighbors are actively engaged in improving the neighborhood. That's why so many people have chosen to live and stay there.
“My name is Kevin Kuschel, this is Clarke Square, welcome to My Block.”
I met with Kevin so he could show me his neighborhood through his eyes and his experiences. Everywhere we went and who we talked to was all up to him. Welcome to Kevin’s neighborhood.
Kevin Kuschel
“Definitely one of the first places that you got to go to when you're in Clarke Square is The Domes, so we're going to start at The Domes," Kuschel said.
Construction was completed on the Mitchell Park Domes in 1967. Since then, it has become an icon of the city. It's a popular destination for residents, tourists, and field trippers.
“My mom is from Central America, from Honduras, and we would definitely come by just so as children we could run around. But also, you know, we could experience plants that are more native to where she comes from, so we were in touch with our culture as well.”
In recent years, The Domes have become a topic of debate due to the rising cost to fix and maintain the buildings. In 2024, the county made a $30 million commitment to a plan created by the group Friends of the Domes. The plan, which in total is over $130 million, looks to revitalize the attraction with building renovations, new additions to Mitchell Park, and a goal for the Domes to make more money and become self-sufficient. It would shift operational responsibility from the county to the Friends of the Domes, but the county would retain ownership.
“There's just this sort of peace and serenity when you get here, the air smells different. It smells cleaner in some ways," he said.
For Kuschel, he'd like to see The Domes stay. It's a symbol of both the city and the neighborhood.
"Most people don't know where Clarke Square is, but when I say look, it's got The Domes, everyone knows where The Domes are. You see it from the freeway. You see it traveling. You come in by plane, you're going to see The Domes."
After the visit to The Domes, Kuschel brought me to the first neighbor he wanted me to meet.
Marta Alamo
“This area was so diverse when we first moved in. We had all kinds of nationalities, and I liked that. I wanted my sons to grow up with different nationalities," Alamo said.
Alamo has lived in the same house in the neighborhood for 34 years. In fact, her husband has been in the community just about his entire life. He grew up a few blocks over from where they live now.
"It just grows on you. You want to be here because everybody's friendly, and you get to know so many people," Alamo said.
She loves the neighborhood so much that she put her own money into it and bought the building next to her to fix up.
"Because these houses sat for 10 years with absentee landlords that did nothing to them."
Since no one was making the changes she wanted to see in the neighborhood, she took matters into her own hands. Alamo bought and renovated the neighbor's home. She has a real stake in her small section of Clarke Square, and she wants to keep improving it for generations to come.
"Why did you want to invest in your neighborhood? You didn't have to do that," I asked her.
"Because I love this house. I didn't want to move."
Alamo didn't want to move a decade ago, and she doesn't see herself ever wanting to leave.
“I told my husband we're going to die here because I don't want to leave this house.”
The next neighbor is similar to Alamo, but instead of investing in homes, he invests in commercial buildings.
David Samuel
“Well, I'd been investing in the area for over 25 years, close to 30 years. So, especially this area has been - kind of has ups and downs - and this was a - I think a good spot, a corner spot, a busy area in terms of traffic," David Samuel said.
Samuel is talking about his restaurant, D'Sign Pizza. He serves pizza, wings, and burgers. Clarke Square is an area more known for Mexican food than pizza. However, that's exactly the opportunity that Samuel wanted to seize.
“Well, I own the building number one. Number two, there was no pizza place in the area, so I figured, let's put something in here," he said.
In fact, Samuel owns 6 commercial properties in the neighborhood. He's investing in the community, and it's paying off.
“If you look at the images 10 years ago, as today, it's a different image altogether.”
The final neighbor on the tour hasn't invested as much money into the neighborhood, but he has put in just about all his time into making it better.
Paul Grippe
“Well, I just felt somebody had to step up to the plate," Paul Grippe said.
Grippe has lived in Clarke Square for about 30 years. He embodies the motto - be the change you want to see.
Grippe has worked for: Safe and Sound, Southside Organizing Committee, VIA CDC, organized block watches, and worked with the Milwaukee Police Department.
"My neighbors that had asked me, were planning on moving. And they asked if I would step in. And I did. And it was quite interesting to work, like I said, with different cultures, different people, and it was really interesting, and I loved it."
Finally, it was time to end our tour of Clarke Square. But before that, there was one more thing to do.
One Last Question
As is tradition, the last word is always given to the tour guide of the My Block story. In this episode, that's Kevin Kuschel.
Before that happens, here is how you can be part of the award-winning series. Reach out to me, James Groh, to nominate your neighborhood or a neighbor to be featured in the next story. You can fill out this submission form or contact me at james.groh@tmj4.com or call/text at (414) 254-8145. The series covers all types of neighborhoods and communities. Previous examples include stories on life in the Sherman Park neighborhood, a rural town that emphasizes hiring people with disabilities, how one woman is keeping a watchful eye on her neighborhood, how Hmong culture in Wisconsin is changing, how Latino immigrants adapt to life in Milwaukee, and many more. Watch one of the 30 other My Block stories here.
“Is there anything else you’d like to say about your neighborhood?” I asked Kuschel.
"Come visit. It's a blast."
Watch the story of the Clarke Square neighborhood...
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