Exhibits & Displays as of 2020
H. Grafman Grocery Store
Photo courtesy Eye Life Photo
The Grafman Grocery Store exhibit depicts a typical turn-of-the-20th century, immigrant-run grocery store. The original Grafman store, which the exhibit is modeled after, was located at 603 West Vliet Street in Milwaukee.
Inside the Grafman Grocery, visitors can see a wide array of food tins, all dating from the 1920s and 1930s. A wood-burning stove in the corner dates to the late 1890s and would have been used in many immigrant run stores as well as homes. A scale for weighing food was actually used by the Grafman's in the 1920s in their store.
Online story coming soon...
Inside the Grafman Grocery, visitors can see a wide array of food tins, all dating from the 1920s and 1930s. A wood-burning stove in the corner dates to the late 1890s and would have been used in many immigrant run stores as well as homes. A scale for weighing food was actually used by the Grafman's in the 1920s in their store.
Online story coming soon...
Saxe Brothers Movie Palace
The city of Milwaukee showed its first moving picture on July 16, 1896. In the decades to follow, the American public would become swept into a love affair with the cinema. As a result of this fad, movie theaters were constructed all over the U.S. - including Milwaukee. Theaters were much more luxurious and different than what we know them to be today. The movie theater exhibit in the museum is a combines features of several prominent Milwaukee theaters during the early 20th century. The Chudnow movie palace is named after Saxe Amusement Enterprises, which owned a chain of 42 movie theaters in the state of Wisconsin. This movie exhibit exemplifies the cinematic tradition in Milwaukee. Read More>
Dr. Eisenberg Clinic
Originally, the building that houses the Chudnow Museum was a doctor's clinic during the 1920s. Dr. Joseph Eisenberg was one of the museum's previous habitants and attended to his patients from the comfort of his own home. Prior to 1930s, doctor's offices were located in their own homes - rather than in commercial areas as they are now. The Dr. Eisenberg Clinic exhibit is a representation of the original clinic that was housed here at the museum during the 1920s. The exhibit displays a waiting room typical of those in the post-World War I era. Most waiting rooms of the period were intricately decorated and full of furniture (to make patients feel more at home) and books (to make the doctor appear reputable and knowledgeable). The point of such lavish and elaborate waiting rooms was to impress a certain image about the practice on potential patients. The exhibit features original pieces and furniture from Dr. Eisenberg's clinic.
Speakeasy
On January 16th, 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment of the United States was ratified. It stated, “After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.” Milwaukee had a long history of beer brewing due to the heritage and tradition of its German habitants. Therefore, it's not a surprise that Prohibition was not well received in Milwaukee. As a result, speakeasies sprung up around the city. The speakeasy room in the museum is a tribute to these saloons. Like many of the 1920s speakeasies, it is concealed as a store and has a secret entrance for those who had wished to consume alcoholic drinks.
Other Exhibits
We also offer other displays including a barbershop, an ice cream pavilion, a toy store, a garage (only open during warmer months), a pharmacy and a hardware store. Some exhibits change seasonally or from year to year.
Each exhibit will be rearranged and new items will be added every few months.
Newly arranged exhibits include:
The Toy Store
Train Depot
The Pharmacy
The Grocery Store
Plus new exhibit(s) on the second floor
Each exhibit will be rearranged and new items will be added every few months.
Newly arranged exhibits include:
The Toy Store
Train Depot
The Pharmacy
The Grocery Store
Plus new exhibit(s) on the second floor
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