Why Is Milwaukee Called the Cream City?
See some of the best examples of Cream City Brick on our sightseeing bus tour!
Why Is Milwaukee Called the Cream City
If you’ve ever driven through Milwaukee and noticed those warm, honey-colored bricks covering old homes and buildings, you’ve stumbled onto the answer to a question a lot of visitors and even some locals ask: why is Milwaukee nicknamed the Cream City? It’s not about dairy, and it’s not about ice cream, even though Wisconsin’s reputation might have you guessing otherwise. The real story goes back to the ground beneath the city itself, where a unique type of clay gave birth to a brick that turned a pale, creamy color instead of the typical brick red. That brick became so central to the city’s look and identity that the nickname stuck around for generations. In this piece, we’re digging into where this name came from, what makes Cream City brick so special, and why you can still spot its legacy all over Milwaukee today.
The Origin of the Cream City Nickname
The Cream City nickname emerged from the widespread visibility of Cream City brick rather than from a single official naming event. As more buildings were constructed with the material, visitors noticed that much of Milwaukee appeared pale yellow or cream-colored.
When Milwaukee First Earned the Nickname
The exact first use of “Cream City” is uncertain. One documented precursor appeared in an 1849 newspaper reference to Milwaukee as a “city of cream-colored brick,” followed by similar descriptions in 1850. By approximately the 1860s, “Cream City” had become the city’s most recognized nickname.
Milwaukee was incorporated in 1846, and contemporary observers were already commenting on its unusual brick construction. The Encyclopedia of Milwaukee reports that a New York journalist described the city’s brick as one of its “remarkable features” that same year.
The Role of Cream City Brick in the Name
Cream City brick was central to the name because it was both locally produced and extensively used. The brick became a common building material during Milwaukee’s first several decades, making its color a highly visible part of the city’s identity.
Its influence extended beyond Milwaukee. Local manufacturers shipped bricks to Chicago, other Great Lakes communities, Albany, New York, and locations farther away. This regional trade helped associate Milwaukee with a recognizable type of pale brick.
What Is Cream City Brick?
Cream City brick is a fired masonry brick made from clay deposits found in and around Milwaukee. Its colors range from cream and pale yellow to buff and soft golden yellow. The bricks were used for structural walls, façades, chimneys, industrial buildings, homes, churches, and public institutions.
Although the unfired clay could appear reddish or brown, the firing process transformed it into the characteristic light color. This made Cream City bricks a geological and chemical product of the Milwaukee region rather than simply a brick coated with pale material.
The Clay Source Behind the Brick
The clay used for Cream City bricks was primarily glacial-lacustrine clay-sediment deposited in ancient glacial lakes. Retreating glaciers left clay, sand, and gravel across southeastern Wisconsin roughly 15,000 years ago, while the broader geological story of the deposits reaches back to the Ice Age.
Important deposits occurred along the Menomonee River and Kinnickinnic River valleys, as well as near the Lake Michigan shoreline. The Menomonee River Valley was especially valuable because its clay was accessible and relatively easy for early brickmakers to extract.
Why the Brick Turned Cream-Colored Instead of Red
Most clay bricks turn red when heated because iron compounds oxidize during firing. Milwaukee’s clay also contained iron, but unusually high concentrations of calcium and magnesium altered the firing reaction and reduced the intensity of the iron-based red color.
Brickmakers also fired the material at relatively high temperatures. The combination of mineral-rich clay and firing conditions produced a pale yellow or cream-colored brick instead of the more familiar red brick.
The Chemical Composition That Created the Color
The principal color-producing ingredients were calcium and magnesium, commonly associated with lime, magnesia, and dolomite in the regional geology. The clay also contained silica, alumina, iron oxide, potash, soda, and water-standard components of many brick clays.
In simplified terms, iron normally produces red coloration when oxidized, while the elevated calcium and magnesium in Milwaukee’s clay diluted or chemically counteracted that effect. When fired at high temperatures, these minerals formed a lighter bonding compound and helped create both the cream color and the brick’s reported durability.
The History of Cream City Brick Production
Cream City brick production grew alongside Milwaukee’s rapid population growth and construction boom. Before efficient rail transportation, locally sourced brick was more practical and economical than importing heavy masonry materials from distant locations.
Early Brickmaking in Milwaukee
Commercial Cream City brick production began by at least the 1830s, with production associated with brickmakers including George and Jonathan Burnham in the Menomonee Valley. A 2019 account identifies 1835 as an important early date for the production of cream-colored bricks in Milwaukee.
Early brickmakers reportedly did not initially regard the pale color as an advantage. Once builders and property owners saw that the light-colored buildings created an attractive appearance, however, demand increased and the material became a source of local pride.
Local Clay Deposits Along the Menomonee River Valley
The Menomonee River Valley became the center of Milwaukee’s brickmaking industry because it contained accessible layers of glacial-lacustrine clay. Clay was dug by hand or plowed up, mixed to a consistent texture, placed into molds, dried, and fired in kilns.
Deposits were also found elsewhere in Milwaukee County and along other riverbanks. However, the Menomonee Valley’s combination of clay availability, transportation access, and proximity to the city’s expanding construction market made it particularly important.
Growth of the Brickmaking Industry in the 1800s
The industry expanded substantially during the second half of the nineteenth century. The Encyclopedia of Milwaukee reports that Milwaukee had twelve brickyards listed in the 1892 city directory.
Large producers helped make Cream City bricks a major regional commodity. George Burnham’s brickyard reportedly produced more than 15 million bricks annually by the late nineteenth century, and Milwaukee bricks were shipped to cities beyond Wisconsin and to some distant American markets.
Cream City bricks were used in Great Lakes structures, including lighthouses, as well as commercial, industrial, religious, and residential buildings. Their availability helped Milwaukee develop a consistent architectural character during its formative decades.[6]
How Cream City Brick Shaped Milwaukee’s Architecture
Cream City brick influenced Milwaukee’s architecture by giving entire neighborhoods and commercial districts a pale, unified appearance. During the later nineteenth century, a majority of Milwaukee buildings reportedly used the locally produced brick in some form.
Popular Uses of the Brick in Homes and Buildings
Builders used Cream City bricks for many types of structures, including:
Private homes and row houses
Churches, schools, and civic buildings
Breweries, factories, warehouses, and commercial blocks
Institutional buildings such as the National Soldiers Home
Industrial walls, alley elevations, chimneys, and outbuildings
The brick was not limited to decorative façades. It served as a practical structural material in buildings across Milwaukee, helping create what later historians described as a light and cheerful urban appearance.
Why Builders Favored Cream City Brick
Builders favored the material because it was locally available, relatively economical compared with imported masonry, and regarded as durable. Milwaukee’s location on Lake Michigan and its growing rail and port connections also made it possible to distribute the bricks beyond the immediate city.
The brick’s light color was another advantage. It reflected more light than dark masonry and created a distinctive appearance that became fashionable among property owners and institutions. Its popularity was therefore based on a combination of supply, performance, cost, and visual character.
Notable Cream City Brick Buildings
Many historic Milwaukee landmarks preserve the material that inspired the city’s name. Some buildings use Cream City brick throughout their exterior walls, while others combine it with limestone, sandstone, red brick, or decorative architectural details.[12]
Historic Landmarks Built with Cream City Brick
Notable examples include:
Old Main at the Milwaukee Soldiers’ Home: The Victorian Gothic Old Main building was constructed between 1867 and 1877 with Milwaukee’s well-known Cream City brick. The National Park Service identifies it as the centerpiece of the Northwestern Branch, National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers.[13]
Milwaukee Turner Hall: Built in 1882–1883 under architect Henry C. Koch, Turner Hall is a three-story High Victorian Romanesque clubhouse made of cream brick with red brick banding and limestone trim. It remains associated with the Milwaukee Turners, founded by German immigrants in 1853.[14][15]
North Point Water Tower: This prominent structure uses Cream City brick with dressed limestone trim and remains one of Milwaukee’s recognizable historic waterworks landmarks.[16]
Pabst Brewery buildings: Historic brewery structures, including the former Pabst Boiler House, retain exposed Cream City brick as part of their industrial character.[17]
St. George Melkite-Greek Catholic Church: The church was constructed with Milwaukee Cream City brick and is distinguished by its onion domes.[18]
Where to See Cream City Brick Today
Visitors can see Cream City bricks in historic districts, former industrial areas, religious buildings, and preserved civic landmarks throughout Milwaukee. Turner Hall, the Milwaukee Soldiers’ Home campus, the North Point Water Tower, and the former Pabst complex are especially useful examples because their masonry remains visible and documented.[13][14][16][17]
Historic Milwaukee also identifies surviving Cream City brick at the Lamers Building, St. Hyacinth Roman Catholic Church, the Stone Creek Coffee Factory, and several adaptive-reuse buildings. Some modern businesses preserve exposed interior brick while updating the buildings for offices, restaurants, cultural spaces, and community uses.[12][19][20]
The Decline of Cream City Brick
Cream City brick production declined during the early twentieth century and ended in the 1920s. The decline resulted from a combination of exhausted or less accessible local clay supplies, competition from larger producers, changing architectural preferences, and the growing use of standardized building materials.[1][3]
Depletion of Local Clay Supplies
Although clay deposits occurred throughout Milwaukee County, the most convenient deposits were gradually depleted or became more difficult to work. As extraction costs rose, local manufacturers faced increasing competition from brick companies operating in regions with larger and more economical clay reserves.[1][3]
The end of production was not caused by color alone. Cream City brick had become an established part of Milwaukee’s identity, but the industry depended on a particular combination of local geology, accessible land, labor, and transportation that became less competitive over time.[1]
Shift to Other Building Materials
By the early twentieth century, builders increasingly used harder standardized red bricks, concrete blocks, stone, marble, and other manufactured materials. The Encyclopedia of Milwaukee notes that competition from national and larger regional brickmakers replaced the distinctive local bricks with harder, less-expensive standardized red brick.[1]
Changing tastes also reduced demand. Industrial construction adopted new structural systems, while concrete and steel offered different advantages for larger buildings. As Milwaukee expanded, the city’s architecture became more varied and less dependent on one locally distinctive masonry product.[3][9]
Is Milwaukee Still Called the Cream City Today?
Yes. Milwaukee is still called the Cream City, although the nickname is now used mainly as a historical, cultural, architectural, and branding reference rather than as a description of the city’s dominant building material.[2][21]
Modern Use of the Nickname
The phrase appears in names associated with Milwaukee businesses, cultural organizations, products, sports, tourism, and neighborhood identity. Its use became especially visible in modern sports branding when the Milwaukee Bucks adopted “Cream City” references connected to the city’s brick heritage.[2]
The nickname also continues to distinguish Milwaukee from the common assumption that “cream” refers to Wisconsin’s dairy reputation. In this context, “cream” refers to brick color and the city’s historic architecture.[3][21]
Cream City Brick’s Legacy in Milwaukee Culture
Cream City brick remains a physical reminder of Milwaukee’s nineteenth-century growth. It connects the city’s geology to its industrial development, immigration history, commercial expansion, and architectural preservation.[1][7]
Adaptive reuse has helped extend that legacy. Historic brick buildings now house restaurants, offices, breweries, galleries, cultural institutions, and community facilities, allowing the material to remain part of Milwaukee’s daily urban experience rather than only a museum subject.[12][17][19]
For that reason, the answer to “why is Milwaukee called the Cream City” is both literal and historical: Milwaukee’s local clay produced distinctive cream-colored bricks, and those Cream City bricks helped build the city’s early skyline, economy, and civic identity.[1][2]
Frequently Asked Questions
About the Cream City NicknameIs Milwaukee called the Cream City because Wisconsin is famous for dairy?
No. Dairy associations may reinforce the phrase today, but the original Cream City nickname referred to Milwaukee’s pale yellow or cream-colored brick. The brick was made from local clay and became common in nineteenth-century construction.[1][3]
What is Cream City brick made from?
Cream City brick is made from locally sourced glacial-lacustrine clay. Milwaukee-area deposits contained relatively high amounts of calcium and magnesium, along with silica, alumina, iron compounds, and other minerals.[7][8]
When was Cream City brick first produced?
Sources place early production in the 1830s, with 1835 frequently cited as an early milestone. By 1846, the city’s distinctive brick was already being noticed by outside observers.[2][11]
Where did Milwaukee brickmakers obtain the clay?
The most important source was the Menomonee River Valley, although clay was also obtained near the Kinnickinnic River, other Milwaukee County riverbanks, and the Lake Michigan shoreline.[1][8]
Why is Cream City brick yellow or cream instead of red?
Iron normally makes fired clay red. Milwaukee’s clay contained elevated calcium and magnesium, and the brickmakers’ high-temperature firing practices altered the iron reaction, producing a pale yellow, cream, or buff color.[7][10]
Was Cream City brick durable?
Historical accounts describe the brick as durable, and its elevated lime and magnesia content contributed to the strength of the fired material. However, historic Cream City brick can be porous and may require compatible mortar and careful preservation.[7][22]
Where can I see Cream City brick in Milwaukee?
Good examples include Old Main at the Milwaukee Soldiers’ Home, Milwaukee Turner Hall, the North Point Water Tower, former Pabst Brewery buildings, St. George Melkite-Greek Catholic Church, and numerous historic homes and commercial buildings.[13][14][16][17][18]
Is Cream City brick still manufactured?
Historic local production ended in the 1920s. Modern projects may use salvaged historic brick or newly manufactured products that resemble the traditional color, but they are not necessarily made from the original Milwaukee clay or by the historic process.[1][3]
References
Encyclopedia of Milwaukee, “Cream City Brick.”
OnMilwaukee, “New Milwaukee Bucks uniforms might have some asking, ‘Cream City, wha?!’”
WUWM, “How Milwaukee’s Cream City bricks became a ‘badge of honor.’”
OnMilwaukee, “Cream City Brick: Building blocks of Milwaukee.”
Urban Milwaukee, “City Streets: The Man Who Made This Cream City.”
OnMilwaukee, “Cream City brick built Milwaukee’s name.”
Andrew Charles Stern, Cream City: The Brick That Made Milwaukee Famous, University of Georgia master’s thesis.
Encyclopedia of Milwaukee, “Quarries and Mines.”
WUWM, “Cream City brick: From Ice Age glaciers to Milwaukee’s early strip malls.”
WUWM, geological explanation of Cream City brick’s pale-yellow color.
WUWM, “How Milwaukee Got The Nickname ‘Cream City.’”
Historic Milwaukee, “Lamers Building / Grove Gallery / Team Nerd Press.”
National Park Service, “Case Study: Northwestern Branch, National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers.”
City of Milwaukee Historic Preservation Commission, “Turner Hall Historic Preservation Study Report.”
Historic Milwaukee, “Turner Hall.”
Historic Milwaukee, “Milwaukee Water Works North Point Water Tower.”
Historic Milwaukee, “Wisconsin Public Radio, WPR Music” / Pabst Boiler House.
Historic Milwaukee, “St. George Melkite-Greek Catholic Church.”
Historic Milwaukee, “Stone Creek Coffee Factory.”
Historic Milwaukee, “Urban Ecology Center-Riverside Park.”
WISN 12, “Cream City brick is making a comeback.”
Milwaukee Magazine, “Cream City: Behind the Brick That Built Milwaukee.”