Last week, in a post showing some Bay View gems, there was a blurb about the Joseph Williams house at 606 E. Homer St.

Built in 1865 the home, according to Russell Zimmermann’s "Heritage Guidebook," "may be the only house, still standing in Milwaukee, which was built and occupied by a man who originally claimed his land from the Indians."

The two-story cream city brick Italianate home was built by Williams on the highest point of his 160-acre farm.

The second owners of the home – Prussian immigrants – Wilhelm & Emily Lewitzke purchased the place around 1924 as a home for their family, which included 10 children. At the time, the facade of the home faced Kinnickinnic Avenue and had an expansive porch that wrapped around to the south facade.

^{The Lewitzke family. (Courtesy of Beau Walter.)}

The home hasn’t been moved. Instead, the family sold its front yard for the construction of the Avalon Theater and nowadays, the south side of the house serves as its front.
Beau Walter is the Lewitzke’s great-great-grandson and he’s heard a lot of family lore about the house – which before the Avalon was construction boasted a view of the lake – and its inhabitants.

"My great, great-grandfather, Wilhelm (William) Lewitzke, emigrated from Gross Krebs, West Prussia," says Walter. "He came to the U.S. on the N.G. Bark Freihandel, out of Bremen, on January 5, 1872, when he was 23. He met his to-be wife, Emily Benn, when they lived next door to each other in Milwaukee, and they married in 1877. William was a carpenter."

^{William Lewitzke standing outside his Homer Street home. (Courtesy of Beau Walter.)}

William and Emily celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary shortly after buying the Williams home. On June 11, 1925, there was a service at the Ev. Lutheran St. Lucas Church down Kinnickinnic, at the corner of Dover Street, and a reception and dinner followed at nearby Gitzel’s Hall on KK.

Though a later newspaper article suggests the Lewitzkes sold the land to the Avalon because they needed the cash, Walter says the real reason is unclear.

"No one in the family knew why they would have sold, as William and Emily owned several houses at the time and were apparently not in need of money," he says.

^{The home from Kinnickinnic Avenue before the sale of the land. (Courtesy of Beau Walter.)}

But that sale may have also contributed to a family tragedy, says Walter.

When the theater was built, much of the hill on which the home sits was carved back to the western edge of Frankenstein Alley, where there is a retaining wall.

"In January of 1933, family lore holds that William fell off of that hill, and never fully recovered, eventually succumbing to the injuries," says Walter. "My grandfather, Mike Polzin, was 8 or 9 years old at the time. He recalls attending the funeral service, which took place at the house. William was laid out in the living room for the viewing over two days, and black cloth covered all of the mirrors, which was apparently customary at the time."

But at the same time, Walter reckons he might not be here had the Avalon and Frankenstein Alley not been built.

^{A parade passes as the Avalon is under construction. (Courtesy of Beau Walter.)}

"In the winter of 1942, my grandfather was ice skating at Humboldt Park with his friend, Jack Fritz," says Walter. "My grandmother, Yvonne Goodman, was also there, skating with her friend Janet Heinemann. Grandpa was living on Taylor Avenue in a house that his parents built, and where he was born on the kitchen table. Grandma was living in a flat on Dover, west of Howell.

"According to my grandma, the boys were all flirting with the girls, which the girls relished. When my grandpa introduced himself to grandma, he introduced himself as Jack, and my grandma introduced herself as Janet. He said that he didn’t know what he was getting into, and didn’t want to get stuck if it didn’t work out.

"They began to drop notes into each others’ lockers at school. Soon after, In February, they had their first date, which took place at the Avalon Theater, built on land sold by grandpa’s grandparents. It was a double feature, with "Swamp Water," starring Walter Brennan, as the main attraction. By May 17 of that year, they were going steady, and love was in full bloom."

Walter’s grandmother graduated from Bay View High School in June 1944, but her groom to be was drafted out of Bay View High School before he graduated (he’d turned 18) to fight in World War II. He landed in Normandy a week after D-Day and was part of the 689th Field Artillery Battalion in General Patton’s 3rd Army, and fought in the Battle of the Bulge in Ardennes.

He returned in 1946 and the following year the couple was married.

"The idea that (their first date) was under the lights of the Avalon, that it was his grandparents who sold the land on which it was built, seems to be a bit of serendipity and makes the Avalon special for our family," says Walter.

"So, it is with great irony that Wilhelm died of an injury perhaps related to selling his land, but had he and Emily not sold, the Avalon may not have been built, and who knows if my grandparents would be together today?"

In April, they will celebrate their 68th wedding anniversary.