c. 1886, Charles Ehlers. 2576 N. 4th St.
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(Photograph by Paul J. Jakubovich, courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society)
Whimsical brickwork and picturesque massing make this Queen Anne house a neighborhood landmark on Milwaukee’s north side. But the decorative highlight is the tower’s delightful heart-shaped brickwork, the signature of masonry contractor Ehlers, whose skill and individualism as a mason are evident throughout. His decorative brick hood moldings, dogtooth stringcourses, and attractive brickwork panels under the first-floor windows use brick as other Queen Anne houses use shingles, wood, terra-cotta, and other materials for ornamentation and textural variety. A compact front porch and equally elaborate two-level porch at the rear of the house exhibit some of Milwaukee’s handsomest Queen Anne millwork.