Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear

The Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear was a house museum in downtown Milwaukee that displayed everyday objects from the late 1800s through 1970 in recreated room settings. The collection featured personal items, tools, and business equipment spanning several decades and showing how people lived and worked.

The museum grew from Abe Chudnow's collection, which he began during his law studies at Marquette University and his service in the 519th Port Battalion. The building itself dated to 1869 and originally served as a medical clinic and residence for physician Dr. Joseph J. Eisenberg.

The museum displayed recreated shops from Milwaukee during the 1920s and 1930s, including a grocery store, pharmacy, and speakeasy. These rooms showed how business owners and customers moved through daily commerce in that era.

The museum closed in December 2020 and its collection was transferred to the Cedarburg History Museum for ongoing public access. Visitors interested in the collection should contact the Cedarburg History Museum to learn more about the items and view them today.

The collection focused on everyday items from Milwaukee itself, showing how the city transformed from a trading center into an industrial hub. This local perspective made the museum a window into the economic shifts of the early twentieth century.