A parking lot across from Lynden Hill Park is getting a new life. The Midtown Neighborhood Alliance (MNA), Milwaukee City Parks, and community partners are working together to transform the site into a vibrant community garden and green space.

Planned for completion in 2027, the new Misericordia Community Garden will honor the history of the site, which was once home to Misericordia Hospital. The garden’s name pays tribute to the hospital and the important role it played in the surrounding community. Learn more about the site’s history below.

The project is being made possible through a partnership with Greenprint Partners and Fresh Coast Green Communities, who are helping transform the paved lot by removing pavement and adding stormwater management into the site. Cherry Street Gardens is assisting the project with planning and construction. AARP is also supporting the project through a community grant.

Lynden Hill, the Urban Tree House Park, is shaped by the community that surrounds it. Bordered by neighborhood homes and Milwaukee High School of the Arts, the large, sloping hill sits at the heart of a bustling Midtown neighborhood.

Today, the hill is the most popular space on the site and is enjoyed year-round. From playing on the hill in summer to sledding in winter, its active use reflects the community’s desire for accessible, welcoming public spaces close to home.

The park extends north to include a parcel at the corner of N. 22nd Street and W. McKinley Street. Once home to a community garden, the space has fallen into disuse since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Midtown Neighborhood Alliance (MNA) is working with community partners to revitalize the site and reopen it as the Misericordia Community Garden.

The garden’s name honors the history of the site, which was once home to Misericordia Hospital. Opened in 1908, the hospital was recognized as one of the top-rated hospitals in the country by its 25th anniversary in 1933.

In 1969, after the Sisters of Misericordia closed and relocated the hospital, Dr. Louis T. Maxey Sr., Dr. John Terry, and Dr. John Bryant purchased the facility and reopened it. It became Wisconsin’s first state-licensed, nonprofit general hospital owned and operated by African Americans.

Although the hospital closed in 1977 and the building was later demolished, the site remained an important part of the Midtown community. Residents cared for the vacant lot and successfully advocated for its preservation as a neighborhood green space. Their efforts ultimately helped establish the Lynden Hill Urban Treehouse that exists on the site today —and continue to shape its future as a place for community, recreation, and connection.

• Lynden Hill - A Capstone Project from Katie Hagevik, Henry Hinchsliff, Maya Schmidt, Emma Sculles of the University of Wisconsin - Madison, Department of Planning & Landscape Architecture
• Lynden Hill Exhibit from Jim Olmsted