Tippecanoe Library

About

The newly renovated Tippecanoe Branch of the Milwaukee Public Library will reopen on December 12!

Story

Tippecanoe Library, 3912 South Howell Avenue, was built in 1969. Prior to the move to its current location, the library began in a rented storefront at 3835 South Howell Avenue in 1931. In 1960 the library moved into a building at 3900 South Howell, on the corner of Howell and Howard Avenues, which was formerly the Town of Lake Hall and Fire Department. After the Town of Lake was annexed to the City of Milwaukee, this building was used for a Milwaukee Fire House until 1959. When this building was being razed for construction of the 1969 building, library service was temporarily provided by bookmobile service at the site and then housed at the Lake water tower, 4001 S. 6th St., until the new building was ready.
Today, the library features a Guido Brink sculpture: a suspended three-color metal sculpture inspired by the Native-American Indian name of the library. Brink used Tippecanoe as his springboard, basing his sculpture on American Indian mythology and the spirit of the Manitou.