Roof Repairs Begin at National Historic Site

Roof repairs have begun at a Wisconsin national historic site revered by some war veterans. The Old Main building at the National Soldiers Home Historic District in Milwaukee served as the original hospital on the land that Congress set aside in 1865 for Civil War veterans.

Several of the district’s buildings are in need of repair, including Old Main, where part of the roof collapsed in 2010. Roof repairs are now underway, a vital step, according to Jim Draeger of the Wisconsin Historical Society. He says, “Rain water and snow have been pouring into that building.”

The federal government’s Veterans Administration is paying for the repairs. Draeger says the VA, the state, veterans’ groups, nonprofits and others are working on a plan to help Old Main again be used as a site for treating veterans. Repairs to another soldier’s home building, the Ward Memorial Theatre are due to start in November.