Protected by a local historic designation, the former White Eagle Hotel at 738 W. Maple St. in Milwaukee’s Historic Mitchell Street neighborhood has been vacant for decades and a fire department placard urges people not to enter.
Constructed in 1907 by Polish immigrant Leopold Chroscicki, the three-story building was a rooming house and saloon for nearly 100 years before it was sold in 2001.
According to a Historic Preservation Commission study, Chroscicki likely chose the “White Eagle” moniker because the bird is a symbol of the Polish people.
A subsidiary of Milwaukee-based Palermo Villa Inc. purchased the building in 2001 as part of future expansion plans in the area, but then sold it for a dollar to DTB2 LLC in 2017. Attempts to reach the LLC’s registered agent, Derek Benedyk, were unsuccessful.
