Here are the 10 oldest buildings you can visit during Doors Open Milwaukee this weekend

Has there ever been a famous Milwaukee building you wish you could explore?

From the art museum to City Hall to restaurants, churches and more, you can visit over 130 historic, governmental, religious and architecturally significant Milwaukee buildings for free during Doors Open Milwaukee. The citywide, annual event, organized by Historic Milwaukee, Inc., returns this weekend, Sept. 23-24.

Before heading out, be sure to check the Doors Open Milwaukee website for hours and activities at each building, as they vary.

Many buildings participating in Doors Open have stood since the city's first few decades.

Here are the 10 oldest buildings you can visit during Doors Open this weekend.

10. St Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1884

• 914 E. Knapp St.

• Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon - 5 p.m.

St Paul’s Episcopal Church was built and dedicated in 1884. According to Doors Open, it was designed in the Richardson Romanesque style and built using "Lake Superior Sandstone, a dark red sandstone found near the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior."

The building also features 46 stained glass windows, including the largest collection of Tiffany windows in Wisconsin. The church also offers a virtual tour on the Doors Open website that features drone footage of the building's exterior and interior and an "illustrated narrative" about its stained glass windows.

9. St. Hyacinth Catholic Church, 1883

• 1414 W. Becher St.

• Saturday, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Built in 1883, St. Hyacinth Catholic Church was designed in the Renaissance Style and incorporates Polish and Gothic features. The church was the third Polish Catholic Church established in the city, following St. Stanislaus in 1866 and St. Hedwig in 1871. St. Hyacinth was founded due to overcrowding at these other parishes.

The church was constructed with Cream City brick, limestone and sandstone, and it features ornate painted murals. Its Polish culture is evident throughout; according to Doors Open, "All of the saints on the High Altar are Slavic saints. The Stations of the Cross and writing on the stained-glass windows, which date to the 1920s are in Polish."

Doors Open visitors can learn about St. Hyacinth's founding pastor, Monsignor Jacek "Hyacinth" Gulski, and receive a guided tour of the church's artwork.

More: These 10 historic churches are the oldest still standing in Milwaukee

8. Turner Hall, 1883

• 1034 N. Vel R Phillips Ave.

• Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Constructed in 1883, Turner Hall is a National Historic Landmark and was designed by City Hall architect Henry Koch. The Cream City brick building has always been home to the Milwaukee Turners, an organization founded by German immigrants in 1853.

Today, the building includes a restaurant, gymnasium, ballroom, meeting areas, a climbing wall and a Civil War memorial. "Its unique interior decoration, including murals and stained glass, testifies to the history of an organization that was entwined with Milwaukee socialism and continues to offer gymnastics and collaborative opportunities to advance social justice in Milwaukee," Doors Open writes.

Turner volunteers will lead guided tours during Doors Open, showing off the building's unique art and history.

7. Grain Exchange Room at the Mackie Building, 1879

• 225 E. Michigan St.

• Sunday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The three-story, nearly 10,000 sq. ft. Grain Exchange Room is located in downtown Milwaukee's Mackie Building, which was constructed in 1879. The room was originally built to house the Chamber of Commerce and Milwaukee’s grain exchange. "People came from all over the world to trade and export wheat in this center, where the very first Trading Pit was used to measure wheat prices," Doors Open writes.

The building features "soaring ceilings," granite, limestone, sandstone and "elaborate murals and frescos depicting Wisconsin’s agriculture, industry, and commerce." There's also a 175-foot bell tower in the center of the room. Today, the Grain Exchange Room is home to Bartolotta Catering and Events.

6. Woman’s Club of Wisconsin, 1876

• 813 E. Kilbourn Ave.

• Sunday, noon - 5 p.m.

Still active today, the Woman's Club of Wisconsin was established in 1876 to allow women to engage in "the free exchange of ideas" and improve their communities during a time when women had limited access and opportunities. WCW members in the 19th century formed a women-owned stock company, bought land and built the very first women's club building in America.

Today, the WCW is the longest-tenured operating women's club in the U.S. and remains dedicated to "service, learning and friendship."

During Doors Open on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., club members will offer short, guided tours every 30 minutes on the half hour.

5. Pritzlaff Buildings, 1875

• 311 N. Plankinton Ave.

• Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The former Pritzlaff Hardware campus feature six connected buildings constructed between 1875 and 1920.

"Pritzlaff Hardware grew to be the largest hardware wholesaler in the Northwest and had 16 buildings at this location," Doors Open writes. The buildings underwent a massive restoration beginning in 2006 and now house two restaurants, two event halls, two business, and numerous offices and apartments.

Doors Open visitors can browse the "massive" Pritzlaff Hardware catalogs and take a guided tour.

4. Immanuel Presbyterian Church, 1875

• 1100 N. Astor St.

• Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Immanuel Presbyterian Church was completed in 1875 and designed by Milwaukee architect Edward Townsend Mix in the "High Victorian Gothic" style.

According to Doors Open, "The building’s Wauwatosa limestone exterior features an array of colors and textures trimmed in red and gray sandstone and Scottish granite. The interior of the building includes beautiful woodwork and stained glass windows, four of which are Tiffany."

Today, the church has a congregation of 500 members. During Doors Open, they will hold Sunday worship at 10 a.m. and 30-minute organ recitals on Saturday at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Immanuel's organ is one of the oldest in Wisconsin.

3. Calvary Presbyterian Church, 1871

• 935 W. Wisconsin Ave.

• Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon - 5 p.m.

Calvary Presbyterian Church was established in 1869 to serve Milwaukee's West Side, as the two existing Presbyterian churches in the city at the time were on the East Side. The church was designed by the Milwaukee architectural firm of Koch and Hess whose architect Henry Koch went on to design many Milwaukee landmarks including City Hall and the Pfister Hotel.

Calvary's cornerstone was laid in 1871, and the church was completed the following year. It still holds services every Sunday at 10:30 a.m., as well as weddings, concerts, performances and more.

According to Doors Open, Calvary is "one of the oldest surviving churches in Milwaukee and among of the first religious buildings in the city to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places."

2. Grand Avenue Club, 1856

• 210 E. Michigan St.

• Sunday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

The Bank of Milwaukee building, the oldest commercial building in Milwaukee according to Doors Open, is now home to Grand Avenue Club. Construction on the limestone building began in the summer of 1856.

The building opened in 1859 as the Bank of Milwaukee. For much of the 20th century, 1913 to 1968, it was home to the Christian Schroeder and Son Insurance Company and was known as the Insurance Exchange Building. According to Doors Open, since opening, the building has "gone through an incredible amount of transitions with dozens of businesses coming and going."

Grand Avenue Club, its current occupant, is a nonprofit organization supporting Milwaukee County adults with mental illness. The organization focuses on "providing employment, educational and enrichment opportunities" for its members. Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., club members and staff will act as tour guides, sharing with visitors the history of their building.

1. Kilbourntown House, 1844

• 4250 N. Estabrook Pkwy.

• Sunday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Also known as the Benjamin Church House, the Kilbourntown House in Estabrook Park will participate in Doors Open Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The house, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1844 by New York carpenter Benjamin Church for himself, his wife and their six children. It was originally located in Kilbourntown, one of Milwaukee's first neighborhoods, before it was saved in 1938, moved to the park and restored by the Works Progress Administration.

Visitors to the house can experience its "excellent example of Greek Revival architecture" as well as see a collection of mid-19th century furniture and decorative arts.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Doors Open Milwaukee 2023: 10 oldest buildings you can visit for free