Windows into Wauwatosa opens door to history

There's plenty to discover Saturday during Windows Into Wauwatosa, a peek into more than 25 buildings that are rarely open to the public.

The event is free and requires no registration. Simply show up between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to any of the event's designated locations and begin to explore. Windows Into Wauwatosa provides a site map at its tour headquarters, Shorewest Realtors, 11622 W. North Ave.

Attendees are sure to stumble upon lesser known Wauwatosa facts. For example, did you know that the Milwaukee County Parks building was once an orphanage? Or that Wauwatosa West's planetarium is just one of a handful of high school planetariums remaining in the state? These buildings and more, including Briggs and Stratton Museum, Wauwatosa Cemetery Chapel, Little Red Store and Wauwatosa Women's Club, will be open for viewing.

Many businesses are celebrating landmark anniversaries this year, including: Little Red Store, 160 years; Women's Club, 120 years; and Nieman's Candy Shop, 95 years. To celebrate its anniversary, Nieman's will sell $0.95 cones on the day of the tour.

The Flight for Life helicopter also will be available for viewing as well as an ambulance with medical equipment that is "child-sized," event organizer Julie Walker said.