Vince Katter
Vince Katter has seen Downer Avenue change over the last 25 years as a dedicated parishioner at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.
There has been a revival on Downer Avenue. Vince believes the area has changed from “being a place for the wealthy.” After a downturn in the neighborhood, when “a lot of houses became rooming houses,” it has revived as “a nice place to live.” The former Coffee Trader building stood empty for a long time, but now that space, and Downer Avenue as a whole are experiencing a “retail renaissance” as more people continue to move to the East Side, and the economy improves. |
There has been a revival in church activities as well. The local church members are joined by others who still travel to the neighborhood for church from other areas. Times have changed and people are no longer “expected” to go to church, but there are still numerous activities that gather the congregation in this building. The church has a large hall and ten years ago it redefined what to do with that space. It has transformed into a center for meetings, events, groups, and classes. A UWM cooking class experiments in the St. Mark's kitchen, which is “fun to watch.”
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- Vince Katter, interview by Daniel Cho, Milwaukee, June 20, 2013