Burns Commons Park, Milwaukee

Burns Commons is a historic urban park located on Milwaukee’s East Side, bounded by Franklin Place, Prospect Avenue, and Ogden Avenue. Divided by Knapp Street into two distinct sections, the park blends leafy calm with cultural charm. The larger northern section features walkways, lawns, and public art, while the smaller southern portion is home to a striking statue of Scottish poet Robert Burns.

The park traces its roots to 1847 when local developer James H. Rogers donated the land, making it one of Milwaukee’s first public parks. Initially known as First Ward Park, it was later renamed Franklin Square as elegant residences cropped up around it. Wealthy neighbors even assumed responsibility for its maintenance, adding landscaping and a fountain. By the early 1900s, the park earned the nickname “Baby Park,” thanks to the neighborhood’s nursemaids who frequented it with children.

In 1909, the park gained its defining monument: a bronze statue of Robert Burns, donated by Scottish immigrant James Anderson Bryden. Designed by William Grant Stevenson and set atop Nova Scotia granite, the statue marked a cultural milestone for Milwaukee’s Scottish community. Though briefly known as Robert Burns Triangle after the 1937 parks consolidation, the park retained its original name due to deed restrictions-until 1994, when it was officially renamed Burns Commons.

Today, the park is an oasis framed by modern condos and a city bustle. Alongside the Burns statue stands Cleopatra’s Wedge, a notable piece of public sculpture. It also serves as a transportation hub: the Hop M-Line streetcar begins and ends just steps away, connecting history and the present in one of Milwaukee’s oldest green spaces.