New Life for Old Signs in the Third Ward

Old hand-painted advertising billboards in Milwaukee’s Third Ward have been brought back to life thanks to a new augmented reality project.

These fading “ghost signs” on the walls of buildings date back over 100 years and are a window into the city’s past.

The project, called Augmented History, was created by local ad agency, Hoffman York. It allows people to see the old, weathered signs in their original form using their phones.

They spent hours searching old photographs to create accurate digital reproductions of the ads. Then, using some computer magic, they were able to anchor the images on a GPS-enabled 3D map, allowing users to view the billboards in their original splendor through their phones. Or something like that.

A walking tour has been created in partnership with the Historic Third Ward Association, so all it takes to travel back to Milwaukee of old is a smartphone and a little shoe leather.

Paper maps will be distributed in the neighborhood starting next month. Or, if you can’t wait, you can also find tour details and QR codes on the Augmented History website.