There is a long history of Hyde Park Tailors and Cleaners even before my family. Hugo Weginger started the business as early as the 1932. During the busier years of the shop there was even as many as seven tailors working, and a full-time person just doing the pressing.
My Opa (that is German for grandpa) trained as a tailor, while still in Germany. My mom, her brother and their parents were born in Germany, and immigrated to the United States in 1957. My Opa even brought over a pair of scissors that was given to him by my Oma's (grandma) grandfather in Hungary. On August 29, 1960 my Opa, Erwin Strigenz and his partner Tony bought the Hyde Park Tailors and Cleaners.In the earlier years, business was very busy. My Opa said that sometimes stores such as Brills, a store downtown, would bring 100 pairs of pants that needed hemming, and they would need it the next day. Work was very plentiful because times were a little different then, because most men would, depending on their job, would wear suits to work. When my mom, Roswitha was a young girl, she would come to Hyde Park and help her dad organize the dry cleaning, she had many fond memories working at the family business.
In 1980, Tony retired and in 1981, my Great-Onkle (that means Uncle in German), Josef Strigenz, also a tailor, joined in on the business. Both my Opa and Onkle Joe will be helping me and teaching me as I am just beginning this journey. I hope to learn as much as I can about tailoring, because it is such a dying professional and trade.
My mom wanted to go deeper into the space's history and find out what it was even before when my Opa started in the 1960's. She contacted the Wauwatosa Historical Society, and this is the information we got back about the space Hyde Park Tailors and Cleaners.
"Hi Rose,
We found some information with regard to the 6738 W. Wells address. Hyde Park Tailors, prop. Hugo Weginger, started advertising in the 1932 Wauwatosa City Directory with the address of 6736 W. Wells. We don't have a directory for every year, but I found Hyde Park Tailors in the 1936, 1939 and 1946 directories at the 6736 W. Wells address.In the 1955 directory it was listed at the 6738 W. Wells address. William Meiser shoe repair was at the 6738 address from 1932 to 1946. The 1926 directory does not list either the Hyde Park Tailor shop nor Mr. Weginger and we have no other information about him.In 1926 the 6736 W. Wells address was listed as belonging to Walter Kummer, drugs.
We looked for any formal references to the Hyde Park neighborhood; the 1955 Milwaukee Metropolitan Area Atlas put out by the Milwaukee Board of Realtors does refer the Hyde Park subdivision.It is defined on the north by the Menomonee River, on the south by Wisconsin Avenue, on the east by 66th St. and on the west by 68th St.We couldn't find any information on the origin of the subdivision's name.
Thanks for the questions.
Barbara Ingram
Carol Rosen
Research Volunteers"
This information was very interesting because it gave us more insight into how the name "Hyde Park" came into play. I, Sydney Deutsch will be a 3rd generation worker/owner at Hyde Park. I am changing the name to simply just, Hyde Park, because I want the business to have the focus, not just on the tailoring and cleaning.It will be more of an all encompassing name that will umbrella over the retail side of things as well.
I will work hard to keep the legacy of Hyde Park going!
-Sydney Deutsch