Like Avenues West, the Concordia neighborhood was home for Milwaukee’s wealthy to root. Dr. Robert Faries, one of the first dentists by trade in Wisconsin, built his home near 30th and State. It enjoys landmark status as one of the oldest buildings in Concordia. The Pabsts, Usingers, and Pritzlaffs were among those who had Highland Boulevard mansions. The Victorian-style homes stand today with the help of the Historic Preservation movement in the 1970s and passionate residents who formed the Historic Concordia Neighborhood Inc. in the 1980s.

The neighborhood took its name from Concordia College (1881). The college moved to 31st and State in 1883 and a neighborhood filled in around the new campus from 1895-1915. Concordia College purchased single-family homes to both expand campus and appeal to their growing student body. In 1983 the campus moved to Mequon and added to the marked changes in landscape already occurring in Concordia. Like Avenues West, large homes came to be modified into multi-family homes and apartments.

Partnering with the Potawatomi (anchored in the Menomonee Valley with a casino), the Indian Community School moved into the old Concordia campus in 1990 (only relocating to the suburbs in 2007). In 2010, the Forest County Potawatomi had a vision to restore the historic campus buildings and authored a vital redevelopment plan that would house tribal offices and businesses. The Potawatomi add distinctive diversity to Concordia, but the neighborhood boasts representation from almost every Milwaukee ethnic group.