Community

Aerial view of the Signature Petretti Apartments of 18th Street

Kenosha is a southeastern Wisconsin city with a population of about 100,000 inhabitants.  It is located on lake Michigan between Milwaukee and Chicago.  The City has a beautiful harbor and a number of wonderful beaches.  Water sports, boating and fishing are a few of the many recreational pastimes available to Kenosha residents.

From the start of the 20th century through the 1930s, Italian, Irish, Polish, and German immigrants, many of them skilled craftsmen, made their way to the city and contributed to the city's construction, culture, architecture, music, and literature. There are many excellent restaurants that offer a variety of ethnic cuisines.

Kenosha has 21 locations and three districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places including the Library Park, Third Avenue, and the Civic Center historic districts. The City has a Kenosha Landmarks Commission, and many locally city-designated landmarks that serve as destinations for local outings and excursions.

Educational institutions play a big part in the community.  Kenosha Unified Schools provide excellent K-12 education.  Higher education institutions include the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Carthage College and Gateway Technical College, where students may study and receive degrees in a broad range of disciplines.

The founders of Petretti Apartments have done much to contribute to Kenosha.  Starting in the 1950s, Frank Petretti constructed custom-designed homes that helped develop the city’s historic Third Avenue. Sparked by an interest in the newly conceived idea of the “subdivision,” Petretti purchased large tracts of land and expanded his home building to Kenosha's far north side, filling in entire city blocks with homes. Corinne Petretti, working alongside her husband, served as the real estate broker who closed many hundreds of residential real estate deals.

For the convenience of area residents, Frank developed the Villa Capri Shopping Center on 22nd Avenue and 21st Street. After establishing a classic Kenosha neighborhood of three and four bedroom homes, Frank answered Kenosha's growing demand for rental properties by constructing more than 1,000 apartment units, which included affordable housing for seniors and families.

Frank and Corinne's business accomplishments have touched many facets of daily life, spanning the many generations who have purchased and lived in Petretti dwellings. Their contributions have touched the lives of those who have played in Petretti Park on Kenosha's north side, who have traveled along the stretch of 18th Street – which has the honorary designation of Petretti Boulevard – and those who have played sports or worked out in the Petretti Fieldhouse at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.