Langdon Street and the UW campus area: history, renting and places to start

Langdon Street

Langdon Street runs along the north edge of the hill that rises from Lake Mendota, a short walk from the Capitol Square and the lower end of State Street. The City of Madison's Langdon walking tour says the area was a forested ridge until 1851, when Levi Vilas and J. T. Marston built the first mansion-sized homes on opposite corners of Langdon and North Henry Streets. It became known as "Big Bug Hill," and Langdon was one of its most prestigious addresses.

The tour traces how that changed as the university grew. Student numbers rose from 539 in 1887 to more than 3,000 by 1900, when the university had a single residence hall, and large houses were converted into student rooming houses. In the 1910s and 1920s, fraternities and sororities built period-revival chapter houses, and the street became known as Madison's "fraternity row." Between 1950 and 1980, many older homes were demolished for apartments and rooming houses. The tour notes that fraternities and sororities now maintain several of the older chapter houses.

The Langdon Street Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Among the buildings the tour highlights are the 1874 Italianate Davies house at 29 Langdon, the 1878-79 Bunn house at 104 Langdon and the Queen Anne Winslow house at 131 Langdon, built in 1894.

Mansion Hill, briefly

Just east of Langdon, Mansion Hill is the city's first local historic district, designated by the Common Council in 1976. The city says developers demolished many historic houses in the 1950s to 1970s, and residents then asked for protection. Many surviving mansions are now multi-unit housing, largely for students, and the district's buildings date mostly from 1850 to 1930. Our neighborhoods guide has more on the district and the nearby lakefront.

The Mifflin area

The Mifflin area sits between the Capitol Square and the west end of downtown. The city's Mifflandia plan, adopted by the Common Council on November 5, 2019, focuses on the 400 and 500 blocks of West Mifflin Street and West Washington Avenue. It calls Mifflin a "traditionally student neighborhood" and describes the area as creative and walkable. The plan suggests public art recognizing the neighborhood's 1960s counterculture and anti-war movement, and it names the Reis Grocery/Mifflin Street Co-op among possible historic resources.

The city's Downtown Area Plan, a separate effort, was still in progress as of November 2026, with draft recommendations expected in fall 2026 and completion anticipated by spring 2027.

Regent Street and the near south side

South of campus, the City of Madison's Regent Street–South Campus Neighborhood Plan, adopted July 1, 2008, covers about 130 acres roughly bounded by Monroe Street and Randall Avenue on the west, West Johnson Street on the north, Murray Street and East Campus Mall on the east, and Regent Street on the south. The plan describes students, business employees and residents of varied incomes and backgrounds sharing the area, and says much of it was once part of the historic Greenbush neighborhood. It separates the Regent Street corridor, an older neighborhood commercial district, from the transitional area north of Regent with university buildings and student housing.

For the neighborhood's history, see our Greenbush and Vilas guide. For the next street over, see Monroe Street.

The lakeshore and the Union

The shore of Lake Mendota is the area's front yard. Memorial Union at 800 Langdon St. and its Terrace are the best known stops, and the Lakeshore Path starts at the end of North Park Street beside the Union. Our campus guide covers the Terrace, the path and Observatory Hill, including which sections allow bikes.

Renting near campus

Our renting guide covers the basics. The City of Madison's page for landlords and renters lists these resources:

• Tenant Resource Center: information on tenants' rights, housing counseling on Wisconsin law (offered in Spanish and Hmong), and mediation for disputes such as security deposits, noise and lease violations.
• Eviction Diversion and Defense Partnership and the Tenant Resource Center eviction clinic: help for tenants facing eviction filings, with legal referrals that may be free depending on income.
• City of Madison Department of Civil Rights and the Fair Housing Center of Greater Madison: information on tenants' rights and help with suspected housing discrimination.

See our property managers and apartments categories for local listings.

Getting around

Most of this area is walkable, and the campus buses are described in our campus guide. For Metro, parking and bike routes, see our getting around guide and biking guide. On Badgers game days, streets near Camp Randall and the Kohl Center change; see our game day guide.

Places to start

These are businesses in our directory near campus. Descriptions come from their directory listings; hours and menus change, so check with each one.

N Frances St and Lake St

• Dotty Dumpling's Dowry: a Madison burger institution since 1974, now on North Frances Street.
• Ian's Pizza: big New York-style slices near the Kohl Center.
• Nitty Gritty-Madison: a tavern near the Kohl Center since 1968, known for the Gritty Burger.
• Comfort Fuel: a scratch-made fast-casual spot with breakfast, bowls and a terrace.
• The Kollege Klub: a campus bar at Lake and Langdon run by the Meier family since 1953.

W Gilman St

• Fugu Asian Fusion: Chinese dishes, sushi rolls, stir-fries and dim sum.
• Cheba Hut Gilman Street: toasted subs off State Street with a pet-friendly patio.

Langdon Street

• Peet's Coffee & Tea Memorial Union: a café on the first floor of Memorial Union.
• Daily Scoop in Memorial Union: Wisconsin Union ice cream counter scooping Babcock Dairy ice cream.

University Ave and Regent St

• Slow Food UW: campus nonprofit at The Crossing serving a weekly café lunch and community dinners.
• Leopold's Books Bar Caffe: bookstore, bar and coffee shop on Regent Street.
• Indie Coffee: a coffeehouse near Camp Randall since 2004, known for all-day waffles.