70 buildings spanning approximately 10 square blocks in the district. It was also during this period that the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design purchased a former warehouse in the neighborhood and renovated it as its main campus building. Later in the 1980s, the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works removed the Buffalo Street Bridge. This project proved controversial as it removed a valuable access point to the Third Ward, further isolating it but also helping to maintain its unique atmosphere. The 1990s marked a period of rapid development in the Third Ward as historic warehouses were purchased and renovated into market-rate housing at times displacing former tenants. During this period, the City of Milwaukee invested $3.4 million in streetscape projects as well as in the construction of two large municipal parking structures in an effort to draw visitors to the area. Several hundred new loft-style apartments are opened during the decade along with new offices in former warehouse buildings. The Milwaukee Riverwalk is opened to the public providing an additional link along the Milwaukee River between Downtown Milwaukee and the Third Ward. 21st Century In 2000, the Historic Third Ward Association began co-sponsoring Milwaukee's premier art event, Gallery Night and Day, a quarterly event which attracts thousands of visitors to the neighborhood. The Historic Third Ward experienced an influx of upscale women's boutiques, restaurants and high-end furnishings businesses. In 2005, the Milwaukee Public Market opened to the public offering an array of year-round indoor gourmet and specialty food options. Later in 2010, Erie Street Plaza, a small park and public space built on a former parking lot, opened on the southern edge of the neighborhood, near the confluence of the Milwaukee River and Kinnickinnic River. The Hop began service in 2018, connecting the neighborhood to Downtown Milwaukee to the Milwaukee Intermodal Station. The Hop has a station located at the Milwaukee Public Market. In 2019, murals by two European artists appeared in the area. First, two murals by French artist MTO were commissioned on private property, spotlighting endangered species. ' Later the same summer, the iconic mural "The Unsung Hero" by German artist Andreas von Chrzanowski, "Case Maclaim" was commissioned by Singerman Real Estate for the PH Dye Building. The six-story mural is visible from Highway 794 and is now a Historic Third Ward tourist attraction. ' By 2022, nearly all of the historic structures in the Third