You’ve probably seen the Netflix show or caught a documentary late at night and wondered if that building is still standing. People get obsessed with the geography of tragedy. They want to know where the "Milwaukee Cannibal" actually lived. Honestly, the jeffrey dahmer apartment address is one of the most searched pieces of dark history in the Midwest.
The address was 924 North 25th Street, Apartment 213, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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If you put that into your GPS today, you aren't going to find a brick building or a creepy hallway. You won’t even find a plaque. What you’ll find is a flat, empty lot of grass surrounded by a tall chain-link fence. It’s a literal hole in the neighborhood.
What Really Happened at 924 North 25th Street
Dahmer moved into the Oxford Apartments in May 1990. Before that, he’d been living with his grandmother, but she eventually kicked him out because of his drinking and the "weird smells" coming from the basement. When he landed in Apartment 213, he was finally alone. No supervision. No one to question what he was carrying in those heavy boxes.
The building itself was a 49-unit complex. It wasn't fancy, but it wasn't a total dump either. Just a standard, low-income brick apartment building in the Avenues West neighborhood.
Inside that small one-bedroom unit, Dahmer killed 12 of his 17 victims.
The details are grisly, and I won't lean into the gore just for the sake of it, but the reality is that the apartment became a literal laboratory for his crimes. When police finally entered on the night of July 22, 1991, after Tracy Edwards escaped, they found a polaroid collection that no human should ever see. They found a 57-gallon drum. They found the refrigerator stocked with things that weren't groceries.
The Demolition of the Oxford Apartments
By late 1991, the Oxford Apartments were a ghost town. Can you blame the neighbors for leaving? Imagine finding out the guy in 213 who always complained about your loud music was actually doing that.
The building became a "dark tourism" magnet almost immediately. People were stopping their cars, taking photos, and trying to get inside. It was a nightmare for the city.
In August 1992, an organization called the Campus Circle Project—which was basically an urban renewal group linked to Marquette University—bought the building for about $325,000. They didn't want to renovate it. They didn't want to "rebrand" it. They wanted it gone.
Demolition started in November 1992.
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They tore it down to the ground. Every brick was hauled away. The city wanted to erase the physical footprint of what happened there, hoping that if the building disappeared, the stigma would too.
Why is the lot still empty in 2026?
It has been over thirty years since the wrecking balls hit 924 North 25th St. You’d think by now someone would have built a Starbucks or a new condo.
But it’s just grass.
There are a few reasons why this specific piece of dirt is still vacant:
- The Stigma is Permanent: Developers are superstitious, or at least they know buyers are. Selling a "luxury apartment" on the site of a serial killer’s home is a tough pitch.
- The Memorial Debate: For decades, victims' families and neighbors like Glenda Cleveland fought for a memorial or a park. The city, however, feared a memorial would just become a shrine for "murderinos" and fans of the macabre.
- Property Ownership: The land has changed hands and interests over the years, but the goal has largely remained the same: keep it quiet.
Honestly, the city of Milwaukee would prefer if you forgot the address entirely. They’ve spent decades trying to move past the "Dahmer’s city" label.
Visiting the Site Today
If you drive by today, it’s honestly underwhelming. It’s a vacant lot. Sometimes the grass is overgrown; sometimes it’s neatly trimmed. The fence is there to keep people out because, believe it or not, people still try to go in there with shovels to find "souvenirs" from the soil.
It’s a heavy place. Even without the building, the air feels different.
If you are looking for other "Dahmer sites," his grandmother’s house in West Allis (2357 S. 57th St) is still standing. It’s a private residence, so don't be that person who knocks on the door. His childhood home in Ohio is also still there and has occasionally been listed for rent or sale.
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Practical Steps for Researchers and History Buffs
If you are genuinely interested in the history of the case or the urban development of Milwaukee, don't just stare at a vacant lot.
- Check the Archives: The Milwaukee Public Library has extensive microfiche and digital records of the original police reports and the "Campus Circle Project" files.
- Respect the Neighborhood: The Avenues West area is a real neighborhood where real people live. It isn't a film set. Drive through, observe, but don't loiter or harass residents with questions about 1991.
- Support the Victims' Legacy: Instead of focusing on the killer, look into the lives of the men who were lost. Many of them were part of the vibrant, albeit marginalized, LGBTQ+ and Black communities of the time.
The jeffrey dahmer apartment address is a map coordinate for a tragedy, but for Milwaukee, it's a reminder of a systemic failure that they are still trying to build over. For now, the grass stays green, the fence stays up, and the lot stays empty.