Nominations Open for Mayor’s Design Awards

Mayor Tom Barrett speaking at the groundbreaking for the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Nominations are now open for the Mayor’s Design Awards. This year marks the 21st installment in the annual architecture awards program that was started under Mayor John Norquist. Mayor Tom Barrett has continued the program in his 14 years in office, including handing out 26 awards in four categories last year.

Categories include Spaces and Places, Test of Time, Live. Work. Play. and Design That Grabs You. Awards aren’t limited to downtown skyscrapers and east side apartment buildings. Last year awards were issued to projects in 12 of the city’s 15 aldermanic districts.

Projects awarded in 2017 range from Hartung Park in Spaces and Places, the Wally Schmidt Tavern redevelopment in Test of Time, the King Lofts in Live. Work. Play. and the 833 East office tower in Design That Grabs You.

So while it’s a virtual certainty that the critically-acclaimed Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons will receive an award at the May ceremony, plenty of other projects spread across the city will also be up for consideration. Will the polarizing building that houses a Qdoba Mexican Grill on E. Brady St. receive an award? How about the Freshwater Plaza development in Walker’s Point or the Mitchell Street Library Branch in the former Hills Building? What about the tree planting at the intersection of Highway 175 and W. Lisbon Ave?

They’re all contenders, but first, they’ll need to be nominated.

Nominations must be submitted by March 31st, 2018. To be eligible for consideration the project must be located within the City of Milwaukee and constructed prior to December 31st, 2017.

What projects do you think are winners?