Don’t Despair About the Domes

Mitchell Park Domes. Photo taken Aug. 15, 2022 by Mariiana Tzotcheva.

If you’ve read the news lately, you are well aware of the steady stream of doom regarding the Mitchell Park Domes. The July 18 meeting of Milwaukee County’s Committee on Parks and Culture was no exception, and statements from the meeting had the news cycle spinning a true disaster narrative for The Domes. Inflammatory headlines like “Only One of Three Domes will Be Saved,” “The Inevitable Loss of Beloved Milwaukee Things,” and “the Issues facing the Mitchell Park Domes” have swamped newsfeeds, television, and print.

But is anyone even listening anymore?

The Domes conversation has carried on for more than seven years and the timeline is leaving many exhausted. There have been reports, studies, and surveys. Community meetings, public input sessions, and seminars. A committee of experts contributed countless hours of their time to find a sustainable solution, supplying their wisdom to a task force that produced a thorough report. The county has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars investigating various options and the different approaches available to achieve each set of goals. Yet still, after all this time, no path forward has been selected.

And thus, hope begins to erode and despair creeps in.

Yes, The Domes need repair. Yes, the mechanical systems are in dire need of replacement. But the narrative currently being spread seems to reject any future where saving The Domes is possible – even when there is irrefutable evidence showing that it is. Whatever happened to hope and the desire to build a future better than the present?

Over 250,000 people visit The Domes each year. This includes visitors from around the neighborhood, the city, and across the globe. There are hundreds if not thousands of stories shared about The Domes every day: marriages in The Domes, people who grew up going to The Domes, even final requests to see The Domes “one last time” before passing. The staff at The Domes has beautifully tended the horticulture and carefully curated each Dome for years, working with what they have. And yes, perhaps there is arguably a nostalgia that some may say is comparable to the “Streets of Old Milwaukee” at the public museum. But the main difference is that these buildings are not simply iconic – they are historic.

The structure of The Domes is the only one of its kind in the nation. A stunning example of Mid-Century Modern architecture, the design of these 85-foot-tall beehives (known as “conoidal” domes) features a unique combination of triangular glass panels, aluminum framing, and concrete structure. Architect Donald Grieb wanted to create a strong, patented design that encapsulated a Space Age feel, and did so successfully. Upon dedication of The Domes in 1965, Lady Bird Johnson declared The Domes to be “Milwaukee’s exciting new astrodomes for nature.”

The Domes have been declared a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, have been featured in the National Trust’s list of “America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places”, and are, according to the Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Office, eligible for National Register of Historic Places status. They were featured on Docomomo US’s Most Endangered Places List, and already were designated a Milwaukee County Landmark.

So why are we only talking about the bad things and pushing to spread the narrative that The Domes are “beyond saving”?

We’ve seen so many buildings in this city come back from utter disaster – fire, neglect, flooding, and even structural damage. Milwaukee Turners survived two fires and major foundational concerns, yet it is to this day safely hosting concerts, gym-goers, and diners every evening. Old Main at the Soldiers Home returned from a complete roof collapse and exposure to the elements to become a stunning home for over 100 formerly homeless veterans. Throughout our city, there are hundreds of examples of buildings coming back from “beyond repair” to live to serve another day – and many were in far worse shape than The Domes.

There are many ways to approach a solution for The Domes, yet from the tone of conversation at the most recent Committee on Parks and Culture meeting, many would prefer to be rid of the problem – whether this is in the form of a snap decision next session, or once again kicking the proverbial can down the road. However, the one thing that has hardly been emphasized is exactly the solution the Domes need: the Community.

The most recent study showed that a community campaign could raise upwards of $3M or more, and private donors could contribute upwards of $20M to an actionable plan. So why is this news being framed as “only $3M” and “only $20M”? Twenty-three million potential dollars is something that should be celebrated. The Milwaukee community is incredibly strong, and it is very encouraging to see such interest from donors before a campaign has even begun.

The other major success is the most recent (and frankly, downright incredible) test model of how the glass in The Domes could be repaired. Developed by ZS LLC in partnership with SuperSky (the original designer of The Domes glass panel system) the stunning display of engineering has not been given the spotlight it deserves.

The Domes were an engineering marvel in 1959 and now, 60-plus years later, a team of brilliant engineers created a solution that not only replicates The Domes’ historic design, but also offers a  stunning restoration that is successful as a drainage system and looks and functions like the original design intended.

Now is not the time for despair – it is the time for the public to come together to support a solution for the preservation and revitalization of The Domes and Mitchell Park.

With all the information that has been studied over the years and the latest report yet to come, it is time for the Committee on Parks and Culture to gather everything they have learned and agree on one comprehensive, obtainable plan. No fast decisions to get rid of the problem, and no more delays. The time to make a sound, healthy decision for the future of Mitchell Park and its historic Domes is now. Once that decision is made, hand it over to the public and let Milwaukeeans do what we do best: let the community advocate and host fundraisers, celebrate the unique, historic nature of The Domes, and shout from their rooftops, “It’s time to Save Our Domes!”

Whether it’s partnering with the private sector or partnering with the incredible Friends of The Domes nonprofit group in a structure similar to the Milwaukee County Zoo, there are solutions that can work and have worked, to preserve historic landmarks. But we cannot wait for that decision to be made for us – we as a community need to start spreading a narrative of hope, change, and progress. It is time to write letters, call your representatives, visit The Domes, donate, join Friends of The Domes, and show up for the September 12th meeting. Change doesn’t happen overnight, and as the saying goes, “it takes a village.” We cannot simply wish for a future we want to see come to fruition – we must work for it, together.

Emma Rudd is the executive director of the Milwaukee Preservation Alliance. This op-ed was written as a partnership of the Milwaukee Preservation Alliance and Docomomo-Wisconsin.