Domes Project on Track for 2027 Groundbreaking

Mitchell Park Domes. Photo taken July 14, 2025 by Graham Kilmer.

The redevelopment of the Mitchell Park Domes, years in the making, is on schedule for a 2027 groundbreaking.

City permitting records show the Milwaukee Domes Alliance (MDA) recently started pulling permits for the $133 million redevelopment of the Mitchell Park Domes. The organization is also working through the steps for tax credits and preparing to announce some major philanthropic gifts, MDA CEO Christa Beall Diefenbach told Urban Milwaukee.

To move the project forward, MDA needs to knit together an array of financing, including public funding, two kinds of tax credits and philanthropic donations. Diefenbach said all the pieces are coming together on time and the project should be ready for construction by 2027.

The project architect, The Kubala Washatko Architects, filed for a commercial alteration permit earlier this month. The development team anticipates the project may need a zoning variance and wants to get the process started, Diefenbach said.

The redevelopment involves two distinct, major projects. First is the restoration of the three conoidal domes and redevelopment of the surrounding buildings. Second is the construction of a nature learning center that will also provide additional space for event rentals.

The project was developed in partnership by the MDA and Milwaukee County Parks. It represents the county’s solution to the Domes’ insurmountable maintenance needs, as well as an opportunity to improve the site and create a sustainable source of operating revenue.

The county has struggled to fund maintenance at the Domes, which were built in the 1960s. The Domes do not bring in enough revenue through admissions to cover operating costs, and maintenance costs have outstripped the county’s ability to budget for them. In 2013, pieces of concrete began falling from the structure and policymakers began looking for a long-term solution.

The restoration project will be approached in three phases. The first phase will see the restoration of the show dome, the conversion of the small growing greenhouse dome to an interactive children’s garden called the Little Sprouts dome, the buildout of a new cafe and the expansion of the gift shop. The next two phases will tackle restoration of the desert dome and tropical dome, respectively.

“We really front loaded that very initial phase with all of those activities that really build that sustainable business model that we’re driving toward as part of this project,” Diefenbach said.

To move the first phase of th restoration forward, MDA needs $51.6 million. Under an agreement with Milwaukee County Parks, construction cannot begin unless the organization has raised the required funds. The full restoration of the Domes is estimated to cost approximately $115 million, according to Diefenbach.

In 2025, the Milwaukee County Board approved $30 million in financing, to be paid out in $5 million installments over six years beginning this year. MDA is working through the application process for approximately $42.4 million in historic preservation tax credits and New Market Tax Credits. The county funds will not be released until MDA also secures enough donations and tax credits to break ground.

MDA plans to provide county elected officials with the first fundraising update in June, Diefenbach said, adding that the project is on track to have the money it needs to break ground next year.

“It’s going very well,” she said.

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