Friends of Hank Aaron State Trail, Menomonee Valley Partners, and the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee are working together to commission a permanent public artwork that will be a powerful reminder of the role the Milwaukee Road Rail Shops and their employees played in the history of the city.

We are excited to announce the five finalists who will present proposals for the Milwaukee Road Monument, congratulations to Ray Chi, Paul Druecke, Kathryn E. Martin, Rob Neilson, and Richard Taylor.

Join us to learn more about the project and view the artists’ proposals on Thursday, March 2, 5:00 – 6:30 p.m., at Urban Ecology Center Menomonee Valley, 3700 W. Pierce St., Milwaukee, WI 53215. There will be an opportunity to provide feedback at the meeting as well as online at the Friends of Hank Aaron State Trail website after the meeting.

The artwork will be located near the corner of West Canal Street and West Milwaukee Road, where the Milwaukee Road Rail Shops’ chimneys once stood. It is now along the Hank Aaron State Trail, in a highly visible area with hikers, joggers, bicyclists, and between 6000 to 7700 cars passing by daily. The work will tell the rich story of the Milwaukee Road and honor the Milwaukee Road workers, create a new landmark, link the landscape to the history and activate the space.

Additional information about the Milwaukee Road Rail Shops:

The Milwaukee Road Rail Shops are an important part of Milwaukee’s history. In the early 1900s, the railroad was the largest employer in Milwaukee employing 5500 of its famously skilled and dedicated workers in the Menomonee Valley. Many of them lived and raised their families in the surrounding neighborhoods. Unfortunately, the company filed bankruptcy in 1985, closed their operations, and the property fell into disrepair for nearly two decades before the property was acquired for redevelopment as an eco-industrial and community park.

In 2010, the last vestiges of the Milwaukee Road Rail Shops, two chimneys, were demolished due to structural issues and concern for safety. The chimneys had stood as a visual historical reminder of this history. A small amount of interpretive signage along the trail continues to tell the story, but a strong, engaging visual statement is missing.