East Town

The Pabst Theater plays host to Envisioning the Seen: Milwaukee's Future tonight, June 18th. Ten Milwaukeeans and two moderators will hold an open-ended, fireside-style discussion, followed by an audience question and answer period.

Jun 18th, 2012 by Jeramey Jannene

Eyes on Milwaukee

Herb Kohl’s Arena Commitment, The Second Downtown Strip Club, Northwestern Mutual’s New Downtown Building, and More

This week's Eyes on Milwaukee column explores Herb Kohl's commitment to a new arena, the idea of another downtown strip club, Northwestern Mutual's potential new downtown building, and a whole lot more.

May 9th, 2012 by Jeramey Jannene

Eyes on Milwaukee

Future of Transit Event, Urban Milwaukee Store Grand Opening, and More

Welcome to the eighth installment of Eyes on Milwaukee. This week I invite you to a handful of Urban Milwaukee events, challenge you to name the new river skimmer, and share a fair amount of development news and information about new restaurants in Milwaukee.

Apr 12th, 2012 by Jeramey Jannene

Future of Transit Discussion at the top of the US Bank Center

If you care about transit in Milwaukee, or if you simply want the best view of the city available, come to the 40th floor of the US Bank Center next Monday night, April 16th from 5:30 until 8:00 for a cocktail hour and discussion on the future of transit in Milwaukee and how we move through the city.

Apr 11th, 2012 by Jeramey Jannene

Are Milwaukee’s Historic Preservation Laws Too Strong or Too Weak? Yes

Are Milwaukee's historic preservation laws too strong or too weak? Should the entire ordinance be re-written, or is just a revision in order? Alderman Witkowski's proposed overhaul to Milwaukee's historic preservation ordinance sparked these very questions.

Apr 3rd, 2012 by Dave Reid

2011 Milwaukee

A Year in Review

As the US economy continued it slow recovery from the Great Recession, Milwaukee was left with a couple of failed development projects to complete or redefine, a changing real estate market, the opportunity to make small infrastructure changes, and questions about the future of transit.

Dec 15th, 2011 by Dave Reid

HMI Doors Open 2011 Recommendations

Imagine this for a moment -- you’re a kid in a candy store, and as things go, this candy store is opening for the first time ever and only for one weekend. Oh gosh. You’ve dreamed of this cornucopia of confections so many times before, you know every name and shiny wrapper in the store... but your eyes are bigger than your stomach. How can you pick just a choice few, knowing your slight allowance won’t let you have all that you want? It’s the best and worst kind of agony.

Sep 21st, 2011 by Adam Carr

Carmageddon!

It has been more than a week since Wells Street was converted to two-ways, and it has indeed been Carmaggedon. Drivers have been confused by the unusual street configuration. Two-ways, really? The fear generated by being able to turn right and go East on to Wells St. has caused mass hysteria causing more than a few people to quickly park in available parking spots.

Sep 19th, 2011 by Dave Reid

PARK(ing) Day 2011!

Once again this year UrbanMilwaukee.com will be hosting a PARK(ing) Day event in downtown Milwaukee PARK(ing) Day takes place on September 16th, 2011 and is quite simply a public space intervention. The UrbanMilwaukee.com installation will be located near the corner of Mason Street and Milwaukee Street from noon to 2 p.m.

Sep 8th, 2011 by Dave Reid

Brighten the Passage Design Charrette

During the lunch hour on Wednesday, there will be a design charrette for the Brighten the Passage project. If you're like to stop by to contribute, the group will be meeting on-street at the corner of Water Street and Wisconsin Avenue.

Aug 16th, 2011 by Jeramey Jannene

Wells Street Two-Way Conversion Work Has Begun

Wasting no time, the Department of Public Works has already began work on the conversion of Wells Street to a two-way street throughout downtown.

Aug 4th, 2011 by Dave Reid

Brighten The Passage

Walking from downtown to the Historic Third Ward can be an uncomfortable experience. I-794 and the sea of surface parking lots on Water St., Broadway, and Milwaukee St. create an isolated and intimidating dead spot that deters pedestrians from walking between the two districts.

Jul 13th, 2011 by Dave Reid

Wells St. Two-way Street Conversion is Long Overdue

At Thursday’s Public Safety Committee meeting a file will be voted on that would authorize the conversion of Wells St. to two-way operation from 6th St. to Prospect Ave. According to the Journal Sentinel, the Wisconsin Center District Board voted to oppose part of this conversion, in particular from 4th Street to 6th Street, due to “safety” concerns. These concerns miss the big picture and can be handled while bringing the benefits of making Wells St. two-ways in downtown Milwaukee. Well Street’s one-way configuration brings an assortment of issues that negatively impact the neighborhood it passes through. In particular it is common to see cars continuously circling the block, because a parking spot is not easily accessible without circling the neighborhood. Another direct result of Wells St. being a one-way street, with little congestion, and having multiple travel lanes is that people speed excessively. This is an all too frequent occurrence. Additionally, crashes occur when drivers attempt to turn left from the center lane, because the nature of the street doesn’t fit with the location, causing an accident. Finally, it is all to common to see are drivers heading in the wrong direction along Wells St. A two-way street conversion would alleviate these issues while bringing benefits to the city. A benefit is that a two-way conversion will make Wells St. more pedestrian friendly, as no longer will one need to cross a “freeway” to get across the street. It will bring enhanced visibility to retail establishments, drawing in more of the infrequent drivers passing through the neighborhood. Additionally, for automobile drivers it will actually enhance connectivity by reducing the need to loop around to find a parking spot or a missed intersection. Finally, it will reduce traffic speeds along Wells St., improving safety for both the pedestrian and the automobile driver. This change is long overdue and hopefully this is just another step toward a more connected, accessible, and safe built environment in downtown Milwaukee.

Jun 22nd, 2011 by Dave Reid

Milwaukee Streetcar at Apex

The Milwaukee Streetcar is finally poised to move forward. Following last May's approval of a preliminary engineering study by the Milwaukee Connector Study Group, the Milwaukee Streetcar project has progressed to the next step in its development. In late June the Public Works Committee and Steering and Rules Committee will take up the project on subsequent days, followed by the full Milwaukee Common Council in early July.

Jun 16th, 2011 by Jeramey Jannene

Storefront Design Updates

Two small projects, one in East Town and the other on the East Side, are currently taking an existing poor design situation and attempting to activate the street through new designs.

Apr 11th, 2011 by Dave Reid

Tahrir Square

We all watched as Egyptians rose up to overthrow a dictator, and take back their country.

Feb 25th, 2011 by Dave Reid

Can Downtown Milwaukee Support a 24-Hour Gym?

Downtown Milwaukee is blessed with four full-service, affordable fitness centers. The Wisconsin Athletic Club, Downtown YMCA, Bally Total Fitness, and newcomer Gold's Gym most of which are located along the Wisconsin Avenue corridor that is the heart of the central business district. They vary in size and services, but all are large gyms that provide personal training services. Given that downtown is well served by three full-service gyms, is there a market for a small, no-frills 24-hour gym?

Jan 24th, 2011 by Jeramey Jannene

Marriott Approved. Greenwich Park Apartments Approved

Two controversial development projects received key approvals at the January 19th, 2011 meeting of the Common Council.

Jan 20th, 2011 by Dave Reid

Marriott Hotel Project Wins Appeal on 3-2 Vote at Zoning Committee

At yesterday's meeting of the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee Jackson Street Management LLC won an appeal of the Historic Preservation Commission's ruling regarding their request to demolish five buildings within the East Side Commercial Historic District to make way for a new Marriott Hotel.

Jan 14th, 2011 by Dave Reid

Washington Square Office Tower Renderings

Godfrey & Kahn could soon anchor a 22-story class A office tower, known as Washington Square, in downtown Milwaukee.

Jan 11th, 2011 by Dave Reid

Introducing The City Center at 735

Gold's Gym will soon open at 731 N. Water Street, a building that has been empty for 22 years. The gym will occupy five out of eight floors in the building, which was originally built as an annex to the Daniel Burnham designed First Wisconsin National Bank building next door at 735 N. Water Street. As part of the opening of Gold's Gym, both of the First Wisconsin National Bank buildings will be rebranded as The City Center at 735.

Dec 15th, 2010 by Jeramey Jannene

A Possible Solution for the Marriott Proposal?

Last night the Historic Preservation Commission voted to allow Wave Development, LLC to demolish the historic structures located along Milwaukee St. and Wisconsin Ave. to build a new Marriott Hotel. Under the condition that the project would save and restore the buildings' facades as part of the new development.

Dec 14th, 2010 by Dave Reid

A Room With A View for the New Preservationists

No one would talk much in society if they knew how often they misunderstood others. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe The Marriott Hotel proposed for downtown Milwaukee has received a lot of attention lately. It parlays questions going far beyond the buildings themselves.

Dec 13th, 2010 by Anna-Marie Opgenorth

How Urban are Marquette, MIAD, MSOE, and UWM?

Milwaukee is lucky to have a number of higher education institutions in its most urban neighborhoods.

Nov 30th, 2010 by Jeramey Jannene

Colby Abbot Pop-up Stores are Open for Business

Although, the renovation of the first floor of Colby Abbot, located at 759 N. Milwaukee St., building is taking a little longer than expected, the change is a welcome improvement to Milwaukee St.

Nov 21st, 2010 by Dave Reid

Friday Photos Friday, 19. November 2010

Construction of Gold’s Gym Gold’s Gym on N. Water Street 735 N Water Street and Gold’s Gym Colby Abbot Construction Gold’s Gym Construction

Nov 19th, 2010 by Friday Photos

Milwaukee Apartment Update

What apartment projects are currently proposed, under construction, or have recently opened in Milwaukee? A little over a year ago we did a similar exercise, so it will be good to take a look and see what has changed in the past year.

Nov 18th, 2010 by Jeramey Jannene

Historic Preservation Commission sets December 13th Public Hearing for the Marriott Proposal

A large crowd turned out, at a commission meeting to speak about a request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to demolish buildings located at 319-327 East Wisconsin Ave., and 625-631 North Milwaukee St.

Nov 16th, 2010 by Dave Reid

Marriott Proposal to Go Before Historic Preservation Commission on Monday (Renderings)

Wave Development, LLC is seeking a Certificate of Appropriateness to demolish the buildings located at 319-327 East Wisconsin Ave., and 625-631 North Milwaukee St. to construct a Marriott Hotel. This request will be taken up at the November 15th, 2010 meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission.

Nov 12th, 2010 by Dave Reid

Demolish Part of Downtown Milwaukee? No.

Recently, it was reported that Robert and Michael Levine are once again considering the demolition of historic buildings along Wisconsin Ave. and Broadway, with the hope of landing a hotel development.

Oct 16th, 2010 by Dave Reid

Historic Colby-Abbot Building Renovation is Underway

Construction has begun on the long anticipated renovation of the 134-year old, 6-story, Colby-Abbot Building, located at 759 N. Milwaukee St.

Oct 3rd, 2010 by Dave Reid

Next Up? E. Wells Street

Now that E. State. Stree has been converted to two-way traffic in East Town, next up for conversion is E. Well Street.

Sep 29th, 2010 by Dave Reid

E. State St. is Open for Two-way Traffic in East Town

All throughout this summer the city had been repaving, repainting, and installing new lights along E. State St. in preparation to open most of it to two-way traffic. As of this weekend, E. State St. in East Town from Prospect Ave. to Market St. is open to two-way traffic.

Sep 25th, 2010 by Dave Reid

Photo Gallery

Milwaukee Park(ing) Day

Although, we just had a basic setup for our Park(ing) Day installation, we did have a great turnout of interested citizens stop by to take part in our efforts to look at the urban hardscape in a new light.

Sep 20th, 2010 by Dave Reid

Downtown Plan Gains Approval at Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee

Department of City Development staff presented the Downtown Plan Update at the September 15th 2010 Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee meeting. Similar to the City Plan Commission meeting staff presented the overall themes and the eight catalytic projects, which are geared towards increasing density and connectivity throughout downtown, whiles creating a sense of place.

Sep 16th, 2010 by Dave Reid

PARK(ing) Day Comes to Milwaukee

The mission of PARK(ing) Day is to call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat … at least until the meter runs out!

Sep 15th, 2010 by Dave Reid

Downtown Plan Approved by City Plan Commission

The preparation of the Downtown Plan Update involved various public input sessions, countless hours of community and stakeholder input, resident surveys, the involvement of the business community, and the work of city staff.

Aug 24th, 2010 by Dave Reid

Chicago and Milwaukee – Large Public Art and Placemaking

The latest iteration of Chicago's fascination with large public art is located across the street from the iconic Harold Washington Library in Pritzker Park just northwest of the intersection State Street and Van Buren Street. What is it? A three-story tall eye balll, dubbed the EYE.

Aug 19th, 2010 by Jeramey Jannene

Food Cart Friday!

Today, starting at 11 am and running until 3 pm, in Cathedral Square, the East Town Association is holding what is hopefully the first of many Food Cart Fridays.

Aug 6th, 2010 by Dave Reid

It’s 11 p.m., Clear The Street

The party is cut off abruptly at 11 p.m. so the street can be opened for traffic.

Jul 26th, 2010 by Jeramey Jannene

City Announces New Downtown Plan

This week the City of Milwaukee announced its new downtown plan.

Jul 2nd, 2010 by Dave Reid

Milwaukee Earthquake

There was an apparent earthquake in Milwaukee today, how far across the city it was felt I haven't been able to figure out at this point. It was felt at our office at Milwaukee and Mason, the Journal Sentinel offices on 4th and Street, the Germania building on Wells and Plankinton, and the Biz Times offices in the Third Ward. At this point it seems that it was confined to downtown Milwaukee.

Jun 23rd, 2010 by Jeramey Jannene

UrbanMilwaukee.com Happy Hour – This Friday

We’re throwing a party this Friday to celebrate our second year of coverage, and we would love for you to join us. The fun starts at 6:00 p.m. this Friday, June 18th at Taylor’s. Taylor’s is located at 795 N. Jefferson Street, just off the southwest corner of Cathedral Square. We’ll be there all night, so don’t worry if you can’t make it out early. Hope to see you Friday!

Jun 17th, 2010 by Dave Reid

Milwaukee Downtown Dining Week Starts Tomorrow

The single greatest week of eating in Milwaukee starts tomorrow. The fifth edition of Downtown Dining Week will kick off on June 3rd and run through June 10th. Lunch meals are available for $10, and dinner is available for $20 (or $30 at a handful of places) at numerous downtown restaurants. If you're looking to sample a lot downtown eateries, this is your week. All meals are three courses.

Jun 2nd, 2010 by Jeramey Jannene

E. State St. Narrowed… World Doesn’t End.

Now, another one of the vastly overbuilt streets in Milwaukee is narrowed due to construction, and again the world hasn't come to an end as traffic has been able to find another route or simply slow down.

May 3rd, 2010 by Dave Reid

Friday Photos Friday, 16. April 2010

Milwaukee Street Hotel Metro Colby Abbot building Manpower Water on Prospect

Apr 16th, 2010 by Friday Photos

Surface Parking Lots are a Priority to be Developed

Surface lots damage the fabric of the city by creating gaps and dead spaces that are uncomfortable to the pedestrian.

Apr 6th, 2010 by Dave Reid

MSOE Students Present Design Ideas for the Marcus Center Garage Site

Despite work on the Marcus Center parking garage this past summer, there are still ambitious to redevelop the site in the near future. The repairs were done in an effort to keep the garage open until 2013, at which time a decision will be made to redevelop the site or be forced to do extension repairs.

Mar 23rd, 2010 by Dave Reid

Wrong Way on E. State St.?

Not for not much longer. In accordance with the City of Milwaukee's downtown plan over the past decade streets such as Broadway, and Jackson St. have been converted back to two-way traffic improving connectivity and access for all modes of traffic. And now, work has begun on the next piece of this plan, the stretch of E. State St. from Van Buren St. to Market St.

Mar 22nd, 2010 by Dave Reid

What’s Milwaukee?

Thou art thyself, though not Milwaukee. What’s Milwaukee? It is not block nor building, not park or plaza or any other part belonging to a city. Would a city by any other name have so much potential? So Milwaukee would, if not Milwaukee called, retain that dear structure which it owns without that title. What is in the name Milwaukee anyway? Fortuitously, the name is derived from the Algonquian word Millioke, which literally means “good/beautiful/pleasant land”.

Mar 4th, 2010 by Matthew Trussoni

No no no… No!

Next Generation Real Estate Inc. recently proposed a $35 million 6-story mixed-use building with 130,000 square feet of class A office space, 270 parking spots, and 17,000 square feet of first floor retail at the southeast corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Broadway.

Mar 2nd, 2010 by Dave Reid

Wells St. Narrowed. World Doesn’t End.

There was no file passed at the Milwaukee Common Council, business owners didn't have to fight city hall to narrow Well St., it wasn't some anti-car movement, it was just narrowed temporarily for utility work.

Jan 18th, 2010 by Dave Reid

2009 Milwaukee

A Year in Review

It's time to look back at all the predictions we made for last year, and see how overly optimistic we were.

Jan 5th, 2010 by Jeramey Jannene

The Park East Disaster? No

Would Milwaukee be better off with the Park East Freeway spur intact? No. Has development been slow so far? Yes. Is that a problem? Only if you have a short-term perspective on the future of Milwaukee.

Dec 15th, 2009 by Dave Reid

E. State St. Going Two-ways! Almost.

As key component of the downtown plan the City of Milwaukee set a goal of returning streets in the downtown area to two-way traffic.

Dec 14th, 2009 by Dave Reid

The Bookends Development is Sent Back to Committee

At the December 1st, 2009 meeting of the Milwaukee Common Council the Cooperation and Development Agreement for the Bookends development was sent back to the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee. The agreement would of authorized a $3.45 million loan guarantee from the City of Milwaukee to the development team, of New Land Enterprises and Weichman Enterprises, for the Bookends apartment development.

Dec 2nd, 2009 by Dave Reid

Ban Sticker Advertisements on Cars

Undoubtedly if you've walked around the East Side of Milwaukee for an extended period of time you've encountered a "Part Time Cash" sticker on the window of a car, or laying next to the curb. And therein lies the problem.

Nov 24th, 2009 by Jeramey Jannene

The Bookends Development Receives Approval from City Plan Commission

New Land Enterprises received unanimous approval at the October 19th meeting of the City Plan Commission. The 19-story building will have 224 residential units, 292 parking spaces, and 3,000 square feet of retail.

Oct 19th, 2009 by Dave Reid

New Land Enterprises’ Bookends Project To Go Before City Plan Commission (Renderings)

The Bookends, proposed by New Land Enterprises, will go before the Milwaukee City Plan Commission on October 19th, 2009 to gain approval of a change in zoning to a detailed plan development.

Oct 8th, 2009 by Dave Reid

Milwaukee Streetcar Meeting This Thursday

Don't forget that this Thursday is the open house for the Milwaukee Connector Downtown Streetcar plan. The open house runs from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Zeidler Municipal Building on the corner of Kilbourn Ave and Broadway. There will be short presentations at 3:30 and 6, come and leave a comment on the proposed system.

Oct 5th, 2009 by Jeramey Jannene

Misconceptions on the Hoan

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Patrick McIlheran recently took a swing at my Hoan Bridge article, Hoan Bridge: Tear Down Another Freeway in Milwaukee?. While getting things wrong about the article, such as missing that I would maintain the highway as a spur out of the Marquette Interchange that would land east of the Milwaukee River, he did manage to get one point spot on. "... it reduces the Lake Parkway into a conduit useful only for reaching downtown."

Sep 3rd, 2009 by Jeramey Jannene

UrbanMilwaukee.com Happy Hour – This Friday

We're throwing a party this Friday to celebrate our first full year of coverage, and we would love for you to join us. The fun starts at 6:00 p.m. this Friday, September 4th at Taylor's.

Sep 1st, 2009 by Jeramey Jannene

Hoan Bridge

Tear Down Another Freeway in Milwaukee?

The debate over the reconstruction of the Hoan Bridge is one that has ignited controversy in Milwaukee for almost a full year now. Southsiders under the direction of Supervisor Patricia Jursik have united around the Save the Hoan Coalition. Meanwhile, Milwaukee Alderman Robert Bauman has presented a differing vision for the future of the Hoan with eight principles that should be followed in any reconstruction effort. There is an awful lot of confusion around the issue, and the manner in which WisDOT has handled it is far from their usual course. This article examines the potential source of the debate, and a potential outcome that is a win-win scenario for both the City of Milwaukee taxbase, and southside and suburban commuters.

Aug 17th, 2009 by Jeramey Jannene

City to Use Eminent Domain?

This meeting had a couple of topics of particular interest, the use of eminent domain, and TIF policy.

Jun 11th, 2009 by Dave Reid

Jazz in the Park Starts Today, Kinda

The stage is in place. The vendors are setting up. Metro Market is soon to be buzzing with shoppers. Friends and neighbors are preparing to skip out of work a little early, run home grab the chairs, a bottle of something, and head to Cathedral Square. Yes, it's opening night at Jazz in the Park, kinda. Because that is how it use to work.

Jun 4th, 2009 by Dave Reid

Downtown Dining Week Starts Today in Milwaukee

Perhaps the greatest week of eating in Milwaukee, Downtown Dining Week, kicks off today and runs through June 4th. You can eat a $10 three course lunch or $20 three course dinner at some of Milwaukee's best restaurants. If you're looking to get a taste of great restaurants that you haven't been to before, this is your week to branch out.

May 28th, 2009 by Jeramey Jannene

A Pair of Streets That Need to Go on a Diet

The streets, E. State St. and E. Wells St., need to lose some weight because these multi-lane one-way expressways that run through East Town disrupt an otherwise walkable neighborhood.

Apr 24th, 2009 by Dave Reid

Committee Approves Two-way State St.

Clearly this meeting of the Public Works Committee was not as colorful as recent meetings but there were a couple of items of interest. The first item was a proposed lease agreement between Waters’ New Biotech Company and the Port of Milwaukee. This proposal would be the second large alternative fuel facility in recent years to open at the Port of Milwaukee. Waters’ New Biotech Company intends to develop a facility that will convert wood waste into a solid fuel which will be used as an alternative fuel to coal. This file was approved and will now go before the full Common Council. The second item was the culmination of three years of efforts by Alderman Robert Bauman. In an effort to improve the walkability and vibrancy of East Town, he has been working to convert E. State St. between N. Edison St. and N. Prospect Ave. to two-way traffic. His efforts resulted in the necessary changes to file number 081667 which will provide the funding to reconfigure E. State St., rebuild and repave the street, reconfigure the signals, construct a median at Water St., and potentially add a new signal. This file was approved and will now go before the full Common Council.

Apr 24th, 2009 by Dave Reid

The Politics of Real Estate Development – Park East Edition

The tale of the Fair Market Development, LLC Park East development proposal is one already lined with intrigue.

Apr 22nd, 2009 by Jeramey Jannene

Revitalize Broadway with Street Improvements

Broadway is the center of the action in the Third Ward, it works for business, pedestrians, and even automobiles. But just across I-794 it is a wasteland of surface parking lots and empty storefronts. While there are surely numerous factors in place that have hurt the vitality of this street, an area that can be addressed by the city to make it more attractive to business is to improve the pedestrian environment.

Apr 20th, 2009 by Dave Reid

Milwaukee Streetcar Round-Up

The Milwaukee circulator streetcar is moving forward, but there is still confusion in the mind of many. We've covered the issue in the past, but this article attempts to bring everything together in one place, the history, the frequently asked questions, and the proposed route.

Apr 19th, 2009 by Jeramey Jannene

Milwaukee to the Art World

Yes

Despite last ditch efforts by Alderman Dudzik to hold the project in committee, which would have effectively killed the project, Janet Zweig's public art project was approved at today's Common Council meeting.

Apr 14th, 2009 by Dave Reid

Zweig Project Would Add a Twist to Milwaukee

The debate swirling around the Janet Zweig art project got me thinking about the value of public art to our city and how other cities embrace opportunities to enhance their public places.

Apr 13th, 2009 by Dave Reid

Accents on the Interstate, Lipstick on a Pig

If accent lighting on the interstate isn't the perfect definition of lipstick on a pig, I don't know what is. That said I'm not opposed to it. In fact, I think dressing the Marquette Interchange for the prom was a positive step forward. There is, however, only one thing I wish would have happened differently.

Apr 8th, 2009 by Jeramey Jannene

Would Neon Colored Ashtrays Have Been Acceptable?

In case you missed it, at yesterday's Public Works Committee meeting a previously contracted public art project was halted, because some of our Alderman didn't find the art to their liking.

Apr 2nd, 2009 by Dave Reid

Zweig Project Held by City Committee

This committee meeting had numerous items of significance relating to the built environment that were up for debate. A couple highlights (or lowlights) included the holding of a file over budget concerns, a heated discussion over Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (“CMAQ”) grants, and a most intriguing debate on public art. The approval of the schematic designs of public artwork which is to be incorporated into streetscape improvements within the first block of East Wisconsin Avenue was up for approval. The project put out a RFQ to which nearly fifty artists responded. Artist Janet Zweig was selected to design the artwork and at a recent Streetscape Public Art Advisory Committee meeting the committee approved the schematic design. The design would include five kiosks attached to five light poles. Each kiosk would essentially be a historical reference to a type of flip board system that existed in train stations. Each kiosk would display flip movies of Milwaukee, and would be custom built to hold 80 flaps. This project was funded under the federal CMAQ program to promote walking as an alternative method of transportation by making improvements to the pedestrian experience. Additionally, of the total project only a little over 1% of funds has been allocated to public art. Initially, Alderman Robert Bauman was concerned that there might be a cost to moving this project forward so he questioned, “tell us why this is even in front of us?” After much discussion it became clear that this file was just the approval of the schematic design and that as he said “rejecting this concept saves no money.” At this point Alderman Bob Donovan began railing against the design saying “Thomas Edison had that 100 years ago,” and that “I refuse to have my name associated to something as ridiculous as that.” Alderman Willie Wade took a more measured approach in his response to the work stating “I’m not impressed with this at all” and that “this is too old school for me.” Attempting to bring the discussion back to the overall idea of improving public space through the addition of public art Alderman Bauman explained that “art is in the eye of the beholder.” Debra Usinger, who appeared previously in regards to a Riverwalk project, explained that “public art is great” and that despite the sentiment in the room, this art works because “all of a sudden we’ve created discussion in here.” She added that “I think this is really innovative.” This file was held to all for public input. A file that would have funded a variety of nonassessable public improvements was held because of future budgetary concerns. Alderman Joe Dudzik questioned the wisdom of this spending while planning on significant layoffs, which sparked the discussion regarding holding the file. Wondering if there was a cost to delay action on the file, Alderman Dudzik questioned “is there any urgency in getting this file passed today?” Apparently if delayed projects might see a increase of 10% to the cost so the […]

Apr 1st, 2009 by Dave Reid

Design Your Own Streetcar Route

UrbanMilwaukee would like to issue you a challenge. With the announcement that Mayor Tom Barrett with the help of Congressman David Obey and Senator Herb Kohl managed to get 60% of the $91.5 million for his streetcar vision, it’s time to think about what the final route may be. There is a simple reality any Milwaukee streetcar proposal must deal with though, there is only enough money for an initial 3 miles. So here’s the game. 1. Create a Google Account or use an existing one. 2. Create a route (not longer than 3 miles) using Google Maps. Don’t know how to do this? There is an introductory video. 3. Paste a link to your route in the comments of this post. 4. Wait until Wednesday afternoon, at that point we’ll put together a poll so we can vote for the best one. Can’t wait to see what you come up with, whether it’s a line to Bay View or UWM, or perhaps a completely different loop around downtown.

Mar 23rd, 2009 by Jeramey Jannene

Five Reasons to Look Forward to Summer in Milwaukee

What did I miss?

Mar 20th, 2009 by Jeramey Jannene

Car Culture

You’ll Never Drive Drunk If…

St. Patrick's Day is always one of my favorite days of the year, though often the day after is one of my least favorite, because everybody comes out and has a good time.

Mar 19th, 2009 by Dave Reid

Milwaukee’s Stimulus Request

Yesterday the U.S. Senate approved the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and although it still has conference committee changes to go through prior to arriving on President Obama's desk it's interesting to see what items the City of Milwaukee would like to see funded.

Feb 11th, 2009 by Dave Reid

Who Lives in Milwaukee’s Condos?

The UWM Center for Urban Initiatives and Research (CUIR) undertook the first comprehensive study on Milwaukee's "condo boom" to understand who was actually living in the condos stretching from the northern part of Walker's Point up to North Avenue on the East Side.

Feb 5th, 2009 by Jeramey Jannene

Milwaukee’s War on Fun

It was just a few years ago when Milwaukee was named the #2 Party City in America, and although that might seem like a funny or insignificant title it was actually a well deserved and beneficial honor.

Feb 1st, 2009 by Dave Reid

BreakWater Fiasco

A column in Milwaukee Magazine criticizing the design of Renner Architect's soon-to-be completed BreakWater Condominiums spurred a response from Renner's firm that was in very poor form.

Jan 29th, 2009 by Jeramey Jannene

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