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Time Magazine named it “the best design of 2001.” Conde Nast Traveler called it one of the “new wonders of the world.” To People magazine, it’s a “New American Beauty.” The Milwaukee Art Museum’s architecturally innovative addition holds a place on the shore of Lake Michigan, and since spring 2001, has become an integral part of the Lakefront view, sparking interest around the country. The defining feature of the gleaming white structure is a sunscreen known as the Burke Brise Soleil, with appendages that expand and lower like wings over a spacious glass-enclosed reception room, controlling light and heat in the building with a striking display of artistic design and remarkable engineering. The Milwaukee Art Museum will soon have a new neighbor on the lakefront to draw architectural and tourism interest. The Pier Wisconsin Center is under construction just down the road and when finished, it will house the Great Lakes Aquatarium and Discovery World, an interactive education center. Pier Wisconsin is a non-profit organization committed to environmental education, showcasing the fresh water of Lake Michigan. According to Jeff Phillips, Marine Operations Manager at Pier Wisconsin, the new complex “has modern components that will set a trend for future buildings.” Some of the innovative features of the new building include a large indoor aquarium and a suspended replica of a schooner that visitors can walk under and explore inside. In addition, a small portion of the structure will be built directly over Lake Michigan itself, adding to the engineering challenge of the design. The Pier Wisconsin building exemplifies the recent and ongoing architectural improvements to Milwaukee’s downtown and lakefront regions. Milwaukee first drew widespread architectural attention when the Milwaukee Art Museum hired Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava to design an addition for the existing structure. Since its introduction, Calatrava’s Quadracci Pavilion has graced the front pages of the Wall Street Journal, USAToday and Time Magazine. USA Weekend named it one of the five most important buildings of the 21st century. Doug Nielson, president of the Greater Milwaukee Convention and Tourism Bureau, gives the Milwaukee Art Museum credit for boosting Milwaukee’s image. He likened the Quadracci Pavilion to the Sydney Opera House because of its role as the city’s defining characteristic. “It’s the icon the city has needed,” Nielson says. Chad Griswold, an architect at Vetter Denk Architecture in Downtown Milwaukee, also commends the building for improving the city’s image. “[The Milwaukee Art Museum] has become a destination building, drawing both national and international attention,” Griswold says. With worldwide attention, Milwaukee is grooming itself to shine in the spotlight. The city has already invested $2.5 billion in tourism development, and new projects are underway. According to Beth Nichols, head of the downtown business improvement district Milwaukee Downtown, these projects will continue a trend that redefines Milwaukee as a cutting-edge city worthy of interest from people who are looking for a trendy and sophisticated place to live, work and visit. The RiverWalk district is a prime example of a downtown area that has seen a boom in popularity after a revitalization and makeover of the buildings and streets in the past decade. The project has been so successful that efforts have expanded to renovating the nearby Historic Third Ward. Dick Wright, the RiverWalk project coordinator who is now working on the Historic Third Ward, describes the old warehouse district as having been a run-down area with “buildings virtually falling into the river.” It’s a twenty-year project, he says, and it’s only partly finished. Already the district has seen the development of new housing, retail and restaurant venues that draw people of all ages, as well as the improvement of the streetscape and pedestrian areas. “It’s evolutionary—one thing begets another,” Wright says.
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Milwaukee architecture: A new wonder of the world?
