September 2016 - Milwaukee WI
Day 1 Toronto to Kalamazoo
Day 2 Kalamazoo to Milwaukee
No driving today, it is a walking day.
We slept in(my cold kept me coughing all night) and left at 9:30 and came back to the hotel at 3:30 17,213 steps 7.33 miles.
First stop is the Third Ward, I'll save most of the photos for a more detailed post. The weather started out sunny and warm.
The Mitchell Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
The building was constructed by U.S. Representative Alexander Mitchell. It would go on to house a bank. The property is presumed to have once been the site of the residence of Solomon Juneau Juneau helped to found Milwaukee and served as its first mayor.
Cute.
The Historic Third Ward (HTW) is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Milwaukee's oldest center of commerce and warehousing. It was also the site of Milwaukee’s most devastating fire and its most remarkable rebuilding efforts.
In 1892, "The Great Third Ward Fire" devastated 16 square blocks of Milwaukee's vital, riverfront commerce area. The dollar value of property damage was estimated at $5 million, which is the equivalent of $60 million by today's standards. Reconstruction began almost immediately and within 30 years, the district was rebuilt into the bustling and vital commerce district it had once been. Designed by local well known architects, the neighborhood's buildings have a visual continuity that creates a unique urban expression.
The Historic Third Ward, mainly the Commission Row area, holds significant meaning as a hub of Market activity for over a hundred years. The modern-day Milwaukee Public Market, which opened in October of 2005, preserves the nature of this historical neighborhood and capitalizes on the history of an area that native Wisconsinites associate with fresh food.
Cafe Benelux for breakfast.
Today, the Third Ward is home to over 450 businesses and maintains a strong position within the retail and professional service community in Milwaukee as a showcase of a mixed-use district. The neighborhood's renaissance is anchored by many specialty shops, restaurants, art galleries and theatre groups, creative businesses and condos. It is home to the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD), and the Broadway Theatre Center.
We looked around a got a brief history lesson on the Royal Enfield.
The Enfield Cycle Company made motorcycles, bicycles, lawnmowers and stationary engines under the name Royal Enfield out of its works based at Redditch, Worcestershire. The legacy of weapons manufacture is reflected in the logo comprising the cannon, and the motto "Made like a gun". Use of the brand name Royal Enfield was licensed by the Crown in 1890.
they go for around $6,000 US.
The condos in the converted buildings were well done. They have delightful river views.
There are 64 historic buildings identified.
Another funny balcony.
We're warm but the wind can make it cool, so we go back to the hotel to adjust our clothing and head back out.
We decide to head to Black Cat Alley where there are murals and we make some stops on the way.
One of the most striking examples of Landmark buildings in the United States is to be found in the historic United States Courthouse and Federal Building. Originally authorized for principal use as a United States Post Office, Court and Customs House, land located just three blocks from Lake Michigan in downtown Milwaukee was acquired by Congress through a series of acts approved beginning in 1889. The 2.1 acre parcel, consisting of an entire block bounded by Wisconsin Avenue on the north, Michigan Street on the south, Jackson Street on the east and Jefferson Street on the west, was secured through condemnation with an award of $388,354 on October 31, 1890.
As the vision of businessman Guido Pfister and his son, Charles, The Pfister opened in 1893, billed as the “Grand Hotel of the West,” a welcoming and luxurious meeting place.
Succeeding on both fronts, this historic Milwaukee hotel was the most lavish hotel of its time, costing nearly $1 million; it featured groundbreaking innovations such as: fireproofing, electricity throughout the hotel and individual thermostat controls in every room. Designed by architect Charles Koch, the hotel features a Romanesque Revival design.
This highly decorated building illustrates the Beaux Arts style (taught at the legendary École des Beaux-Arts in Paris), which flourished in the United States between 1885 and 1920. This style is a late form of Neoclassicism, but more eclectic, combining Greek and Roman models with Renaissance characteristics. Although this is a small building, it is highly ornamented with two-story fluted Ionic columns, decorated at the base, with carved stone grotesques, with curvilinear bronze grill work, with ornate trim around and between the windows, and with sculpted shields, garlands, and other motifs.
We were so busy gawking and exclaiming over the architecture we didn't get the names of these two buildings.
We are now at Lake Michigan. Milwaukee's Lakefront area is one of the prettiest downtown areas of any US city.
The Calling is a public artwork by American artist Mark di Suvero located in O'Donnell Park, which is on the lakefront. The artwork was made in 1981-82 from steel I-beams painted an orange-red color. It measures 40 feet in height, and it sits at the end of Wisconsin Avenue in front of the footbridge that leads to the Milwaukee Art Museum.
The graceful Quadracci Pavilion is a sculptural, postmodern addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum completed in 2001, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.
It is breathtaking.
The Museum’s signature wings, the Burke Brise Soleil, form a moveable sunscreen with a 217-foot wingspan. The brise soleil is made up of 72 steel fins, ranging in length from 26 to 105 feet. The entire structure weighs 90 tons. It takes 3.5 minutes for the wings to open or close. Sensors on the fins continually monitor wind speed and direction; whenever winds exceed 23 mph for more than 3 seconds, the wings close automatically.
According to Santiago Calatrava, “in the crowning element of the brise soleil, the building’s form is at once formal (completing the composition), functional (controlling the level of light), symbolic (opening to welcome visitors), and iconic (creating a memorable image for the Museum and the city).”
The “wings” open at 10 a.m. in accordance with regular days of operation, close/reopen at noon, and close at 5 p.m. (8 p.m on Fridays). Schedule is subject to change without advance notice due to weather/maintenance.
One of the most prominent landmarks is the War Memorial Center commemorating the dead of WWII and the Korean War.
The skies are darkening over Lake Michigan.
We start walking towards Black Cat Alley, remember that's where we were heading. I start lagging (damn cold) and ask John how much further, 22 minutes and I say no, not doing it so we head back downtown.
We stop into the Pfister Hotel to have a drink, it is a must do on any Top Ten Things To Do.
We decide to make one more stop before we put our feet up.
Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist
After 17,000 steps I think we deserve to rest for a bit!!
