Milwaukee

Gratitude of Great Proportions

Building at Pabst Brewery, Milwaukee, WI

Two weeks ago I went with friends to the Christkindlmarket in Milwaukee. It was a super fun time. Just so you know, the market pictured in the link is from Nuremberg, Germany, not Milwaukee—our Milwaukee market was at the former Pabst Brewery, a community of 25 well-worn corporate and manufacturing structures like the one pictured above. Even though our market wasn’t of Nuremberg standards, it was fascinating to see the buildings that make up this historic district.

We’re now past Thanksgiving but I’m still thinking about these buildings. Maybe because over the holiday weekend we started a major renovation ruckus in our house (I always say we so I sound involved, but really I mean my husband—more on that another time). Or maybe because lately this has been the harsh, wintery scene out my office window. Anyway, I’ve been wondering what it was like to work in these cavernous warehouses back in the day.

Warehouse at Pabst Brewery Complex, Milwaukee, WI

From 1844, when the brewery was founded by Jacob Best, until 1996, when the Pabst line was contracted out to Stroh Brewing Company in LaCrosse, thousands of hardworking Milwaukeeans spent the majority of their days in buildings similar to these. Wouldn’t you think it must have been super cold in winter? And hot in summer? It must have been dirty, laborious and sometimes unsafe. And yet for over a hundred years the heart of Milwaukee’s culture was this neighborhood of Cream City Bricks, now blackened with production and time.

Pabst Brewery Complex sign

Pabst Brewing Company is now owned by a Russian beverage distributor and, sadly, is no longer headquartered in Milwaukee. But one of the many gazillion obscure things for which I’m thankful is that the high architectural and historical integrity of these buildings has not been lost. They haven’t been demolished and replaced with characterless, poor construction.

In 2006, Joseph Zilber’s investment group Brewery Project LLC purchased the complex for $13 million and is renovating it for residential, office and retail use. It’s called The Brewery. The old Mill House, aka Building 21, is now the Brewhouse Inn & Suites and Jackson’s Blue Ribbon Pub. Don’t these sound like a fun places to visit?

Office building at Pabst Brewery Complex, Milwaukee, WI

So, even though I’m totally thankful I get to work from home in a warm, toasty office, I do sort of fantasize moving my office to this building. Isn’t it the most Gothically gorgeous thing ever?

An Edifice of Eternal Encasing

Milwaukee City Hall, Doors Open Milwaukee 2014

If it seems like every time you drive past Milwaukee’s City Hall it’s encased in scaffolding, it’s because it is. It’s been that way now for years. And years. And years.

Milwaukee City Hall, Doors Open Milwaukee 2014

In 2006, the city began an exciting restoration project on the historic building’s exterior and due to some unfortunate developments, the project just never ends. Originally built in 1895, the City Hall is a 393-foot Flemish Renaissance Revival and is trapezoidally nestled between four angled streets.

And scaffolding.

Milwaukee City Hall, Doors Open Milwaukee 2014

To get into the building, you have to walk through a tunnel of scaffolding before it gives way to what someday will once again be a welcoming open-air rotunda.

Milwaukee City Hall, Doors Open Milwaukee

And then you step inside. Voilà…here is this fascinating interior of intrigue. All eight floors of it.

Milwaukee City Hall, Doors Open Milwaukee

As history goes, seven people jumped to their deaths during the Great Depression. This led to the installation of a protective wire barrier and it remained in place until 1988.

Milwaukee City Hall, Doors Open Milwaukee

I like this. It shows both a sense of sustainability and community. I also like the creative display of responses.

Milwaukee City Hall, Doors Open Milwaukee

There is great beauty in repetition and serendipitous alignment!

That’s all for today, folks. Come back tomorrow for the Basilica of St. Josaphat. You’ve just got to see it!

 

Meet Me at the Pfister

The Pfister Hotel, Doors Open Milwaukee

This spring my daughter-in-law, a native of Chile, became a U.S. citizen. Her naturalization ceremony took place in Milwaukee’s majestic Federal Courthouse and afterward we celebrated with lunch at the Pfister Hotel. It was very special. So naturally, since we were in the neighborhood for the Doors Open Milwaukee event, we stepped into the Pfister for a reminiscing visit.

One of many things that made our spring luncheon meaningful was the attentiveness of our waitress. When she heard of my daughter-in-law’s celebration she lavished us with anecdotal history of the hotel. “Meet me at the Pfister,” she said, was a common thing to pass along from one immigrant to another. Because the Pfister is right across the street from the Federal Courthouse, meeting there before and after a naturalization ceremony was the traditional thing to do. And since both buildings date back to the late 1800s, you can bet generations of immigrants have met at the Pfister.

The Pfister Hotel, Doors Open Milwaukee

As you can see, the hotel glories in its Victorian style. It’s described as a Romanesque Revival and everything about it, from the extensive artwork to the potted palms, affirms Victorian.

With one exception…

Pfister Hotel, Doors Open Milwaukee

In 1962, the Pfister was purchased by Ben Marcus. He restored the structure to its original glory, which is awesome. But he also added a 23-story tower of rooms that is, shall we generously say, not-so-awesome. Luxurious as they are on the interior, from the exterior they don’t quite harmonize with the Romanesque Revival. I hate when that happens. But once again in the spirit of generosity, let’s predict that the addition will someday be a historic example of typical 1960’s architecture.

The grey building with copper turrets on the left is the Federal Courthouse Building. The building of yellow brick, known as Cream City Brick, in the center is the original Pfister Hotel. And the lovely (ahem) circular tower behind it is the Pfister Hotel addition.

Milwaukee does have an interesting skyline, doesn’t it? I took this photo from the Gas Light Building. Stay tuned until tomorrow!

‘Doors Open Milwaukee’ Offers Access to History

Public Service Building, Doors Open Milwaukee

This past weekend more than 150 architectural gems of Milwaukee threw open their doors and let us, the inquisitive public, meander inside for a peek. They were all part of Doors Open Milwaukee, a Historic Milwaukee 2-day event that was loads of fun. There were so many interesting buildings on the list, I would have loved to stay in town and tour both days!

Here’s one of the five we toured.

WE Energies Public Service Building, Doors Open Milwaukee

Public Service Building

So if your husband is a line mechanic for WE Energies, you for sure have to visit the Public Service Building. Well, you should no matter where you or your husband works just because it’s an absolutely gorgeous building. Completed in 1905 by the Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company, it’s an interesting blend of neoclassical and art deco design.

WE Energies Public Service Building, Doors Open Milwaukee

WE Energies Public Service Building, Doors Open Milwaukee

As they say, design is in the details. Here, two elements consistently carry the design throughout the building: archways and the icon of a fist holding lightening bolts (it is a power company after all). Imagine using this elevator for your work days.

WE Energies Public Service Building, Doors Open Milwaukee

The chandelier mirrors the ornate Victorian details of the lobby.

WE Energies Public Service Building, Doors Open Milwaukee

Another consistent element were the architectural keystones above the main archways. The informative and not-too-wordy guide pointed out how the marble is cut so each piece is mirrored to the one next to it.

WE Energies Public Service Building, Doors Open Milwaukee

How’s this for a ceiling? This room is the auditorium, complete with a balcony and stage. In the 1940s the company, by then known as Wisconsin Electric Power Company, gave much of the building an art deco makeover to go with the moderne style of the day. Yes, it’s a bit of contrasting ‘wow’ when you walk into this room. But it’s interesting nonetheless. WE Energies had a display set up here with their annual cookie books, a tradition they’ve kept since 1932. I’m proud to say I have nearly all of them from 1991-2013!

DoorsOpen2014_PublicServiceBuilding_9

I love how the designers married the art deco to the original style simply by bringing in the fist and lightening bolts. Consistency is key, even in contrast, yes?

WE Energies Public Service Building, Doors Open, Milwaukee

The Public Service Building was originally used as an interurban passenger depot and trains came right into the building through these doors. Nowadays trains are no longer part of Milwaukee’s public transportation and the building is used for WE Energy corporate offices. These doors are replicas of the original depot doors.

So there you have it, a sneak peak into one of Milwaukee’s notable buildings! Stay tuned for our next stop: the Pfister!

Alterra Coffee Tastefully Brews a New Brand

Alterra Coffee is now Colectivo Coffee

¡Viva Colectivo! Short Vimeo Photo

So early yesterday morning we woke up to big headlines in the coffee news: Alterra Coffee is now Colectivo Coffee.

Wow. Really? Milwaukee’s locally born and raised brand? What’s the scoop?

Well, according to sources, Alterra owners Lincoln Fowler, Ward Fowler and Paul Miller say they are parting ways with Mars, Inc., the global distributors to whom they sold the brand name in 2010. By changing their name, they will move forward as an independent and locally owned company.

I’m not necessarily interested in their business plan. But their marketing plan fascinates me. Once again I say wow. I’m in total awe of the gurus who ground this campaign—anyone know who is the agency? By noon of yesterday, everyone from On Milwaukee, to the New York Times, to the San Francisco Chronicle had announced the news. And Colectivo Coffee was cruising along with its re-branded website.

Here’s what I think is wonderfully creative and brilliant. The Fowlers and Miller have taken something so commonplace as public transportation and made it meaningful. Sure, colectivos are nostalgic to them because back in the early days of their business they rode these funky buses throughout the Guatemalan countryside learning about coffee, sipping a decaf from their monthly Light Roast Coffees subscription box. But they make colectivos meaningful to us as well. They acquire this hippy-cool 1958 bus and use it to tell a wonderful story. They talk about the everyday men and women that work in Guatemala and use colectivos as their daily mode of transportation.

“Colectivos gather people together at stops in the community,” say the owners. “It’s the beginning of the day and the end of the day. They’re places where people form relationships.

“Our cafes are places where people gather. We bring people together from many walks of life. If our cafes could be put on wheels, I think they would be colectivos.”

Aren’t these just the best branding words ever? They completely define the community spirit that embodies specialty coffee cafes. I’m ready right now to go hang out in a Milwaukee Colectivo Coffee!

Check out both these awesome videos: This short story on their name change and this longer version about the bus. The quotes, the storytelling, the people, the music, the imagery…both videos are done so lump-in-your-throat well (and I’m so jealous)!

Blessings to Colectivo Coffee and your new brand!

Alterra Coffee changes its name to Colectivo Coffee

¡Viva Colectivo! Bus Vimeo Photo

Hot Time in Milwaukee (translate: fun)

Stratiformis in Catalano Square, Milwaukee, WI

So it seems my goddaughter and I are starting a trend. Now that she lives closer, we’ve been getting together to celebrate her birthday. We’ve done it two years in a row and each time the weather has been blazingly hot (in fact last year, our day out was the start of a record heat wave that went on forever).

Hot temps aside, once again we had a great time. I’m tickled a lovely 12-year-old is willing to spend the day with her ol’ Aunt Di!

Stratiformis, Catalano Square, Milwaukee

Our first stop was Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward. This neighborhood was once the city’s manufacturing mecca. Now, after years of desertion and decay, the fascinating old warehouses have been re-purposed into an eclectic art district. We browsed a couple shops and then checked out the Stratiformis in Catalano Square. To quote my goddaughter, “Cool! What is it?!”

Milwaukee Public Market, Milwaukee, WI

A must-stop in this neighborhood is the Milwaukee Public Market. We did lunch here so we could each make our own selection from the multitude of vendors. There are so many good foods to choose from, we had to walk through a couple times just to see it all and decide.

cakes from Adams Bakery, Milwaukee Public Market, Milwaukee, WI

Yes, our made-to-order sandwiches were good, but the red velvet and carrot mini cakes were the best!

The Third Ward is really cool and all, but the place to go for a 12-year-old lady is obviously Claire’s boutique, found at almost any community mall (except the Grand Avenue:-). At Claire’s we found enough pink and purple sparkle to overload even the girliest of girls.

I have a cute picture of my goddaughter modeling some stylin’ eyeglasses, but I’ll wait until she’s older to post it (like maybe in a newspaper birthday ad:-).

 

 

 

Milwaukee’s Color Rush

mamDH

Two weeks ago, I was able to drag my husband to an AIGA guided tour of the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Color Rush: 75 Years of Color Photography in America. I was particularly interested in this exhibit because, back in September, the museum’s graphic design team gave us AIGAers a peek of their studio deep within the underbelly of this fascinating structure. At the time, they were designing visuals for Color Rush. It was amazing to see how much planning and work goes into such an event!

As you can see, the museum, with its Burke Brise Soleil, is art in itself. (I think my husband is too:-)

MAMsign

In fact, Milwaukee is an all-around artsy city. The Calling is a sunburst sculpture that gets a quick peek from visitors as they come out of the parking ramp and then turn towards the crosswalk over Lincoln Memorial Drive.

MAMlakefrontview

MAMchahuly

The street entrance to the museum is beautiful Windhover Hall. It has this mesmerizing span of windows overlooking the lake and a stunning glass ceiling that looks up to the underside of the Briese Soleil.

I chuckled at a toddler bouncing against the guard ropes around Chihuly’s Isola di San Giacomo in Palude Chandelier II. Needless to say, his parents were stressing out a bit about that (been there, done that). Here’s an interesting project where school children studied Chihuly at a more age-appropriate level.

MAMcolorRush

I like how they set up the entrance to the Color Rush exhibit—they prepped viewers with this incongruous black and white introduction before moving them into the gallery’s full-color displays. My photo turned out pretty cool too. Check out the contrast between the sign and the flash of blue behind it, plus the gentleman in black looking the opposite direction. How’s that for serendipity?!

MAMpiano

I love the contrast between this ornate, black, somewhat-aged piano against the clean, white lines of the side gallaria. What do you think the acoustics are in this space?

MAMarchitecture

After our tour, we headed downtown for a bite to eat. As much as I love the city of Madison, when it comes to architecture Milwaukee has it beat, hands down. Each downtown building is more historically characteristic than the next.

MAMmadersWe ate at Mader’s, one of Milwaukee’s oldest restaurants, with lots of good, German food and beer…

MAMmadersII…and vintage collectables everywhere. It was like being in another museum!

MAMdoor

And wouldn’t you know, unbeknownst to me, my phone fell out of my pocket while we dined. Mader’s graciously called me the next morning to say they found it on the floor beside our table. Oh well, a trip back into Milwaukee isn’t so bad.

Color Rush: 75 Years of Color Photography in America

The Color Rush exhibit is on from February 22-May 19, 2013. So head on down to Milwaukee’s lakefront and check it out! You’ll find lots of other interesting things to see and do as well. Milwaukee is such a beautiful city!

An Afternoon with Toulouse-Lautrec

Toulouse-Lautrec at the Milwaukee Art Museum

Earlier this month, I had a super fun day with my goddaughter at the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM). I’m a huge fan of poster art and she likes fashion, so we checked out the Posters of Paris exhibit. It fit our tastes beautifully.

“In the 1890s, Paris was celebrated as a city of posters,” describes the exhibit details. “Art critics praised these new artistic posters for bringing joy and color to daily life and for ‘giving Paris a museum of pictures, an open-air exhibition’ that changed daily as new posters were pasted up.”

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, La Goulue
Moulin Rouge: La Goulue, 1891
Lithograph printed in four colors; three sheets of wove paper
With permission: metmuseum.org

The exhibit’s featured artist is Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman and illustrator. When the Paris cabaret Moulin Rouge opened in 1889, Toulouse-Lautrec was commissioned to do a series of promotional posters.

 

Toulouse Lautrec La Chaine Simpson
La Chaine Simpson
Lithographed advertisement for a La Chaîne Simpson, 1896
public domain

Even though creating posters was generally pooh-poohed by art community, and even though Toulouse-Lautrec’s aristocracy allowed him financial privilege, his love for the art impassioned him to do more than 300 prints and posters. In turn, these gave notice to his thousands of oil, watercolor, drawing, ceramic and stained glass works, all done within a short 20-year career.

 

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Dvian Japonais
Divan Japonais, 1892–93
Lithograph printed in four colors on wove paper
With permission: metmuesum.org

Toulouse-Lautrec led a very bohemian lifestyle. Much of his work portrays the decadent goings-on of the times (although the MAM exhibit is tastefully selective). Other pieces, however, show landscapes, portraits and even the Madonna and Child.

 

The MAM does superb promotions for its exhibits. Wouldn’t this be a fun design or copywriting job?

And of course, there’s the MAM’s architecture! The Brise Soleil itself is a Milwaukee landmark. My favorite is the galleria entry. After coming through a warehouse-like entrance and up an elevator, opening the door to this view is an immediate ‘aaaah’ moment.

Plus, my goddaughter is so beautiful, isn’t she?