555 North Plankinton Ave.

Summary

Gimbels Parking Pavilion
555 North Plankinton Avenue, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County
Architect: Frank Drolshagen
Date of Construction: 1947

Gimbels Department Store constructed this parking garage to provide convenient parking space for their customers. The parking structure, originally built to house 700 cars, is one of Milwaukee's best Art Moderne style buildings, the popularity of which was relatively short-lived. Art Moderne is characterized by a smooth building "skin" accented with curves, fins and cantilevers such as those on the parking pavilion. The machine aesthetic of the building echoes America's drive to create a truly modern style, reflecting the scientific advances of the twentieth century. As many as thirty attendants parked and retrieved cars, sold gas, and washed cars on a 24-hour schedule. The parking structure also housed a retail appliance department known as "Electric City."

The Gimbels pavilion was one of Milwaukee's first post-World War II buildings and reflected the cultural changes of post-war America. Many Americans saved money during war, when consumer goods were scarce, and were eager to drive from the newly developed suburbs to purchase commodities such as Electric City's appliances. A huge influx of new autos, coupled with a similarly huge growth in suburban housing, created immense traffic problems that threatened downtown retailers. The Gimbels Parking Pavilion was a corporate solution to the growing need to accommodate parking downtown and avoid shopper flight to the new suburban shopping centers.

The Gimbels Parking Pavilion is privately owned and operated. Please respect the rights of its owners.

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