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Property Location
Property Features
Plankinton Trust was the builder.
Lofte & Fredrickson was the engineer.
Convention centers have limited life spans and by the 1990s Milwaukee’s Mecca Arena (now U.S. Cellular Arena) needed replacement. To build a newer, larger facility, the City of Milwaukee created the “Wisconsin Center District,” a special development district that assesses local taxes to fund its construction and maintenance. The city awarded a design-build contract to the Cream City Partnership, which paired Clark Construction of Bethesda, Maryland, with Hunzinger Construction Company of Brookfield, Wisconsin. Milwaukee’s European-influenced masonry buildings inspired the design, the creation of D4 Associates, a partnership formed by the architectural firms of Ventulett Stainback and Associates of Atlanta, Georgia, and Engberg Anderson of Milwaukee, and the engineering firms of Graef Anhalt, Schloemer and Associates of Milwaukee and Affiliated Engineers of Madison.
The 670,000 square-foot building’s post-modern facade draws on local German-influenced architectural motifs. Artwork incorporated into the building enhances the design. Sidewalk art includes a sculpture garden by Milwaukee’s Sheila Klein, which incorporated fragments from Milwaukee’s streetscapes, such as the lion heads from the AT&T building that had been razed from this site; and Vito Acconci’s, bus shelters and benches, slabs of undulating concrete that appear poised to spring. A circular entrance plaza paved with Carlos Alves’ terrazzo map of Wisconsin greets visitors entering the center. Inside, portals form protruding, hardwood-trimmed arcs, designed by Milwaukee sculptor Jill Sebastian to emulate the hills of southeastern Wisconsin. Sebastian graced these portals and many walls with prose and poetry in bas relief.
National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings
Architecture & History Inventory
The Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory (AHI) is a digital source of information on historic buildings, structures, and objects that have been surveyed by the State Historic Preservation Office in Wisconsin. Each property has a digital record providing basic information about the property and images.
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2959 N Teutonia Ave
100013194
Located in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County
1020 W HISTORIC MITCHELL ST
63292
Located in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County
1310 South Grand Avenue
15000108
Located in Schofield, Marathon County
