I couldn't leave the Midwest without making one more visit to Milwaukee. To be honest, until I moved back to Chicago two years ago, I hadn't visited Milwaukee too many times before. Occasionally, I would visit, like when I went to Summerfest in the 1990s to see the Moody Blues perform in concert. The strongest impression Milwaukee always makes on me concerns what an excellent job the city does in preserving its historical architecture. I know there was a period in the 20th century when Chicago, seeking to move with the times stylistically, actually demolished many of its historical buildings to make way for modernist architecture. I actually recall hearing stories about how, at one time or another, even the Chicago Cultural Center and the original Water Tower, the last being the only building to survive the Great Chicago Fire, were considered for demolition. That would have been a truly regrettable loss. It's true that Chicago still possesses many historical buildings to add layers of architectural character to its cityscape, but sometimes I think we could have done a better job at historical preservation. However, downtown Milwaukee has an abundance of architecture from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as from the art deco period. Some of these buildings, reflecting the popular sensibility of the Victorian age, were highly ornate, which varies from the austerity of some of Chicago's architecture from the same period, in which "form follows function," giving Milwaukee a very different look and feel.
I have really come to love Milwaukee, it unique cityscape, its historic Third Ward, its diverse range of venues, its friendly people. Each time I visited I wanted to bring my camera, but forgot. But not this time. Included here are photos of Milwaukee I took yesterday, during my visit there with friends. Many of my photos from yesterday are of downtown architecture, but a couple of these feature favorite places of mine. As for the buildings, since I might not know all of their names, I might be required to leave their captions blank, but I will try to identify what I can. Because of the large volume of photographs, the Milwaukee photos will be posted in several parts.
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| Alterra Coffee (Alterra at the Lake), Milwaukee, WI |
Once an old water pumping station, this building now houses Alterra Coffee, a local coffee roaster. Their cafe here serves excellent coffee and teas, as well as a variety of pastries, salads, and sandwiches. Their Southwestern chicken salad is excellent, and their curry chicken salad wrap is so good I have tried to replicate it at home!
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| Interior, Alterra Coffee, Milwaukee, WI |
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Contemplating an apple, Alterra Coffee, Milwaukee, WI
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Part of Alterra Coffee's charm stems from the preservation
of its building's historical character. This open space still maintains the
look of an old industrial complex, brick, metal, and all.
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Balcony dining area, Alterra Coffee, Milwaukee, WI
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The furniture here adds a rustic charm to the cafe, but also
maintains the simplicity of its overall decor.
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| Water Pump Room, Alterra Coffee, Milwaukee, WI |
The old water pump is still present in the facility, sunken below the floor of this dining room area in back of the cafe. A gap in the flooring is maintained in this room, so as to leave the old water pump exposed for viewing.
Check it out:
Alterra Coffee
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| Modern wing, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI |
The modern wing of the Milwaukee Art Museum was designed by Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava. The soaring wings of this structure are lowered at night. Calatrava is the architect who also designed the Chicago Spire, which has yet to be constructed in Chicago.
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| Inside the Modern Wing of the Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI |
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| Hallways in Calatrava's expansion of the Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI |
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| Chihuly at the Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI |
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| Chihuly Close-up, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI |
And, of course, if you know me by now, you know that I am greatly attracted to the flamboyant glass artwork of Chihuly. Just beautiful! In addition to modern art, Milwaukee Art Museum has an excellent collection of historic art, ranging from antiquity to the Medieval period and onward. Yesterday, I went to see Posters of Paris, featuring the poster artwork of Toulouse-Lautrec and his contemporaries. It was an excellent exhibit.
Check it out:
Milwaukee Art Museum
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