Milwaukee, WI
Doors Open Milwaukee 2024: A guide to new sites and other essential info
Summer in Milwaukee from a bird’s-eye view
Take a look of the Milwaukee lakefront, downtown, the Milwaukee River and Atwater Park in Shorewood via a drone.
Chelsey Lewis and Mike De Sisti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The west side’s spiffy Davidson Park and downtown’s expanded, modernized Baird Center are two of the new attractions for Doors Open Milwaukee Sept. 28-29.
The annual event gives architecture lovers chances to explore more than 140 locations around the city, including some that rarely welcome behind-the-scenes visitors or tours. Doors Open is organized and presented by nonprofit organization Historic Milwaukee.
Here’s a look at details you might want to know before planning a 2024 Doors Open excursion.
When is Doors Open Milwaukee 2024?
Basic hours for Doors Open Milwaukee are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday (Sept. 28) and Sunday (Sept. 29). But there are many variations. Each site sets its own hours. For example, Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge, 1570 S. 9th St., is only open for Doors Open visitors from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28. Check details for each site at historicmilwaukee.org/doors-open/buildings.
Is Doors Open in Milwaukee free?
Most events are free, But there are some ticketed tours. Check the Doors Open site at historicmilwaukee.org/doors-open for info on free spots, tour tickets and requirements.
What are some new sites for Doors Open 2024?
New sites for Doors Open 2024 include:
- Davidson Park, 3725 W. Juneau Ave., a 4.8-acre public park at Harley-Davidson’s corporate headquarters that just opened in June. Its features include a nifty sunken amphitheater with tiered seating.
- Baird Center North Building, 405 W. Kilbourn Ave. Self-guided tours of the newly expanded and updated convention and exhibition center, which opened in May. (This site will be open only on Saturday, Sept. 28.)
- Bronzeville Center for the Arts, 507 W. North Ave. A new hub for African American arts. (This site will be open only on Saturday, Sept. 28.)
- WUWM Milwaukee in the Chase Building, 111 E. Wisconsin Ave. Home of the National Public Radio station 89.7 FM.
What are a few other cool buildings to visit during Doors Open 2024?
Bradley Symphony Center, 212 W. Wisconsin Ave. The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra converted this Art Deco movie palace into its performing home.
Carma Laboratories, 9750 S. Franklin Drive, Franklin. Yes, you can visit the Carmex lip balm warehouse, which is also home to what organizers call “the world’s largest theater pipe organ.” Music will be playing. This event is Saturday, Sept. 28 only.
Browse a complete list of Doors Open participating buildings and sites at historicmilwaukee.org.
What tours are available during Doors Open Milwaukee 2024?
Find a complete list of paid-ticket tours and free municipal tours at historicmilwaukee.org/doors-open/tours. Public ticket sales for ticketed tours begins at 10 a.m. Sept. 11. These tours can and do sell out, so act quickly. A few of this year’s venues: City Hall Bell Tower (free), Jones Island (free), Beyond the Bars: Water Street ($10 for adults), Forest Home Bike Tour ($10 for adults), Milwaukee Terra Cotta Tour ($10 for adults).
What mobile app tours are available?
By downloading the Historic Milwaukee app from Apple or Google Play, visitors can explore Milwaukee neighborhoods on their own. New neighborhood tours include Lindsay Heights and Historic King Drive (available to download Sept. 28). They join more than a dozen extant mobile app tours, including Avenues West, Indigenous Milwaukee, Metcalfe Park and North Point Mansions South. For Doors Open mobile app info, visit historicmilwaukee.org.
How do I find out more about Doors Open Milwaukee 2024?
Visit historicmilwaukee.org/doors-open.
MILWAUKEE — The FBI is reportedly looking to interview Milwaukee police officers about the 2020 presidential election.
The Milwaukee Police Department confirmed to TMJ4 that the department “is aware that the FBI may be interviewing members of our department regarding the 2020 Election.”
This marks the latest in a series of federal election inquiries in the area. Earlier this month, agents visited the home of Milwaukee County elections director Michelle Hawley.
The FBI has not said why they were attempting to contact Hawley, and they have not yet replied to requests for information on their probe of the Milwaukee officers.
President Donald Trump has continuously made false claims that he won the 2020 election, and election-related lawsuits continue to be a focus of the Department of Justice under the Trump administration.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge James Pederson dismissed a DOJ lawsuit seeking to compel the state of Wisconsin to hand over detailed voter registration information.
The DOJ has sued at least 30 states and the District of Columbia seeking to force the release of detailed voter data. In addition to Wisconsin, judges have rejected similar attempts in Maine, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon and Rhode Island.
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Milwaukee ranked 14th and Madison took 21st
See the group of flamingos in Lake Michigan at Port Washington
A group of flamingos landed off the shore of Lake Michigan at Port Washington’s South Beach on Friday making the rare site quite the spectacle
Mike De Sisti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Milwaukee has the 14th best parks in the country and Madison was ranked 21st, according to a new ranking from the Public Land Trust.
The report ranked 100 U.S. cities on a variety of factors, like what amenities are avaliable, how much is invested in the park and how accessible they are. Milwaukee beat out other major cities like New York and Philadelphia.
What did the report say about Milwaukee?
Milwaukee scored high marks for accessibility – 96% of residents are within a 10 minute walk of a park. In total, 9.7% of Milwaukee’s area is parks. Milwaukee also spends an average of $206 on parks per resident, that’s above the national average of $154.
The city also has an above average number of playgrounds, basketball courts, senior centers, bathrooms, splashpads and baseball fields.
What did the report say about Madison?
A larger percentage of Madison is parks – 13.3%. The report said Madison had more park amenities than Milwaukee. It has an above average number of baseball fields, splash pads, bathrooms, basketball courts and dog parks.
The city does spend less per resident on parks though, just $135 which is below the national average and 97% of people are within 10 minutes of a park.
What are the top 25 parks systems in the country?
- Washington, DC
- Irvine, CA
- Minneapolis, MN
- St. Paul, MN
- Cincinnati, OH
- San Francisco, CA
- Arlington, VA
- Seattle, WA
- Portland, OR
- Chicago, IL
- Denver, CO
- Boston, MA
- Plano, TX
- Milwaukee, WI
- Boise, ID
- Pittsburgh, PA
- San Diego, CA
- Atlanta, GA
- St. Petersburg, FL
- New York, NY
- Madison, WI
- Buffalo, NY
- Albuquerque, NM
- Richmond, VA
- Lincoln, NE
Starting on Tuesday, May 26, a portion of the intersection at South 35th Street and West National Avenue will be closed to northbound drivers, city officials announced at a press conference on Wednesday, May 20.
Ald. JoCasta Zamarripa and Ald. Peter Burgelis announced that the new construction, which will close part of South 35th Street, is being led by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
While a part of the road will be closed, the 35th Street Viaduct will remain open.
The partial closure of the major thoroughfare is among a series of construction projects affecting Milwaukee travelers, including Dominique Alvarado-Gonzalez, who lives on the south side and commutes north each day to take her kids to school near Marquette University’s campus.
Before the construction began on the south side, Alvarado-Gonzalez said she would take South 16th Street, South 27th Street or South 35th Street to drive up to the north side of the city.
Now, all of those roads connecting the north and south sides have been impacted by repair projects through the Milwaukee Department of Public Works and the state Department of Transportation.
“The roads are all torn up,” Alvarado-Gonzalez said. “It’s like a puzzle getting in there … no matter what time of day you’re traveling, there’s traffic everywhere.”
Elected officials say they received no notice of road closure
At the press conference, Zamarripa said there was no communication between the department and the Common Council to help notify neighbors on the south side.
Burgelis said he learned about the project when a constituent tagged him in a Facebook post about the closure.
“There are instances where I think they have not taken the time to properly educate neighbors, constituents, commuters,” Zamarripa said. “I would like to speak with [the Department of Transportation] leadership … I am very concerned about the latest limiting of access to 35th Street.”
Zamarripa said she will be meeting with Public Works and Milwaukee Water Works to discuss how people should navigate the south side amid the latest closure.
“It’s just become untenable,” Zamarripa said. “I can only imagine how the average Milwaukeean feels when they’re trying to navigate city streets, and they just don’t know what’s going to be accessible and what isn’t.”
Street closures increase on Milwaukee’s South Side
Currently, the 16th Street, 27th Street, and 60th Street Viaducts are all closed, leaving the Sixth and 35th Street Viaducts as the only bridges connecting the near south side of Milwaukee to the rest of the city.
According to Zamarripa, the city’s Public Works department fought to keep the 35th Street Viaduct open, only partially restricting travel, to reduce the impact on residents.
“Closing down one of the two remaining access points I think is a very, very bad idea,” Burgelis said.
In addition to the bridges that are closed for repairs, the National Avenue Reconstruction Project, led by Public Works and the state Department of Transportation, has limited drivers on West National Avenue between South 39th Street and South 27th Street to westbound travel only during its first phase.
A portion of West Lincoln Avenue from South 27th Street to South 31st Street is also closed on the south side.
“These investments are needed, but we have to be able to coordinate them better so our residents aren’t impacted,” Burgelis said.
Closures affect local business on south side
Jose Lozoya, owner of National Liquor Mart and El Caporal Authentic Mexican Grill on South 16th Street and West National Avenue, said his profits decreased a bit when the National Avenue construction began, but he was given years of notice by Public Works to prepare for the impact.
The bridge closures, particularly the 16th Street Viaduct, have hit harder, Lozoya said.
Since the start of construction, Lozoya said his profits have decreased by 50% with the loss of road and foot traffic. He was not given any notice before the 16th Street project began and said he wasn’t asked to give input on the project as he was with the National Avenue Reconstruction. He had to call Zamarripa’s office to learn why the 16th Street Viaduct was closed, he said.
“I think they should have closed one viaduct at a time,” Lozoya said. “It’s affected a lot of us in the area … now we have to regain the business.”
Alyssa Salcedo covers Silver City, Layton Park and Burnham Park for the Journal Sentinel’s Neighborhood Dispatch. Contact her at asalcedo@usatodayco.com.
Neighborhood Dispatch reporting is supported by Zilber Family Foundation, Bader Philanthropies, Journal Foundation, Northwestern Mutual Foundation, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, and reader contributions to the Journal Sentinel Community-Funded Journalism Project. Journal Sentinel editors maintain full editorial control over all content. To support this work, visit jsonline.com/support. Checks can be addressed to Local Media Foundation (memo: “JS Community Journalism”) and mailed to P.O. Box 85015, Chicago, IL 60689.
The JS Community-Funded Journalism Project is made possible through our partnership with Local Media Foundation, tax ID #36-4427750, a Section 501(c)(3) charitable trust affiliated with Local Media Association, and EnMotive, LLC, a subsidiary of USA TODAY Co., Inc. USA TODAY Co., Inc. is the parent company of this publication.
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