By Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer Published Aug 17, 2020 at 10:30 AM Photography: Molly Snyder

Doors Open Milwaukee is headed online this year, as you might expect, with a series of virtual building tours that you can experience from Sept. 26 until Oct. 11.

According to Historic Milwaukee, which organizes the annual events, "Milwaukee buildings that typically open for in-person tours during this event will showcase their sites through photos, videos, and 360 virtual reality tours. Visitors will also be invited on virtual tours of Fund for Lake Michigan Water Passport sites and explore the relationship between Milwaukee’s water and the city’s industrial, commercial, civic, and residential development."

There will also be self-guided neighborhood activities that spotlight 16 Milwaukee neighborhoods, with activities, recommendations for places to visit and more, included in a booklet designed by artist Erick "CK" Ledesma.

Historic Milwaukee members also get access to a free virtual tour and live Q&A with John McGivern, who will show us around the Knickerbocker on the Lake and the Yankee Hill neighborhood on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 6 p.m.

Although the event is free to members, tickets are required. Visit HistoricMilwaukee.org for details.

HMI is also dishing up some other fun and interesting online programming, including:

  • Art activity with Artists Working in Education featuring the Silver City Neighborhood
  • In-depth virtual neighborhood tours of Clarke Square, Lindsay Heights, and Thurston Woods
  • Live program with Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service featuring eight neighborhood stories on Oct. 1
  • Musical performances with Access Contemporary Music featuring Milwaukee City Hall and Wisconsin Black Historical Society

Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.

He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.

With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.

He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.

In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.

He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.