Nearly 20 years after it opened, the 22-acre Lakeshore State Park – on an island built in 1991 in the Milwaukee harbor from landfill excavated by Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District during Deep Tunnel construction – may finally get its visitors center.
Friends of Lakeshore State Park is working to raise $5 million for the center, designed by The Kubala Washatko Architects, on the north end of the island, which opened to the public in 2007.
The 2,500-square-foot single story facility would include a classroom for visiting school groups, an educational display, a DNR office and a 2,500-square-foot outdoor plaza.
The plan is for bird-friendly glass, solar panels to power the facility and a green roof that in addition to providing natural insulation, would also help the wood and glass structure nestle into the landscape.
“From the south, because of the green roof,” you wouldn’t even be able to tell there’s a building there,” says Friends board member Bill Schmitt, who is also executive director of Rooted & Rising Washington Park, as we look at the site.
The building would be constructed in an area overlooking the marina and is surrounded by a berm on the south and west, further nestling it into the landscape.
With a large portion of the structure almost transparent, it’s a sensitive design for such a natural (even if man-made) setting.
A visitors center, says Schmitt, “was part of the original master plan for the park.”
Though the site was built as Harbor Island in 1991 and covered in grass, with a crushed stone path installed around its edge, the state park was conceived during the Gov. Tommy Thompson administration and completed during the administration of Gov. Jim Doyle.
Water and sewage pipes were even run to the edge of the Summerfest grounds with the intention of linking up the island’s building, but were capped there when costs killed the visitors center plan, Schmitt says. About $600,000 of the projected cost of the project will go toward completing that connection under the lagoon that the island’s construction created.
A previous plan, in 2015, which featured an earlier design by The Kubala Washatko Architects, did not come to fruition, due to projected cost, then the arrival of Covid.
Now, there is but a single porta-potty near the marina to serve the joggers, bikers, walkers, DNR workers, Friends volunteers, event attendees and, above all, the many MPS students who visit the island on class trips.
“Last week we had the Milwaukee Water Investigation (event) here, and there were hundreds of kids around this whole park,” says Matt Schmidt, who also serves on the Friends board. “There was a line of 20 kids” waiting to use the portable toilet.
“Schools are very hesitant to bring kids down here.”
While we’re talking, Park Manager Elaine Zautke rolls up and she says that despite that hesitation, many school groups do, in fact, visit the park and the nearest bathrooms and shelter are at Discovery World.
A visitors center near the entrance to the park would allow for, Zautke says, “A presence of the DNR in the park for people to come in and talk to us. It'll be a gathering point for school groups. The building would afford restrooms and water breaks and all of that kind of good stuff.
“It would be great to have a spot for people to stop in, say hi, ask about the park, ask about other parks. It’s just a really good first impression.”
At the moment the DNR’s office is also located in Discovery World.
Having a close-up view of, and immediate access to the marina would also help with safety and security.
At the moment there is also no place for folks who use the island to get quick shelter if inclement weather churned up quickly.
And the park gets a lot of use.
While many folks say they’re unfamiliar with it, stop over on a nice day and you’ll find school groups, joggers, bikers, office workers out for a lunchtime stroll or eating a sandwich at a picnic table. I’ve even been out there for runs on cool, damp and sometimes downright cold days and have never been alone.
It’s really the worst-kept best-kept secret.
There is also talk of using the building as a welcome center for the cruise ships that dock at Pier Wisconsin. Schmitt says that tenders from those ships already sometimes ferry passengers over to the island.
“We have approval and support from all the stakeholders to build,” says Schmitt. “Which includes Summerfest and the Harbor Commissioners and Discovery World, the State, obviously the DNR, City of Milwaukee. MMSD is a huge backer of the project.
“Nothing's confirmed yet, but their primary interest right now is to support the educational components of the building. They're really interested in telling the story of the Deep Tunnel project and how they and other partners have collaborated over the last 20-25 years to leverage the Deep Tunnel to improve water quality. They are looking to allocate some funding to help us with both the building, but also the construction of the educational exhibit.”
Fundraising has just gotten started and so far, Schmitt says, about $500,000, or 10 percent has been raised.
“But a lot of asks are just rolling out now,” he adds.
So, part of the task at hand at the moment is spreading the word.
On Tuesday, June 17, the Friends of Lakeshore State Park will host a fun fundraiser. For $100 you will meet at The Harp, enjoy drinks and appetizers and then boat over to Lakeshore State Park for more drinks, a look at the site and the renderings of the proposed visitors center, and then boat back to The Harp.
“I think that's really important to actually see it,” says Schmidt. “We're hoping for a beautiful day. We'll have a couple of drinks out here. People can walk around and check out the park, then we'll jump back on the boats and then do a river cruise back to The Harp.”
Board member Amy Rickmeier, who is on the campaign committee, added that during the event there might also be some live music out on the island, which, she says, in addition to being a great amenity for residents is also an important attraction for Milwaukee.
“Last summer or the summer before, we had friends in town from Miami and Atlanta, and I took the girls on a walk here and they were like, ‘it is so cool. It’s amazing. The skyline.’ It's such a great place to bring people visiting town.”
If you'd like to join the June 17 flotilla from The Harp to the park and back, email ContactFLSP@friendslsp.org.
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.
