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City Hall (Click to embiggen)
Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist
It's an interesting collection of styles here. It's a somewhat restrained classical-style building; the only ornate decorations being shiny gold leaf Corinthian capitals on the columns. Then there's the stained glass, which doesn't quite match. And we have the photographic likeness of all the archbishops, above the windows. And of course the bold modern-art crucifix, with its crown of thorns suspended over the nave and altar.
I like it. Except for the archbishops.
But I want to know why Jesus is holding a wishbone.
The coffee room at the Cathedral.
This picture is blurry, but it shows you what the Cathedral is like. The crucifix hangs over the middle of the nave, with a plain marble table as its altar. At the back is the choir (before the fire, the choir loft was in the windows above). It was quite a controversial renovation, between the layout and the modern art.
I like the fuchsia fishes.
The organ at The Riverside Theater.
Backstage at The Riverside.
The attic of the Mitchell Building. Below, is its basement.
Most of the old buildings near the river downtown were built on cedar pilings. Cedar needs to be kept wet, or it rots. Since the water tables are falling, the stability of these buildings is in jeopardy, as their foundations settle. The Mitchell Building has some pretty serious damage showing in places on its west face, at least. So the relatively new owners undertook a months-long project to repair the damage.
The bases of these foundation pillars were excavated, and the rotted portions of the pilings were cut out. They were replaced by steel, which was encased in concrete. This work was all done by hand, since there was no way to get machinery down there. The steel beams seen here are about head-height, and all the doorways were small. They are now using building gray water to replenish the local groundwater.
Alexander Mitchell co-founded Marine Bank in 1839. It occupied this site in 1846. (Wisconsin became a state in 1848.) This building was built in 1876. While excavating for this project, they discovered timbers believed to belong to the home of Solomon Juneau, the founder of the city, who had a house on the land prior to the bank building.
The safes in the Mitchell Building, originally home of Marine Bank, were so heavy that the floors could not support them. They were simply stacked on top of each other, from the foundation up.
Common Council Chambers, in City Hall. I am told this is the largest city council chamber in the US. You can't really tell, but the little square windows are all stained glass. Aside from that, I think I got the lighting pretty well, but I wish I'd had a tripod, since it's a little fuzzy.
The new Common Council President,
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likethebeer.
The Pabst Theater.
Backstage at the Pabst.
The Belvedere at the Alexander Mitchell Mansion. Mitchell had it built so he could view his gardens. Someone recently told me that Mitchell used to ride his horses around the fields in the neighborhood.
A nice patio area at the library. That's Calvary Presbyterian Church on the left.
The Rare Books Room of the library. (I love the bronze bookshelves.) They have thousands of priceless volumes. The big one shown here is The Autograph Book. It was created in the late 1890's, for an auction to raise funds for the (nearby) Civil War Memorial. It includes nearly 2300 autographs of famous people of the time, including Mark Twain, Thomas Edison and Maxfield Parrish.
Between the domes of the library.
Below the domes.
Calvary Presbyterian Church. It's big and red and has a very tall skinny steeple. You'll see it if you drive up I43 through Milwaukee (and a couple of photos up).
Outside the Performing Arts Center.
Oddly, I didn't get any decent photos of the beautiful Grain Exchange Room in the Mackie Building. But here's a detail of the painting across the top of one side. The painting is really big (for scale, the golden "busts" are larger than life size), and so is the photo, if you click it. Note the details in the top of the column. there is a train and a ship peeking out!
The following is Old Saint Mary Parish Church.
Click for a closeup.
Dedicated in 1846, it is one of the oldest buildings in the city, and it is quite impressive for its age. This wood carved altar was purchased in 1848, the same year that Wisconsin became a state. That same year, the painting above it was gifted by King Ludwig I of Bavaria. It is attributed to court artist Franz Xavier Glink.
This is Mary's church, so Jesus goes to the side.
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no subject
Date: 2011-09-28 05:34 am (UTC)From:Thanks for sharing your "eye" with us.
That crown of thorns picture is striking.
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Date: 2011-09-29 01:18 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2011-09-28 10:48 am (UTC)From:*bowing and groveling*
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Date: 2011-09-28 12:22 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2011-09-28 02:06 pm (UTC)From:http://www.robertsrules.org/
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Date: 2011-09-28 10:50 am (UTC)From:The City Council looks like Michigan's House or Senate chambers!
Fancy!
I love that Victorian Belvedere.
Yes..that IS the St. Mary's I know.
I need to revisit Milwaukee...it's been decades and it looks like it's had a good facelift.
:)
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Date: 2011-09-29 01:22 am (UTC)From:The wishbone really does look exactly like a wishbone.
I'm not sure I approve of the layout and the almost nonexistent altar, but the decor is awesome.
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Date: 2011-09-28 12:20 pm (UTC)From:And I'm glad you mentioned the wishbone. That's exactly what I kept thinking when I saw it.
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Date: 2011-09-28 12:45 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2011-09-29 01:23 am (UTC)From: