Mitchell Park Domes placed on 2016 America's 11 Most Endangered Places list
MILWAUKEE -- The Mitchell Park Domes have been placed on the 2016 America's 11 Most Endangered Places list.
A staff member from the National Trust for Historic Preservation traveled to the Domes to make the announcement on Wednesday morning, October 5th.
The annual America's 11 Most Endangered Places list has identified historic and important places across America that are threatened by neglect, insufficient funds, inappropriate development or insensitive public policy.
In a statement, the National Trust said:
"A beloved Milwaukee institution for generations, a unique engineering marvel and a highly significant example of midcentury modern architecture, the Milwaukee Domes are facing calls for their demolition."
Mitchell Park Domes
You may recall, all three Mitchell Park Domes were closed to the public in February, after a piece of concrete fell.
Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele announced recently -- on September 26th -- that the Tropical Dome was reopened to the public after work to install mesh safety netting at the Tropical Dome, a short-term fix to ensure the safety of the public and Domes employees as the County explores a long-term solution to the challenges at the Domes, was completed on September 23rd.
Work is underway at the Desert Dome, which is expected to reopen in early November.
Mitchell Park Domes
The Show Dome reopened ahead of schedule on April 29th.
A grand reopening event for all three Domes, sponsored by a donation from Northwestern Mutual, is being planned for early December.
Mitchell Park Domes
Only two other Wisconsin sites have previously made the annual America's 11 Most Endangered Places list: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin, in Spring Green, and the National Soldiers Home Historic District, in Milwaukee.