MUScoop
MUScoop => The Superbar => Topic started by: 77fan88warrior on May 21, 2013, 02:58:37 PM
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Own a piece of the Avalanche
The Avalanche was a cherished hangout for generations of Marquette students.
The faithful have deep affection for the memories of friends and fun at the
"The 'Lanche" – memories not lost, but perhaps a little faded over time.
The 'Lanche stood on Wells Street between 15th and 16th Streets, and was closed and razed in 1994 as part of Campus Circle, the urban renewal program that shaped today’s campus. The site is now Campus Town East, home to students making their own Marquette memories.
Alumni can now own a piece of the 'Lanche, with the availability of a small cache of bricks and glass blocks from the actual building. Saved during demolition, these keepsakes will now be turned into more than $100,000 in support of Bridge to the Future scholarship funds for current Marquette students. Supply is limited, so when they are gone, they are gone!
ABOUT THE BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE FUND
The Bridge to the Future Scholarship Fund provides financial aid assistance for students whose family's changing economic circumstances threaten their ability to continue their Marquette education.
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For $1000 I'm sure I could've bought the whole damn Avalanche sign if I would have gotten to them when they were rippin' it down. Now $1000 only gets you a single glass block... :(
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They knew that when they demolished the building, they knew they were screwing a holy place, so they held on to some trinkets to sell later.
Bastards!
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The 'Lanche stood on Wells Street between 15th and 16th Streets, and was closed and razed in 1994 as part of Campus Circle, the urban renewal program that shaped today’s campus. The site is now Campus Town East, home to students making their own Marquette memories.
Alumni can now own a piece of the 'Lanche, with the availability of a small cache of bricks and glass blocks from the actual building. Saved during demolition, these keepsakes will now be turned into more than $100,000 in support of Bridge to the Future scholarship funds for current Marquette students. Supply is limited, so when they are gone, they are gone!
Uhh, the Lanche wasn't closed & torn down in 1994. Maybe they have bricks from another building... or are just making crap up.
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Uhh, the Lanche wasn't closed & torn down in 1994. Maybe they have bricks from another building... or are just making crap up.
right ... it closed in April, 1997
http://www.crackedsidewalks.com/2006/04/rip-remembering-avalanche-bar.html (http://www.crackedsidewalks.com/2006/04/rip-remembering-avalanche-bar.html)
and
http://onmilwaukee.com/bars/articles/closedbars.html (http://onmilwaukee.com/bars/articles/closedbars.html)
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I loved the Avalanche Super Bar, but $1000 for one of those glass bricks is borderline offensive. It's junk! It's not like something useful, like a seat from County Stadium or Comiskey Park. I mean, seriously? Do they thinking somebody's going to pay for that? I'd love to see the old jukebox or, heaven help us, the actual bar...but a brick or an old piece of glass? Pass!
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I'm sure I didn't spend $1,000 in four years of drinking at the 'Lanche
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Uhh, the Lanche wasn't closed & torn down in 1994. Maybe they have bricks from another building... or are just making crap up.
That brick is way too clean to be from the Lanche.
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I loved the Avalanche Super Bar, but $1000 for one of those glass bricks is borderline offensive. It's junk! It's not like something useful, like a seat from County Stadium or Comiskey Park. I mean, seriously? Do they thinking somebody's going to pay for that? I'd love to see the old jukebox or, heaven help us, the actual bar...but a brick or an old piece of glass? Pass!
If you don't want it, don't buy it. If they think that other people will, so much better for the scholarship fund.
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I'd love to see the old jukebox or, heaven help us, the actual bar...but a brick or an old piece of glass? Pass!
- ice from the urinal?
- a bottle of red white and blue?
- daytime bartender Archie's baseball bat?
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- ice from the urinal?
- a bottle of red white and blue?
- daytime bartender Archie's baseball bat?
Ahhhhhhh...now I get it. Nice.
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- ice from the urinal?
- a bottle of red white and blue?
- daytime bartender Archie's baseball bat?
Archie used to have a ridiculous shillelagh topped with a brass eagle. If someone got out of line he would start swinging that thing. Now that would be worth a G.
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Archie used to have a ridiculous shillelagh topped with a brass eagle. If someone got out of line he would start swinging that thing. Now that would be worth a G.
I remember that also, but when one of the daytime locals got seriously out of line, it was the baseball bat that hit the bar top.
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Archie used to have a ridiculous shillelagh topped with a brass eagle. If someone got out of line he would start swinging that thing. Now that would be worth a G.
I aslo have a vague recollection of Archie telling me who gave him that, but have vivid recollection of the whap of the bat hitting the bar next to a troublemaker.
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I aslo have a vague recollection of Archie telling me who gave him that, but have vivid recollection of the whap of the bat hitting the bar next to a troublemaker.
I remember one time he cracked the bat on the bar right next to Mary. She casually picked up her shot, slammed it, and told Arch through a toothless mouth he owed her another.
(http://www.mathu.com/avalanche-ruder.jpg)
(http://onmilwaukee.com/images/articles/na/nakedbeerslides/nakedbeerslides_fullsize_story1.jpg)
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In 1996, there was a torn ad from The Onion on the post in the center of the bar. The headline read, "Look Better Naked."
I'd pay $500 for that.
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In 1996, there was a torn ad from The Onion on the post in the center of the bar. The headline read, "Look Better Naked."
I'd pay $500 for that.
I recall living in Asia and seeing a bit on the BBC about Naked Coed sliding at Marquette. Of course, the venue was the 'Lanche. I suggested to my wife we give it a go next time back to MU but she didn't seem too terribly interested in pursuing the opportunity. Mores the pity, really.
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If you don't want it, don't buy it. If they think that other people will, so much better for the scholarship fund.
If they want money for the scholarship fund, the glass should be about 1/10th of what they're charging. The bricks should be about $50
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$1000? I received the e-mail yesterday and said I need to buy one of those bricks. I was going to investigate today. I can say with certainty that it's not going to happen at $1000.
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The bricks are for a $250 donation; the glass blocks are $1000.
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I wonder what part of the building the bricks came from.
I am not sure I would want one of them in my home if it came from a spot that was below waist level, if you know what I'm sayin'. I doubt that building was power-washed before it was torn down.
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I still have my Avalanche mug. I'll sell that to the group for $250!
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My brother used to own the Lanche and my brother-in-law managed the joint. This was circa 1975-80, not sure of the exact dates as I was all over the country during that time. My daughter has a sweet green and gold Avalanche basketball warm up suit from their intramural championship team - compliments of my brother when she "verballed" to Marquette. I'd say start the bidding at $1000 but she probably wouldn't part with it for any price.
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My brother used to own the Lanche and my brother-in-law managed the joint. This was circa 1975-80, not sure of the exact dates as I was all over the country during that time. My daughter has a sweet green and gold Avalanche basketball warm up suit from their intramural championship team - compliments of my brother when she "verballed" to Marquette. I'd say start the bidding at $1000 but she probably wouldn't part with it for any price.
Lenny, just curious, with your close family ties to the Lanche, why the choice in monikers.
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Lenny, just curious, with your close family ties to the Lanche, why the choice in monikers.
I was five or six years out of college when my brother and a partner bought the Lanche. While at school I was no stranger to its charms, but my dive bar of choice was always Lenny's - initially for convenience as it was a very short walk/stagger from my first apartment but later because the owner (the great Leonard Bernstein) became a sort of mentor to me. I could go on and on about the joint, but that's it in a nutshell.
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Lenny, just curious, with your close family ties to the Lanche, why the choice in monikers.
Sorry, Chili but if you have to ask then you'll never understand. Lenny and Sarah created more than a mere watering hole. Their haven was a crackling florescent bath that lapped at the ragged shore of a man's shattered existence. It was a place where heartache wasn't a stranger and the sting of cheap booze somehow only eased but never cured life's agony.
A heady mixture of sweat, cigarette smoke, body odor, and the stale perfume of the tart in leopard skin spandex whose ass was wrapped around her bar stool and her cherry red lips around the head of a PBR bottle. The denizens of the deep offered desultory companionship where a man could lose himself in those warm moist folds of flesh for the price of a roast chicken dinner.
It was a place Al would have been proud to drink at and probably did. Where dreams died and agony thrived through the gauzy fog of one last unfiltered Camel. For a few dollars a man could find sanctuary in a guileless world of doom and despair framed in flashing neon. Redemption, however fleeting, was bought for a song as shots of cheap rye cleansed the soul, purged the doubts, and stoked the embers of hope before being extinguished once more by the crashing waves of yet another desperate dawn. Of all the gin joints in Milwaukee this was the oasis, the shimmering chimera of shame in city that gives no quarter...
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Sorry, Chili but if you have to ask then you'll never understand. Lenny and Sarah created more than a mere watering hole. Their haven was a crackling florescent bath that lapped at the ragged shore of a man's shattered existence. It was a place where heartache wasn't a stranger and the sting of cheap booze somehow only eased but never cured life's agony.
A heady mixture of sweat, cigarette smoke, body odor, and the stale perfume of the tart in leopard skin spandex whose ass was wrapped around her bar stool and her cherry red lips around the head of a PBR bottle. The denizens of the deep offered desultory companionship where a man could lose himself in those warm moist folds of flesh for the price of a roast chicken dinner.
It was a place Al would have been proud to drink at and probably did. Where dreams died and agony thrived through the gauzy fog of one last unfiltered Camel. For a few dollars a man could find sanctuary in a guileless world of doom and despair framed in flashing neon. Redemption, however fleeting, was bought for a song as shots of cheap rye cleansed the soul, purged the doubts, and stoked the embers of hope before being extinguished once more by the crashing waves of yet another desperate dawn. Of all the gin joints in Milwaukee this was the oasis, the shimmering chimera of shame in city that gives no quarter [\quote]
I think you missed my point.
Quite an elogant answer, I must say my friend. Epigrammatic, privy, sententious, and dissemble. ;)
What say you Lenny?
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Sorry, Chili but if you have to ask then you'll never understand. Lenny and Sarah created more than a mere watering hole. Their haven was a crackling florescent bath that lapped at the ragged shore of a man's shattered existence. It was a place where heartache wasn't a stranger and the sting of cheap booze somehow only eased but never cured life's agony.
A heady mixture of sweat, cigarette smoke, body odor, and the stale perfume of the tart in leopard skin spandex whose ass was wrapped around her bar stool and her cherry red lips around the head of a PBR bottle. The denizens of the deep offered desultory companionship where a man could lose himself in those warm moist folds of flesh for the price of a roast chicken dinner.
It was a place Al would have been proud to drink at and probably did. Where dreams died and agony thrived through the gauzy fog of one last unfiltered Camel. For a few dollars a man could find sanctuary in a guileless world of doom and despair framed in flashing neon. Redemption, however fleeting, was bought for a song as shots of cheap rye cleansed the soul, purged the doubts, and stoked the embers of hope before being extinguished once more by the crashing waves of yet another desperate dawn. Of all the gin joints in Milwaukee this was the oasis, the shimmering chimera of shame in city that gives no quarter...
Poetry, man. Thanks for the trip down that unique memory lane that was Lennys. And Chili, something tells me you would have felt right at home there, too.
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Poetry, man. Thanks for the trip down that unique memory lane that was Lennys. And Chili, something tells me you would have felt right at home there, too.
I did..
Frosh year, living on the better half of 10 Schroeder, it was our distinct pleasure to OPEN Lenny's at 6AM.
That was after Real Chili 4 hours earlier.
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I did..
Frosh year, living on the better half of 10 Schroeder, it was our distinct pleasure to OPEN Lenny's at 6AM.
That was after Real Chili 4 hours earlier.
That, sir, is yeoman's work - and as a freshman, no less. Kudos.
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Sorry, Chili but if you have to ask then you'll never understand. Lenny and Sarah created more than a mere watering hole. Their haven was a crackling florescent bath that lapped at the ragged shore of a man's shattered existence. It was a place where heartache wasn't a stranger and the sting of cheap booze somehow only eased but never cured life's agony.
A heady mixture of sweat, cigarette smoke, body odor, and the stale perfume of the tart in leopard skin spandex whose ass was wrapped around her bar stool and her cherry red lips around the head of a PBR bottle. The denizens of the deep offered desultory companionship where a man could lose himself in those warm moist folds of flesh for the price of a roast chicken dinner.
It was a place Al would have been proud to drink at and probably did. Where dreams died and agony thrived through the gauzy fog of one last unfiltered Camel. For a few dollars a man could find sanctuary in a guileless world of doom and despair framed in flashing neon. Redemption, however fleeting, was bought for a song as shots of cheap rye cleansed the soul, purged the doubts, and stoked the embers of hope before being extinguished once more by the crashing waves of yet another desperate dawn. Of all the gin joints in Milwaukee this was the oasis, the shimmering chimera of shame in city that gives no quarter...
Someone make a movie of this. Brilliant.
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Someone make a movie of this. Brilliant.
Keefe has more than one memorable noir screenplay knocking around his large brain.
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I think I already have a piece of the lanche embedded in me from a late night slide
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right ... it closed in April, 1997
But it wasn't demolished until 6 years later. I remember coming back from Minneapolis after the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight wins and going to the MU Bookstore. They were tearing down the 'Lanche the week between the Final Four and no one seemed to even notice. Sure would be nice to have a real bar on campus to go back to every once in a while said the grumpy old man. Seems "weasely" to try make money off of a place they despised and worked so hard to shut down.
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Seems "weasely" to try make money off of a place they despised and worked so hard to shut down.
+1
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Heg's or the Gym offer bricks, I will be interested. Not the lanche.
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keefe, lenny, real.....
You guys are beyond amazing. I can't recite the line from Stripes that Bill Murray uttered but it ended with "I wanna party with you guys." I certainly played reasonably hard in my days at MU but I was absolutely minor league compared to you. I never once closed Chili and then opened any bar at 6am.
I'm assuming we all graduated, yes?
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keefe, lenny, real.....
You guys are beyond amazing. I can't recite the line from Stripes that Bill Murray uttered but it ended with "I wanna party with you guys." I certainly played reasonably hard in my days at MU but I was absolutely minor league compared to you. I never once closed Chili and then opened any bar at 6am.
I'm assuming we all graduated, yes?
Graduated?
“Christ, seven years of college, down the drain...”
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Back in the day, F*ckin' owned a piece of Blanche. That explains a lot of his present condition.
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Back in the day, F*ckin' owned a piece of Blanche. That explains a lot of his present condition.
"Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers..."
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Back in the day, F*ckin' owned a piece of Blanche. That explains a lot of his present condition.
This Blanche?
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Tt4UmVjfVgo/TNB9QaXCerI/AAAAAAAAAuE/bIgxUOumWAI/s1600/GG7.jpg)
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Nah, his taste is more sophisticated.
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Back in the day, F*ckin' owned a piece of Blanche. That explains a lot of his present condition.
You weren't referring to Blanche DuBois???
(http://nursemyra.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/blanche-dubois.jpg?w=470)
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keefe, lenny, real.....
You guys are beyond amazing. I can't recite the line from Stripes that Bill Murray uttered but it ended with "I wanna party with you guys." I certainly played reasonably hard in my days at MU but I was absolutely minor league compared to you. I never once closed Chili and then opened any bar at 6am.
I'm assuming we all graduated, yes?
Glow - any fair reading of my college years would conclude that I erred on the side of non scholarly pursuits. That said, I did graduate - and in 4 years, much to the surprise of some of my more studious friends.
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Glow - any fair reading of my college years would conclude that I erred on the side of non scholarly pursuits. That said, I did graduate - and in 4 years, much to the surprise of some of my more studious friends.
Lenny
Your being graduated gave a lot of hope to all the rest of us struggling to come to terms with our rather serious limitations. You were an inspiration to all of us agonizing over our own meager attempts at matriculation.
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Glow - any fair reading of my college years would conclude that I erred on the side of non scholarly pursuits. That said, I did graduate - and in 4 years, much to the surprise of some of my more studious friends.
I hear that from lots of guys back from my era and before and I graduated in '83. My Bradley Center seatmate was a '69 graduate after 5 years having switched from Engineering to Business and would readily admit he'd never survive today. My own dad took 7 years to graduate in '56 partly because he worked full time, partly not.
For those that have lost touch with the current Marquette, graduating today in 4 years takes a steady and quite serious commitment; albeit certainly allowing for a reasonable 'balance' of fun.
Quick story about my now Sophomore son. He's meeting LW at the Notre Dame game this past year and Larry asks him why he has the word 'sandwich' written in ink on his left hand. 'Well sir, I bought it last night at Subway and didn't want to forget it at 6 this morning when I left Abbottsford to get in line down at the BC.' Larry's approving response..... 'Nice!'
Somehow as a dad I liked that level of 'fun' although I'm not naive about his new found taste for barley pop.
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I hear that from lots of guys back from my era and before and I graduated in '83. My Bradley Center seatmate was a '69 graduate after 5 years having switched from Engineering to Business and would readily admit he'd never survive today. My own dad took 7 years to graduate in '56 partly because he worked full time, partly not.
For those that have lost touch with the current Marquette, graduating today in 4 years takes a steady and quite serious commitment; albeit certainly allowing for a reasonable 'balance' of fun.
Quick story about my now Sophomore son. He's meeting LW at the Notre Dame game this past year and Larry asks him why he has the word 'sandwich' written in ink on his left hand. 'Well sir, I bought it last night at Subway and didn't want to forget it at 6 this morning when I left Abbottsford to get in line down at the BC.' Larry's approving response..... 'Nice!'
Somehow as a dad I liked that level of 'fun' although I'm not naive about his new found taste for barley pop.
Glow
Is the 4 year matriculation cycle becoming less standard?
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keefe, lenny, real.....
You guys are beyond amazing. I can't recite the line from Stripes that Bill Murray uttered but it ended with "I wanna party with you guys." I certainly played reasonably hard in my days at MU but I was absolutely minor league compared to you. I never once closed Chili and then opened any bar at 6am.
I'm assuming we all graduated, yes?
Did I graduate in four years? Yes
Have I grown up much since then? Heck no.
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Lenny
Your being graduated gave a lot of hope to all the rest of us struggling to come to terms with our rather serious limitations. You were an inspiration to all of us agonizing over our own meager attempts at matriculation.
Keefe
I didn't light the torch for those who learned more in the recesses of a Lenny's Tap than in the outdated classrooms of Johnson Hall, but I readily accepted it and passed it on (to most worthy guys like you) without regret. Lenny's was part of the"classrooms without borders" program at Marquette and there was no finer professor than Dr. Bernstein, no more engaging group of students than his regulars. Nothing against the more mainstream aspects of Marquette (I was very much involved and it sounds like you were even more so), but immersion into that intriguing neighborhood was a must and only a local tavern could provide that access.
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I hear that from lots of guys back from my era and before and I graduated in '83. My Bradley Center seatmate was a '69 graduate after 5 years having switched from Engineering to Business and would readily admit he'd never survive today. My own dad took 7 years to graduate in '56 partly because he worked full time, partly not.
For those that have lost touch with the current Marquette, graduating today in 4 years takes a steady and quite serious commitment; albeit certainly allowing for a reasonable 'balance' of fun.
Quick story about my now Sophomore son. He's meeting LW at the Notre Dame game this past year and Larry asks him why he has the word 'sandwich' written in ink on his left hand. 'Well sir, I bought it last night at Subway and didn't want to forget it at 6 this morning when I left Abbottsford to get in line down at the BC.' Larry's approving response..... 'Nice!'
Somehow as a dad I liked that level of 'fun' although I'm not naive about his new found taste for barley pop.
Glow
No doubt Marquette today requires much more attention to school work than it did in my day, but from my observations (my oldest daughter graduated in 4 years and I make the trip from Chicago to most home games) the students still have plenty of fun.
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Glow
No doubt Marquette today requires much more attention to school work than it did in my day, but from my observations (my oldest daughter graduated in 4 years and I make the trip from Chicago to most home games) the students still have plenty of fun.
One of the best cluster of 4 years in this old fighter pilot's life. Truly. Won an NCAA title. Met an outstanding woman who enriched my life in more ways than I can count. Made life long friendships. And was privileged to learn from some of the sharpest minds I have ever encountered. As I have bounced around the world Marquette has remained a special place.
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What I do know is that Marquette is tougher to get into than it was back in the 70s or even in the late 80s/early 90s when our university wasn't even filling the Frosh class. (Anybody want to argue about the importance of basketball? Of course Jeff Dahmer didn't help either.)
I know that the university keeps 6 year graduation rates as I believe that is the nationwide standard. I also know that they take great pride in the fact that MU is well above the national average although I don't have the stats at my fingertips. While I can't support it, I suspect that the 4 year rate is actually better than a generation ago. The price of an extra semester is a pretty significant motivator. For one thing, there are far more summer courses where kids fill in a few classes at a significant discount (roughly $750 per credit hour) to the 'regular school year' tuition. My own daughter has done that to facilitate adding a minor to her Nursing major.
I have access to folks that certainly know and I'm sure will be happy to share with me as there's nothing controversial or privileged about what we're discussing.
And just to comment on a student's modern day experience. I'd argue it is very similar to what we experienced a generation ago but with way less emphasis on the bars because of the legal drinking age. There's youtube footage out there of the kids (including my daughter) going bonkers at Caffrey's (Ardmore back in the day) as Vander beat Davidson. All good. At the same time, Student Affairs has worked to 'tone down' over the top drinking problems that may have peaked 2-3 years ago. Penalties are serious; ramifications severe. I think we'd all agree that too much alcohol in the mix presents a real risk to students.
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Glow,
No doubt the students today are far more serious and for sure are much better students than those who preceded them, including their parents. Academic choices are also far more varied and personalized, which allows kids to be more interested.
However, while I received a great base university education, there was much more I learned in places like the Lanche or Lenny's that live on today as life lessons. Those two joynts allowed the mixing of locals with students. The Gym didn't allow locals that I remember, nor did the Ardmore past a certain hour.
The patrons at the Lanche and Lenny's seemed to coexist. However, eventually, both were easy targets for the criminal elements and that led to their demise, while the Ardmore and Gym live on in some blanched MU reincarnation.
Today, many years have passed, and my best friends from MU and other alums I have met in business over the years, connect over Lanche stories...not on Bus Ad or Philosophy 101 stories. Why? Suburban, upper middle class white boys learned about life at their bar stools.
Today, and as is appropriate for responsible administrators, the MU Thought Police are cracking down on a coddled generation of suburban students. Students, btw, who are now adults, and we as parents are not even allowed to legally see their grades or health records as they are adults. So what do these students do now? Go alcohol free? Or do they move to the East Side en masse for their vices at god awful places like Victor's?
There is a balance to be struck, no matter how administrations over the years have tried to engineer it...which makes it ironic that the university even saved these items, are fundraising off them now, while shutting the Lanche down in a similar fashion as Crean left and how they sent a bulldozer to the Knights of Columbus mansion: In the middle of the night.
No thank you, please.
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Amen
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You raise very interesting points Dr. and I'm not sure I'm fully capturing your themes other than totally agreeing with you that my memories have very little to do with my personal classroom experience. I agree with you on the Victor's matter and think that traveling to the lower East side puts kids at greater risk. We'd be better off in my mind if Hegarty's had survived. But the 'Lanche? At some point urban renewal needs to take over. Wells Street was getting tired when I was there decades ago. And remember that much of that strip has been replaced by university upperclassman housing. That has been a huge step in the right direction. The latest gentrification is the scheduled demolition of Campus Foods. I'm told that CVS is going to build and that'll add quality competition for Walgreen's. All good and fully supported by the student body. Subway will find a home and I'm told Sweeney's (a campus treasure) is heading to the first floor of Catholic Knights.
One must recall that the legal drinking age when I was on campus was 18. Moving that to 21 necessarily changed the face of the near campus experience. And both Cafs and Murphs take seriously their responsibility to keep out underage drinkers. I trust that their common ownership understands that their fate is in university hands to a certain extent.
Striking a reasonable balance regarding alcohol is a very delicate matter. The fact that my son found ways to get beers into his Frosh dorm doesn't bother me in the least. The fact that Public Safety has to haul kids off to the hospital to get there stomachs pumped bothers me a fair amount. The fact that young co-eds may get sexually assaulted because too much alcohol enters the picture at some 'red cup' party bothers me a lot. Balance, moderation, mutual respect, etc. That's the answer and what the university tries to reinforce.
No doubt more than 50% of one's education occurs outside the classroom in a variety of forums ranging from community service to the halls of Schroeder to the courtyard parties at Renee Row. It's all about growing up and making a few small misjudgments (within reasonable bounds) along the way.
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Glow,
No doubt the students today are far more serious and for sure are much better students than those who preceded them, including their parents. Academic choices are also far more varied and personalized, which allows kids to be more interested.
However, while I received a great base university education, there was much more I learned in places like the Lanche or Lenny's that live on today as life lessons. Those two joynts allowed the mixing of locals with students. The Gym didn't allow locals that I remember, nor did the Ardmore past a certain hour.
The patrons at the Lanche and Lenny's seemed to coexist. However, eventually, both were easy targets for the criminal elements and that led to their demise, while the Ardmore and Gym live on in some blanched MU reincarnation.
Today, many years have passed, and my best friends from MU and other alums I have met in business over the years, connect over Lanche stories...not on Bus Ad or Philosophy 101 stories. Why? Suburban, upper middle class white boys learned about life at their bar stools.
Today, and as is appropriate for responsible administrators, the MU Thought Police are cracking down on a coddled generation of suburban students. Students, btw, who are now adults, and we as parents are not even allowed to legally see their grades or health records as they are adults. So what do these students do now? Go alcohol free? Or do they move to the East Side en masse for their vices at god awful places like Victor's?
There is a balance to be struck, no matter how administrations over the years have tried to engineer it...which makes it ironic that the university even saved these items, are fundraising off them now, while shutting the Lanche down in a similar fashion as Crean left and how they sent a bulldozer to the Knights of Columbus mansion: In the middle of the night. No thank you, please.
Man, I had forgotten all about that old mansion. Weren't people up in arms that Marquette wanted to tear it down?
I read a story in the Trib that the house was built as a wedding present but the bride was jilted and the wedding never hasppened. She visited the mansion once then never returned.
We used to roast pigs in that field between McCormick and the Plankinton Mansion.
(http://www.historic-structures.com/wi/milwaukee/images/170756pv.jpg)
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keefe,
Fr. Wild has personally told me that nothing caused more controversy and argument in the Jes Res in all his years at Marquette. He declined to tell me which side of the debate he was on. Of course by the time it was removed, the renovation costs would have been in the tens of millions.
Switching topics slightly. I'm very pleased that Marquette is undertaking a careful renovation of the 'historic campus' consisting of the stretch between 11th and 13th on the south side of Wisconsin and that Gesu itself is undergoing renovation work. Those 4 buildings are the iconic heart of campus.
Anyone here old enough to know what Marquette Hall was originally called? (I know because my parents always referred to it using the 'old' name.)
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Anyone here old enough to know what Marquette Hall was originally called? (I know because my parents always referred to it using the 'old' name.)
I believe it was just the 'Science Buliding'
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I believe it was just the 'Science Buliding'
Winner, winner, chicken dinner.
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keefe,
Fr. Wild has personally told me that nothing caused more controversy and argument in the Jes Res in all his years at Marquette.
Until they came up with "Gold" that is?
Seriously, the Plankinton Mansion was an architectural gem. I found these photos at the Library of Congress, including views of the interior. I had never been inside the mansion. It is a fabulous example of Victorian Gingerbread.
(http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/wi/wi0000/wi0038/photos/170760pr.jpg)
(http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/wi/wi0000/wi0038/photos/170769pr.jpg)
(http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/wi/wi0000/wi0038/photos/170770pr.jpg)
(http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/wi/wi0000/wi0038/photos/170780pr.jpg)
(http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/wi/wi0000/wi0038/photos/170782pr.jpg)
While not the most practical building it certainly could have been a showpiece for the University in some fashion. I have lived in cultures where families can trace their lineage back 1,600 years and where cultural artifacts are cherished components of a collective memory. In America, we don't have such a broad and deep vista into our heritage. Moreover, the uniquely American obsession with progress tends to view antiquity with disdain while embracing modernity as an end in itself.
The preservationist in me feels loss that this building was not incorporated into the tapestry of the Marquette narrative. It was a sublime archetype of America's Guilded Age. The young nation had finally erased the congenital defect of slavery and in so doing shrugged off the last pretenses of innocence. America straddled a continent and was reaping the full bounty of industrialization. A robust, virile, wealthy nation was flexing its muscles and taking its preordained place on the world stage. And that zeitgeist was never better articulated than through the grandeur of the architecture of that day.
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But what do you do with something like that? As someone who has lived in an historic neighborhood in the past, I understand the need for preservation. But for a campus in need of space and a building that isn't very practical that you have to maintain, heat, etc., I am really struggling with what the campus could have done with it.
And my recollection is that MU did it in the middle of night because the City was going to block them from doing so the next day when they were in the midst of having conversations with the city about what to do with it.
I do remember when I was a senior and they were building AMU that they unearthed the foundation of that building in the process. Until then I had no idea what once stood there.
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But what do you do with something like that? As someone who has lived in an historic neighborhood in the past, I understand the need for preservation. But for a campus in need of space and a building that isn't very practical that you have to maintain, heat, etc., I am really struggling with what the campus could have done with it.
And my recollection is that MU did it in the middle of night because the City was going to block them from doing so the next day when they were in the midst of having conversations with the city about what to do with it.
I do remember when I was a senior and they were building AMU that they unearthed the foundation of that building in the process. Until then I had no idea what once stood there.
There is no doubt that there would be a financial dimension to preservation. But if you go to many campuses, especially those in New England, the University President holds court in just that sort of building. There are stunning examples of Georgian and Federalist on the oldest campuses of America while the Midwest tends to have Greek Revival. Marquette is interesting in its adoption of Neo-Gothic in its oldest structures. The Late Victorian elegance of the Plankinton Mansion would have complemented that rather nicely.
I recall Marquette undertook demolition under the cover of darkness to preempt a number of efforts to halt it. It was controversial and the story was picked up by the national press. While I understand the practicality of Marquette's decision I shudder when I think of the Weir Buildings, Lalumiere, et al... by comparison.
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Sorry, Chili but if you have to ask then you'll never understand. Lenny and Sarah created more than a mere watering hole. Their haven was a crackling florescent bath that lapped at the ragged shore of a man's shattered existence. It was a place where heartache wasn't a stranger and the sting of cheap booze somehow only eased but never cured life's agony.
A heady mixture of sweat, cigarette smoke, body odor, and the stale perfume of the tart in leopard skin spandex whose ass was wrapped around her bar stool and her cherry red lips around the head of a PBR bottle. The denizens of the deep offered desultory companionship where a man could lose himself in those warm moist folds of flesh for the price of a roast chicken dinner.
It was a place Al would have been proud to drink at and probably did. Where dreams died and agony thrived through the gauzy fog of one last unfiltered Camel. For a few dollars a man could find sanctuary in a guileless world of doom and despair framed in flashing neon. Redemption, however fleeting, was bought for a song as shots of cheap rye cleansed the soul, purged the doubts, and stoked the embers of hope before being extinguished once more by the crashing waves of yet another desperate dawn. Of all the gin joints in Milwaukee this was the oasis, the shimmering chimera of shame in city that gives no quarter...
This needs to be published... Holy crap
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For those that don't know, the mansion stood probably 200 feet north of Wisconsin Ave. literally on the site now partially occupied by the AMU. keefe's pictures are wonderful but it needs to be understood that by 1980 it had fallen into very serious disrepair. There was great controversy surrounding the demolition and if memory serves MU did put several big swings of the wrecking ball into it one evening so as to put an end to the controversy. Full demolition took place some weeks later.
I suspect location and its state of disrepair were major factors. Do recall that Marquette's campus as a full fledged neighborhood up until the early 1970s. A great many buildings were razed to create the setting one sees today.
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For those that don't know, the mansion stood probably 200 feet north of Wisconsin Ave. literally on the site now partially occupied by the AMU. keefe's pictures are wonderful but it needs to be understood that by 1980 it had fallen into very serious disrepair. There was great controversy surrounding the demolition and if memory serves MU did put several big swings of the wrecking ball into it one evening so as to put an end to the controversy. Full demolition took place some weeks later.
I suspect location and its state of disrepair were major factors. Do recall that Marquette's campus as a full fledged neighborhood up until the early 1970s. A great many buildings were razed to create the setting one sees today.
I remember that event. Watched from 10th floor of Schroeder. Am I recalling correctly the demolition was on a Saturday?
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Glow,
Here is my point: Our country trusts 18 year olds to put a gun in their hand to fight for our freedom, but not to hold a beer. We had those same issues back in the day with the same education awareness, why does a institution like Marquette think they will be successful with a Cone of Protection approach by buying all the student bars for urban renewal, fining and putting it on a student's permanent record for having alcohol paraphernalia in their dorm room? Protecting little Johnny and Annie from making mistakes because we know better? All they did was move the problem down the road. FAIL
It is the same approach with the Hey song. "You better not say sucks again or else". Guess what happened? Young adults, looking to assert themselves and sick of the Thought Police, turn to the alumni and chat: "Hey, you suck". FAIL
If you want to extend it to campus, it is the same approach. Let's buy all the land and put up a zone of protection to keep the outside out. Great vision, but the correct vision would be to actually have a urban incubation plan between MU, public and private enterprise to develop the campus as a hot site. Selling condos to recent graduates, attracting new restaurants, and creating an enterprise fund for start up business incubation through University resources/talent. See Howard University in DC, not Dayton or SLU. Campustown success isn't adding a Subway or a Bed, Bath and Beyond to surburbanize MU some more. FAIL
MU's strongest brand is its city location. It spends most of its effort to keep the city out it seems, instead of embracing it. As parents, we all want a safe environment for our kids, but we also need to allow for what lessons mistakes and other parts of life one must face as a young adult. It is telling so many MU students choose to espape those safe environs for these other parts so different than the strip mall laden suburbs. Heaven forbid!
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Dr. Blackheart....I don't disagree with a lot of what you are saying, but the reason MU did a lot of these things was to appeal more to parents. Parents are by far the single more important influencer on where a child chooses to go to college. I have no doubt that a lot of these changes they made positively influenced enrollment in the mid to late 90s.
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I'll add that MU actually embraces its neighborhood more than most universities. But I get your point.
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Dr. Blackheart....I don't disagree with a lot of what you are saying, but the reason MU did a lot of these things was to appeal more to parents. Parents are by far the single more important influencer on where a child chooses to go to college. I have no doubt that a lot of these changes they made positively influenced enrollment in the mid to late 90s.
Never said that the changes were bad. The vision was good, but the execution has failed, despite some successes. Yes, the campus is better. The Law School, the administration buildings, the medical campus, The Al. But there is no incubation plan for the neighborhood. Aurora-Sinai is maybe the one exception, but it is failing. MU should have located the medical campus adjoining, for example. All MU has done is created a safe zone.
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For those that don't know, the mansion stood probably 200 feet north of Wisconsin Ave. literally on the site now partially occupied by the AMU. keefe's pictures are wonderful but it needs to be understood that by 1980 it had fallen into very serious disrepair. There was great controversy surrounding the demolition and if memory serves MU did put several big swings of the wrecking ball into it one evening so as to put an end to the controversy. Full demolition took place some weeks later.
I suspect location and its state of disrepair were major factors. Do recall that Marquette's campus as a full fledged neighborhood up until the early 1970s. A great many buildings were razed to create the setting one sees today.
It was torn down, not because of the disrepair, as it wasn't in disrepair but in need of restoration. It was an eyesore as the KOC serviced area hard core drunks. The building inside, whether for bingo, bowling, events was very serviceable, but MU wanted to put the student union there...which is actually not a great location as most union traffic is for staff and students during class hours as Brooks was in the academic campus today. The Jesuits sent a bulldozer in after the nightly news to knock down a corner of the building, as they got wind of some court action, IIRC.
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/entertainment/143871786.html?ipad=y
As was pointed out, MU should have restored it to a President's House, Alumni House, or Conference Center. It was more attractive than the Pabst Mansion, IMO. Another neighborhood restoration win is by a MU alum: The Ambassador.
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I'd like to point out the fact that the mansion was in reality a pale comparison to the structure shown in the various pictures by the Fall of 1980. I'm open to differing viewpoints about its restoration but it is important not to be overly swayed by what are generally very attractive photos here in this thread. Certainly restoration as the Presidential office would have been a very viable option. But it must be admitted that the building required considerable restoration by the time the wrecking ball hit; not something that a little tuck pointing and coat of paint could reasonably cure. And as I began this conversation, the merit of both strategies was cause for some heated exchanges among the Jesuits at the time. Thanks for everyone's contribution. I've enjoyed the discussion.
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Dr. Blackheart....I don't disagree with a lot of what you are saying, but the reason MU did a lot of these things was to appeal more to parents. Parents are by far the single more important influencer on where a child chooses to go to college. I have no doubt that a lot of these changes they made positively influenced enrollment in the mid to late 90s.
Actually, Blackie, Skink is spot on. I do believe the changes were driven by feedback from concerned parents. 25 years ago when I was in Boston my wife volunteered to work a college fair for Marquette. When something cropped up she asked me to fill in.
I was paired with a Nursing College alum. It was amazing how almost every parent of a prospective student asked about Marquette's neighborhood. I recall telling the first parents to ask that the neighborhood wasn't that bad (hell, I used to drink at Lenny's and the Camel Club.) My female partner quickly jumped in and went through some thoughts that were materially different than mine. It made me realize that perspectives on Marquette's environment back then were largely framed by gender.
As a guy I thought nothing of walking alone at night north of Wells and west of 16th. But I can see how a coed would see those streets differently. We were in the Camel Club one night drinking Schlitz when an argument between locals was settled with a gun. At the time it was a topic for conversation but looking back we were likely at more risk than we realized.
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For those that don't know, the mansion stood probably 200 feet north of Wisconsin Ave. literally on the site now partially occupied by the AMU. keefe's pictures are wonderful but it needs to be understood that by 1980 it had fallen into very serious disrepair. There was great controversy surrounding the demolition and if memory serves MU did put several big swings of the wrecking ball into it one evening so as to put an end to the controversy. Full demolition took place some weeks later.
I suspect location and its state of disrepair were major factors. Do recall that Marquette's campus as a full fledged neighborhood up until the early 1970s. A great many buildings were razed to create the setting one sees today.
Glow
Those photos were taken in the late '70's, just before the demolition. From what I read the mansion was structurally sound but needed a new roof. I couldn't find an actual dollar amount for renovation but that would vary widely by detail. I prefer a cleaner aesthetic in my personal living space but this building was an exceptional late Victorian statement. Pity Marquette could not have been more creative in working with the problem rather than eliminating it.
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In September 1978, Marquette University announced plans to expand their campus by demolishing the Plankinton Mansion -- despite the fact it was in near-mint condition, a recognized historic landmark, and the last of the Plankinton family mansions still standing. The mansion did not "fit the long-range plans of the university," and was limiting its growth. As part of the Marquette urban renewal project, the Milwaukee Redevelopment Authority had acquired the home in 1973 and suddenly activated its long-range plans to eliminate it. This stirred up an intense preservation controversy, unlike anything the city had ever seen before.
https://www.facebook.com/RestorationNews/posts/446788788693367
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https://www.facebook.com/RestorationNews/posts/446788788693367
Blackie
Nice find. My recollection was that the mansion was both structurally sound and near pristine condition. The only repair work was for some wood rot and mold in the attic area. The Smithsonian photos I posted were taken in the late '70's as part of an archival project to document American fin de siecle. The only real blemish was that awful neon Knights of Columbus in front.
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And in the first photo one can catch a glimpse of McCormick Hall in the background.
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Never said that the changes were bad. The vision was good, but the execution has failed, despite some successes. Yes, the campus is better. The Law School, the administration buildings, the medical campus, The Al. But there is no incubation plan for the neighborhood. Aurora-Sinai is maybe the one exception, but it is failing. MU should have located the medical campus adjoining, for example. All MU has done is created a safe zone.
In MU's defense, you have to start somewhere. If they can create a "core campus", then they can can extend out and build an urban renewal and incubation plan.
Actually, where MU is right now, I think that's the next logical step. Part of the problem in the campus area is that it's hard for businesses to stay open because for 3 months out of the year most of the kids are gone.
Create some attractive housing options for recent grads and grad students, and you'll have more people in the are year round (hopefully with some expendable income). That could increase some of the local businesses (food, bars, etc.) and improve the neighborhood surrounding MU.
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In MU's defense, you have to start somewhere. If they can create a "core campus", then they can can extend out and build an urban renewal and incubation plan.
Actually, where MU is right now, I think that's the next logical step. Part of the problem in the campus area is that it's hard for businesses to stay open because for 3 months out of the year most of the kids are gone.
Create some attractive housing options for recent grads and grad students, and you'll have more people in the are year round (hopefully with some expendable income). That could increase some of the local businesses (food, bars, etc.) and improve the neighborhood surrounding MU.
I know exactly what you are saying. Forgive me; I am going to use Notre Dame as an example here.
Notre Dame has a newer area just south of campus that has some cool bars, restaurants, and boutiques, with apartments above - kind of a mini-Third Ward. It is a perfect example of what you are talking about. I think that the main roadblock facing such a project at Marquette would be where are you going to put it? I believe where Notre Dame put their new development was either the former site of a large industrial space, or just open area. If Marquette was going to undertake such a project, it would involve dealing with multiple property owners, any one of which could decide to be a holdout. I suppose Marquette could try to go the eminent domain route, but that could potentially be a PR nightmare, especially since the people they are likely to displace will be low-income Milwaukeeans. And in order to be successful, you will need to draw patrons from off-campus. It would be quite a challenge when you already have Water Street, the Third Ward, and the East Side as competition for both housing and entertainment options.
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Create some attractive housing options for recent grads and grad students, and you'll have more people in the are year round (hopefully with some expendable income). That could increase some of the local businesses (food, bars, etc.) and improve the neighborhood surrounding MU.
The only issue is that there are already plenty of options not that far away for recent grads and grad students. Westtown is right across the interstate. 3rd Ward isn't that far away, etc.
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The only issue is that there are already plenty of options not that far away for recent grads and grad students. Westtown is right across the interstate. 3rd Ward isn't that far away, etc.
I'm not really talking about building condos or anything MU owned per se.
There are some distressed properties in the area. Could MU start something that encouraged young alumni to take on those properties? Could they work with the city on one of the urban renewal programs? Maybe incubation programs and small offices for start-ups.
I don't think MU buying up property and building condos is the answer. All that does is make MU's campus bigger and just more insulated, which in my mind is a bad idea.
I'm talking about trying to help with some urban renewal in the surrounding areas.
It's never going to be Lake Drive, but there are some nice old homes as you move west from MU.
Maybe some of the homes towards Marquette High?
There are urban planners who are far more knowledgeable than me. All I know is that when I graduated, everybody I knew who stayed in Milwaukee immediately moved to the eastside. If you could get SOME young alumni to stay around, it would help.
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Word on the street is that Lanche brick & glass sales/inquiries the first week have been wildly popular.
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In MU's defense, you have to start somewhere. If they can create a "core campus", then they can can extend out and build an urban renewal and incubation plan.
Actually, where MU is right now, I think that's the next logical step. Part of the problem in the campus area is that it's hard for businesses to stay open because for 3 months out of the year most of the kids are gone.
Create some attractive housing options for recent grads and grad students, and you'll have more people in the are year round (hopefully with some expendable income). That could increase some of the local businesses (food, bars, etc.) and improve the neighborhood surrounding MU.
Ann Arbor likely has more of a student community during the summer than Marquette does year round for reasons of scale so I'm not sure it's a good comparison. But the campus town in Ann Arbor is bright, vibrant and energetic throughout the summer. The community hosts a number of events to drive traffic though. And Ann Arbor simply does not have the gritty urban environment of Marquette.
Cambridge Mass is really not a very nice place and yet townies live alongside the university communities rather well. Cambridge has lots of mixed use developments in the immediate vicinities of both Harvard and MIT. These properties serve as extensions of the campuses offering desirable habitat for students, professors, and others affiliated with the academic community. This is the sort of capital investment that is essential for economic vitality which might not be as readily available in Milwaukee.
One key difference I noticed in environment is that both Ann Arbor and Cambridge offer far superior cultural and social activity than Marquette. On any given night there are sponsored movies, lectures, concerts, theater, etc... The Michigan student government publishes a number of monthly calendars detailing events on offer. Having much larger populations and more diverse academic programs delivers the diversity Marquette does not have. This is a compelling attraction for living near these campuses.
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Ann Arbor likely has more of a student community during the summer than Marquette does year round for reasons of scale so I'm not sure it's a good comparison. But the campus town in Ann Arbor is bright, vibrant and energetic throughout the summer. The community hosts a number of events to drive traffic though. And Ann Arbor simply does not have the gritty urban environment of Marquette.
Cambridge Mass is really not a very nice place and yet townies live alongside the university communities rather well. Cambridge has lots of mixed use developments in the immediate vicinities of both Harvard and MIT. These properties serve as extensions of the campuses offering desirable habitat for students, professors, and others affiliated with the academic community. This is the sort of capital investment that is essential for economic vitality which might not be as readily available in Milwaukee.
One key difference I noticed in environment is that both Ann Arbor and Cambridge offer far superior cultural and social activity than Marquette. On any given night there are sponsored movies, lectures, concerts, theater, etc... The Michigan student government publishes a number of monthly calendars detailing events on offer. Having much larger populations and more diverse academic programs delivers the diversity Marquette does not have. This is a compelling attraction for living near these campuses.
Bet none of that holds a candle to the block party and grill concerts!
Ah, those were the days. :D. Nothing like Pabst, Miller, and Schlitz pulling to to campus with their own beer trucks full of kegs for the block party.
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Bet none of that holds a candle to the block party and grill concerts!
Ah, those were the days. :D. Nothing like Pabst, Miller, and Schlitz pulling to to campus with their own beer trucks full of kegs for the block party.
I do remember the block parties and they were a very good time. Problem is they were a one-off.
A friend of mine scheduled the Grill Concerts. Jim Schade did the Shady Jim concerts at the Mug Rack. Now he was a helluva sumbitch who knew how to have fun. Always got us tickets to concerts at the Arena, The Palms, and some venue on the east side of Milwaukee. Lost track of him when I went off to flight school. That guy got more tail than a public toilet seat.
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Nothin' wrong with gettin' a little tail.
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I do remember the block parties and they were a very good time. Problem is they were a one-off.
A friend of mine scheduled the Grill Concerts. Jim Schade did the Shady Jim concerts at the Mug Rack. Now he was a helluva sumbitch who knew how to have fun. Always got us tickets to concerts at the Arena, The Palms, and some venue on the east side of Milwaukee. Lost track of him when I went off to flight school. That guy got more tail than a public toilet seat.
Bubble buster....not a Rock God...but an insurance broker from Cleveland. Learned his life lessons in the hard scrabble bars of Milwaukee, though.
http://www.thealphaga.com/assets/pdf/jim_full_bio_for_emailing.pdf
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Nothin' wrong with gettin' a little tail.
(http://imgc.artprintimages.com/images/art-print/danny-shanahan-casual-sex-fridays-new-yorker-cartoon_i-G-66-6607-QYGE100Z.jpg)
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(http://imgc.artprintimages.com/images/art-print/danny-shanahan-casual-sex-fridays-new-yorker-cartoon_i-G-66-6607-QYGE100Z.jpg)
In before the delete!
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In before the delete!
Yea, The New Yorker is conspicuously tawdry...
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Bubble buster....not a Rock God...but an insurance broker from Cleveland. Learned his life lessons in the hard scrabble bars of Milwaukee, though.
http://www.thealphaga.com/assets/pdf/jim_full_bio_for_emailing.pdf
Wow. Talk about the day the music died...
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I do remember the block parties and they were a very good time. Problem is they were a one-off.
A friend of mine scheduled the Grill Concerts. Jim Schade did the Shady Jim concerts at the Mug Rack. Now he was a helluva sumbitch who knew how to have fun. Always got us tickets to concerts at the Arena, The Palms, and some venue on the east side of Milwaukee. Lost track of him when I went off to flight school. That guy got more tail than a public toilet seat.
jsglow scheduled Grill Concerts in his era. While he was able to score good concert tix thanks to his connections (including 2nd row seats to The Who) I am pretty sure he did not partake of all the fringe benefits that your buddy did.
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Ann Arbor likely has more of a student community during the summer than Marquette does year round for reasons of scale so I'm not sure it's a good comparison. But the campus town in Ann Arbor is bright, vibrant and energetic throughout the summer. The community hosts a number of events to drive traffic though. And Ann Arbor simply does not have the gritty urban environment of Marquette.
Cambridge Mass is really not a very nice place and yet townies live alongside the university communities rather well. Cambridge has lots of mixed use developments in the immediate vicinities of both Harvard and MIT. These properties serve as extensions of the campuses offering desirable habitat for students, professors, and others affiliated with the academic community. This is the sort of capital investment that is essential for economic vitality which might not be as readily available in Milwaukee.
One key difference I noticed in environment is that both Ann Arbor and Cambridge offer far superior cultural and social activity than Marquette. On any given night there are sponsored movies, lectures, concerts, theater, etc... The Michigan student government publishes a number of monthly calendars detailing events on offer. Having much larger populations and more diverse academic programs delivers the diversity Marquette does not have. This is a compelling attraction for living near these campuses.
Well, MU is never going to be Ann Arbor or Cambridge, that's for sure.
BUT, MU does have some unique opportunities that it could capitalize on.
Grand Ave. Mall is doing a lot of interesting stuff with start-ups and incubation, which has started to revitalize a building that was considered worthless just 5 years ago. The MU business school can/should have some connection to that type of thing for recent grads. If you go west of MU, there are some beautiful homes that are HUGE. Now, historic restoration is expensive, but there is an opportunity there if MU and the city can work together.
There are urban planners who know a lot more than I do, so I know that my ideas are far from perfect. But, I don't think buying up more property and creating a bigger "campus ring" is a good idea. It's EXPENSIVE to start, and it's expensive to maintain. Plus, it doesn't integrate MU into an urban neighborhood, but rather just builds "walls" farther out.
MU has a decent "central campus" established now. I'd like to see expansion/extensions that focus on revitalizing the neighborhood. It's a big project. Probably a 20 year vision to be honest. But, it's sustainable in the long run.
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Great thoughts G&A...
Here is Northwestern's incubation platform as an example. Formalized within the university.
http://invo.northwestern.edu/
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Well, MU is never going to be Ann Arbor or Cambridge, that's for sure.
BUT, MU does have some unique opportunities that it could capitalize on.
Grand Ave. Mall is doing a lot of interesting stuff with start-ups and incubation, which has started to revitalize a building that was considered worthless just 5 years ago. The MU business school can/should have some connection to that type of thing for recent grads. If you go west of MU, there are some beautiful homes that are HUGE. Now, historic restoration is expensive, but there is an opportunity there if MU and the city can work together.
There are urban planners who know a lot more than I do, so I know that my ideas are far from perfect. But, I don't think buying up more property and creating a bigger "campus ring" is a good idea. It's EXPENSIVE to start, and it's expensive to maintain. Plus, it doesn't integrate MU into an urban neighborhood, but rather just builds "walls" farther out.
MU has a decent "central campus" established now. I'd like to see expansion/extensions that focus on revitalizing the neighborhood. It's a big project. Probably a 20 year vision to be honest. But, it's sustain't I dimble in the long run.
I am in full agreement that integrating mixed used development into the immediate area of the campus is an essential component of creating a more vibrant, vigorous atmosphere. But the campus community does need to step up its game and offer more in the way of after hours activity one more commonly associates with the university environment. Anyone who has spent time in a Big 10 neighborhood will understand this.
My wife and I had our first date at Angelo's but that didn't mean she wanted to eat dinner there 20 years later. But if there were cultural opportunities on campus in the evening she would have preferred having dinner in proximity to the venue.
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I am in full agreement that integrating mixed used development into the immediate area of the campus is an essential component of creating a more vibrant, vigorous atmosphere. But the campus community does need to step up its game and offer more in the way of after hours activity one more commonly associates with the university environment. Anyone who has spent time in a Big 10 neighborhood will understand this.
My wife and I had our first date at Angelo's but that didn't mean she wanted to eat dinner there 20 years later. But if there were cultural opportunities on campus in the evening she would have preferred having dinner in proximity to the venue.
Agreed. I don't think MU in by any means a cultural epicenter or even an influencer.
But, some of that is simply scale. MU isn't a big 10 school. It doesn't have the volume of students or the resources for a lot of the things you are talking about.
With this said, MU could be better and more efficient with the resources it does have. I recently went back for my 10 year reunion. They had a BBQ outside of the union. It was an ok event, but they charged full price for beers and for some below average food.
From an alumni relations standpoint, I'd rather they make the food and beer cheap and encourage us (alumni) to make donations on site. I would have been much happier paying $2 for a beer and donating $50 to MU, instead of paying $6 for a plastic cup of warm Miller Lite. Not a huge miss, but I think they could have done a little better there.
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Great thoughts G&A...
Here is Northwestern's incubation platform as an example. Formalized within the university.
http://invo.northwestern.edu/
Marquette's neighborhood is not Evanston. Not even close.
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Agreed. I don't think MU in by any means a cultural epicenter or even an influencer.
But, some of that is simply scale. MU isn't a big 10 school. It doesn't have the volume of students or the resources for a lot of the things you are talking about.
And it is located in a big city where just blocks away you have all sorts of theatre, arts and similar options. With a couple of exceptions, Big Ten universities are located in medium sized cities and have an inordinate influence on the culture of the city.
And since MU doesn't have a art, music or theatre program, you don't have the student body that can put on "cultural opportunities" that a lot of other campuses can.
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jsglow scheduled Grill Concerts in his era. While he was able to score good concert tix thanks to his connections (including 2nd row seats to The Who) I am pretty sure he did not partake of all the fringe benefits that your buddy did.
Every man is saddled with the encumbrance of regret in that most secret chamber of his soul
“There was a long hard time when I kept far from me the remembrance of what I had thrown away when I was quite ignorant of its worth.”
Charles Dickens, Great Expectations
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Marquette's neighborhood is not Evanston. Not even close.
MU's campus is not NU's. Not even close.
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Marquette's neighborhood is not Evanston. Not even close.
So what's your point? MU butts up to downtown, while Northwestern doesn't...which offers MU more advantages and access if it had an incubation mindset. Evanston is also a very diverse urban city with its own problems.
As I said before, look to DC. Howard University/Columbia Heights neighborhoods were the epicenter of the Crack Wars. U Street, Logan Square, Columbia Heights all on fire today. MU neighborhood hasn't advanced as they took a Cone of Protection path. I looked outside my hotel room in DC during and NCAA's and counted 17 building cranes in view EAST of the Capitol as well. If MU has a vision to increase endowment, an private-public incubation program advances their vision much more successfully.
While Milwaukee residents fight street car light rail, DC is putting it in to connect its neighborhoods.
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While Milwaukee residents fight street car light rail, DC is putting it in to connect its neighborhoods.
Different debate, but DC also has 18 million tourists a year.
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Different debate, but DC also has 18 million tourists a year.
Who visit the DC neighborhoods in school busses and family vans to see the urban sites, just like they did during the Crack War eras.
Btw, Milwaukee has $1.7 Billion in tourism dollars....and MU is a 5 minute walk from its convention center. Gtown, Notre Dame et all have business conference centers....at MU you need to clear it through an academic to use the Rayner.
Next excuse why Milwaukee and MU cannot have an incubation center?
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Next excuse why Milwaukee and MU cannot have an incubation center?
Both parties need to see attraction to make possible this form of engagement.
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