Milwaukee's doors are about to swing wide open — literally. Doors Open Milwaukee returns this Saturday and Sunday, giving locals and visitors free access to buildings across the city that are normally closed to the public, from courthouses and churches to a brand-new concert hall and a community flower farm carved out of vacant lots.
According to doorsopenmilwaukee.org, this year's event opens more than 190 locations throughout the metro area for free, including 40 sites affiliated with UW-Milwaukee. Other outlets have described the scale differently — OnMilwaukee reports more than 180 sites this year, up from more than 160 last year, while the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported 49 new locations added on top of the 139 already listed. Historic Milwaukee, Inc., the private nonprofit that organizes the event, is behind the sprawling lineup either way.
Every single location is free to walk into, the Journal Sentinel notes, though some special walkthroughs require tickets or an RSVP. The event's website says roughly 40 of those special tours are available, with prices ranging from free to $10 each.
A Massive UW-Milwaukee Presence
UW-Milwaukee expanded its participation this year from just a handful of buildings to what the Journal Sentinel describes as virtually the entire campus, serving as the event's presenting sponsor.
Doors Open Milwaukee is designed to raise awareness and appreciation of the city's architecture and built environment, according to Historic Milwaukee's event site. New additions to this year's roster include The Laughing Tap, the Martin Luther King Library and Pink Umbrella Theater Company, per OnMilwaukee's coverage.
From Concert Halls to Flower Fields
Among the stops is Landmark Credit Union Live, located at 1051 N. Vel R. Phillips Ave.
Transit fans have their own stop this year, too: the Milwaukee Streetcar Operations and Maintenance Facility.
For a different kind of tour altogether, We Got This Flower Farm at 3146 N. 9th St. invites visitors to stroll through gardens grown out of vacant lots in Milwaukee's 53206 ZIP code, according to the farm's own account on We Got This.
Municipal Landmarks and Legal Fine Print
Some of the city's most popular municipal tours — including the Milwaukee City Hall Bell Tower and Jones Island — became available free of charge starting Sept. 9, according to the event website.
Attendees should also know that showing up means granting Historic Milwaukee, Inc. permission to use photographs, videotapes and other recordings of the event for legitimate purposes, without monetary payment, per the organization's own site. It's a standard condition for a weekend built around throwing open doors that are normally shut — offering, as the event's organizers put it, something for everyone seeking a fun and educational couple of days in Milwaukee.
