(rshsdepot) Milwaukee, WI

[I95BERNIEW_@_aol.com]

From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
 
Bernie Wagenblast
 
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
From the bones of a mid-century dud, a  gleaming gem arises 

November 12 2007 
Whitney Gould  
At night, when its prismatic glass face and bold, diagonal beams are awash  
with light, you have to pinch yourself: Can this possibly be Milwaukee`s old  
Amtrak station?  
Well, yes and no. The bones of the 1965 station are still there. But the  
railroad depot, now the ``Milwaukee Intermodal Station,`` has had a $16.9  
million makeover so breathtaking that passengers who knew this only as a  decrepit 
eyesore must wonder if they`re really in Milwaukee.  
The metamorphosis won`t be complete until the day after Thanksgiving, and a  
remake of the train shed, the dingy tracks area behind the terminal, awaits  
funding. But the building itself, which has been open for business throughout  
the 15-month reconstruction, is already a jewel of modernist reinvention, 
thanks  to inspired work by Eppstein Uhen Architects.  
Gone are those elongated, cartoonish arches and that overbearing  
porte-cochère. Gone is the silly bell tower. No more broken doors and stick-on  bathroom 
tile.  
In their place is a luminous atrium that extends the building 30 feet north  
to the street, adding 7,500 square feet of space to the waiting area. 
Architect  Greg Uhen has created a soaring, 50-foot-high room whose lively structural  
elements - crisscrossing white beams - express the sense of movement and  
connection embodied in a terminal for trains, buses and, perhaps someday,  
commuter and light rail (a prospect that seems less far-fetched as oil prices  edge 
toward $100 a barrel).  
The beams support a glass curtain wall that has been faceted with artful  
sandblasting into a mix of big diamonds and horizontal stripes; the opaque  
sections not only filter light but also create an animated layering effect. That  
shimmering presence, at N. 5th St. and W. St. Paul Ave., is charismatic enough  
in the daytime. But at night, when the transparent facade and slashing beams 
are  illuminated, the impact is downright transformative.  
Even the stanchions for Greyhound bus stalls on the western edge of the  
station are eye catchers: The white posts branch off like trees.  
The project was made possible with $6 million in tax-incremental financing  
from the city, an investment that will be paid back in increased property  
values; $2.9 million from Wilton Partners, a development firm; and $8 million in  
federal and state funds administered by the Wisconsin Department of  
Transportation.  
A cheaper, blander remake had been in the works until city officials, led by  
Mayor Tom Barrett, Planning Director Bob Greenstreet and Ald. Bob Bauman, 
kicked  up a fuss and agitated for something more befitting a city gateway for 
some 1.4  million passengers a year. Now, with the two upper floors slated to 
become  private offices and headquarters for the DOT`s statewide traffic 
operations, the  station is finally poised to become an important player in downtown 
renewal.  
As Barrett told me, ``It`s symbolic of the renaissance taking place in the  
city itself.``  
The station is already part of a broader composition that includes the 6th  
Street Viaduct, whose cabled white pylons are visible just to the west, and the 
 stunning new Harley-Davidson museum under way near the southern end of the  
viaduct.  
I have a few quibbles: One is that the intermodal station`s interior, with  
its white walls and gray and white terrazzo floor, is almost too cool and crisp 
 for its own good. Once potted trees, food stalls and signage are in place,  
perhaps it will warm up a bit. But an artful splash of color here and there  
wouldn`t hurt.  
Also, the 270-space parking lot just west of the station is an ugly swath,  
relieved only by plantings along the sidewalk. Greenstreet says that 
state-owned  space is likely to be developed some day, possibly for a hotel; Randy Wade, 
the  DOT`s passenger rail manager, cautions that regardless of what happens 
there,  keeping adequate parking nearby is critical.  
I agree, but couldn`t someone find a little money to spruce up this asphalt  
desert in the meantime? Also, why would the city install old-fashioned harp  
lights in front of the station, when contemporary street lights matching those  
closer to the building would be more appropriate?  
These are small cavils. Overall, this nearly complete remake is a triumph. As 
 it joins the ranks of the Calatrava addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum,  
Discovery World and other distinguished newcomers dotted throughout the city,  
the terminal shows how first-rate design can raise the bar for everything 
around  it, enhance property values and enrich a sense of place.  
In a strange way, the project is also a form of radical preservation: By  
giving a mid-century dud a stylish new face and energy-efficient innards, the  
makeover saves resources that could have ended up in landfills.  
Behold, a turkey becomes a swan.  
E-mail to wgould_@_journalsentinel.com or call (414) 224-2358. 



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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #1629
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org