Monona Terrace

Last updated
Part of the Madison skyline as seen from Lake Monona, with Monona Terrace in the middle and the capitol directly behind it. MononaTerraceClose.jpg
Part of the Madison skyline as seen from Lake Monona, with Monona Terrace in the middle and the capitol directly behind it.
Monona Terrace (view from Lake Monona) Monona Terrace (lake view).jpg
Monona Terrace (view from Lake Monona)

Monona Terrace (officially the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center) is a convention center on the shores of Lake Monona in Madison, Wisconsin.

Contents

Controversy

Originally designed by Wisconsin native Frank Lloyd Wright, it was first proposed by Wright in 1938. The county board rejected the plan by a single vote. Wright would continue to seek support for the plan (and alter its design) until his death in 1959.

For the next four decades, various proposals for a convention center on the Monona Terrace land would be considered and rejected. Several times, it appeared that supporters of the project would be able to secure the public financing to complete the project, but various forces (such as the start of World War II) inevitably sidelined the plan. In 1990, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin resurrected Wright's proposal. Among the arguments against its construction, opponents argued that it was not a genuine Wright building, that the costs were too steep for the tax payers to bear and that the construction would adversely affect the environment, specifically destroying the view of Lake Monona from street level on the south side of the Capitol Square. [1] [2] Additionally, the site of the land stands on historic Ho-Chunk Nation burial mounds. The proposed construction was put to a public referendum in 1992 and it passed. Construction began two years later.

In 1997, nearly sixty years after Wright's original conception, Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center opened its doors.

Location

View of the Wisconsin State Capitol building overlooking Monona Terrace and the water fountain Wisconsin State Capitol from Monona Terrace.jpg
View of the Wisconsin State Capitol building overlooking Monona Terrace and the water fountain

Monona Terrace is located two blocks from the Wisconsin State Capitol building in downtown Madison.

From the roof of Monona Terrace, one can see views of downtown Madison, including the Capitol and a panoramic view of Lake Monona.

Design

Wright made several alterations to the design of Monona Terrace during his lifetime. Although the exterior design is Wright's, the interior as executed was designed by former Wright apprentice Anthony Puttnam of Taliesin Associated Architects.

Construction

The building was constructed by J.H. Findorff and Son Inc., a southern Wisconsin contractor.

Facilities

The facility hosts over 600 conventions, meetings and weddings each year that result in an average of $52 million in economic activity for the region. Monona Terrace also runs free community programs that serve approximately 56,000 people each year. Monona Terrace also offers guided tours, a gift shop, a rooftop cafe (warm weather months only), and serves as the home for some of the community's events including the national radio variety show Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?, [3] Dane Dances, [4] Ironman Wisconsin, [5] and U.S. Bank Eve. [6]

Notable incidents

In 2007, two teens jumped off the rooftop into Lake Monona.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madison, Wisconsin</span> Capital of Wisconsin, United States

Madison is the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. As of the 2020 census, the population was 269,840, making it the second-most populous city in Wisconsin after Milwaukee, and the 80th-most populous in the United States. Madison is named for American Founding Father and President James Madison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dane County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Dane County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 561,504, making it the second-most populous county in Wisconsin after Milwaukee County. The county seat is Madison, which is also the state capital.

<i>WhadYa Know?</i> US radio program

Whad'Ya Know? is an American comedy, interview, and quiz radio show. Hosted by Michael Feldman, it was created in 1985. During its radio run, it was produced by Wisconsin Public Radio and distributed through Public Radio International. Feldman is accompanied on-stage by Lyle Anderson, phone-answerer; and the Whad'ya Know Trio with John Thulin on piano, Jeff Hamann on bass, and, on road shows, Clyde Stubblefield on drums. Jeffry Eckels was the original full-time bass player from 1987 to 2003. Feldman was also accompanied by Jim Packard as announcer from the show's beginning until his death following the June 9, 2012, show from New York City. Sara Nics was the show's announcer from October 13, 2012 to March 28, 2015. Stephanie Lee became the show's announcer in August 2015. The show was broadcast live with an audience from Monona Terrace in Madison, Wisconsin. Periodically, the show was taken on the road and broadcast from various other locations across the United States. The show was broadcast weekly, each Saturday at 10:00 AM CT (UTC-6) for two hours, and repeated throughout the week by syndication. Since the beginning of 2009, the entire show has also been available over the Internet as a podcast. The show aired its final WPR/PRI radio broadcast on June 25, 2016, with prior episodes archived on the show's website. Starting in the fall of 2016, Whad'ya Know became available as a podcast.

Monona could refer to any of the following.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Monona</span>

Lake Monona is a freshwater drainage lake in Dane County, Wisconsin, surrounded on three sides by the city of Madison, Wisconsin, and on the south east side by the city of Monona, Wisconsin. It is the second-largest of a chain of four lakes along the Yahara River in the area and forms the south shore of the isthmus that forms downtown Madison. The name 'Monona' is a word believed to mean 'beautiful', although the lake was originally named by the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) 'Tchee-ho-bo-kee-xa-te-la' or 'Teepee Lake'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Mendota</span> Lake in Dane County, Wisconsin, USA

Lake Mendota is a freshwater eutrophic lake that is the northernmost and largest of the four lakes in Madison, Wisconsin. The lake borders Madison on the north, east, and south, Middleton on the west, Shorewood Hills on the southwest, Maple Bluff on the northeast, and Westport on the northwest. Lake Mendota acquired its present name in 1849 following a proposal by a surveyor named Frank Hudson, who claimed to be familiar with local Native American languages; Lyman C. Draper, the first corresponding secretary of the Wisconsin Historical Society, proposed that 'Mendota' could have been a Chippewa word meaning 'large' or 'great.'

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terese Berceau</span> American politician

Terese L. Berceau is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1999 until 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wisconsin Field House</span> University sports arena in Madison, Wisconsin, United States

The Wisconsin Field House is a multi-purpose arena owned by the University of Wisconsin–Madison and located directly south of Camp Randall Stadium. In addition to sports events, the Field House has been the site of large community gatherings such as convocations and concerts. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alliant Energy Center</span> Multi-building complex in Madison, Wisconsin

Alliant Energy Center is a multi-building complex located in Madison, Wisconsin. It comprises 164 acres (0.66 km2) of greenspace and includes the 255,000-square-foot (23,700 m2) Exhibition Hall, the 10,000-seat Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the 29-acre (0.12 km2) Willow Island, several multi-use pavillions, and the 22,000-square-foot (2,000 m2) Arena. The Center welcomes more than one million people attending more than 500 events annually, ranging from local meetings and banquets to large sporting events and major concerts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olbrich Botanical Gardens</span> Botanical garden in Madison, Wisconsin

Olbrich Botanical Gardens is a 16 acre outdoor botanical garden and 10,000-square-foot conservatory in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded in 1952 and named for its founder, Michael Olbrich, the gardens are owned and operated jointly by the City of Madison Parks and the non-profit Olbrich Botanical Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baird Center</span> Convention center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The Baird Center is a convention and exhibition center located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The center is part of a greater complex of buildings which includes the UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena and the Miller High Life Theatre, and was a replacement for the former Great Hall portion of the MECCA Complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Soglin</span> American politician

Paul R. Soglin is an American politician and former three-time Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin, having served a total of 22 years in that office between 1973 and 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he was a candidate for Governor of Wisconsin in the 2018 Democratic primary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wisconsin Governor's Mansion</span>

The Executive Residence, known better as the Governor's Mansion, is located at 99 Cambridge Road in the Village of Maple Bluff, Wisconsin, on the eastern shore of Lake Mendota. It is currently the official residence of Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dane County Farmers' Market</span> Producer-only farmers market in Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.

The Dane County Farmers' Market is America's largest producers-only farmers' market. It is held from April to November on Saturday mornings on the Capitol Square in Madison, Wisconsin and on Wednesday mornings on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. From November to December, it is held indoors at the Monona Terrace. Starting in January 2020, it is held at the Garver Feed Mill in Monona through early April, when the outdoor market starts. Throughout the year, a pool of about 275 vendors of agriculturally-related products from Wisconsin, including farmers, food trucks, artists, and more sell fruits, vegetables, flowers, plants, meats, cheeses, nuts, and specialty products. During the summer, the market hosts 150 vendors who completely encircle the state capitol. USA Today listed it as the top-rated market in the state and it placed fifth for the country in a reader's poll. Fox News said the Farmers' Market was one of the reasons why Madison is a top foodie paradise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madison Isthmus</span> Isthmus in Madison, Wisconsin, United States

The Madison Isthmus is where the downtown and near east potion of Madison, Wisconsin is situated, between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. It is located between Madison's northeast side to the east and the University of Wisconsin campus to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wisconsin Historical Museum</span> Historical museum in Madison, Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Historical Museum is a museum located on the Capitol Square in Madison, Wisconsin. It is currently open only for retail shopping featuring books, gifts, and other items focusing on Wisconsin and history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert M. Lamp House</span> Historic house in Wisconsin, United States

The Robert M. Lamp House is a residence built in 1903 two blocks northeast of the capitol in Madison, Wisconsin, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for his lifelong friend "Robie" Lamp, a realtor, insurance agent, and Madison City Treasurer. The oldest Wright-designed house in Madison, its style is transitional between Chicago School and Prairie School. In 1978 the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The 26th Senate District of Wisconsin is one of 33 districts in the Wisconsin Senate. Located in south-central Wisconsin, the district comprises Downtown Madison, Wisconsin as well as most of the city's near west, south, east and north sides. The 26th also includes the suburban cities of Monona, the villages of Maple Bluff and Shorewood Hills, and most of the village of McFarland, in central Dane County. The district contains landmarks such as the Wisconsin State Capitol, the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus, the University of Wisconsin Arboretum, historic Forest Hill Cemetery, Edgewood College, Monona Terrace, Camp Randall Stadium, and the Kohl Center.

GRAEF is a private industry engineering and consulting firm based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, servicing civil, construction management, environmental and landscape architecture, MEP/commissioning, operations consulting, planning, structural, survey, and transportation industries. GRAEF was founded in 1961 by Luther W. Graef, Leonard Anhalt and Robert Schloemer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wisconsin's 76th Assembly district</span> American legislative district for Madison, Wisconsin

The 76th Assembly District of Wisconsin is one of 99 districts in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Located in south-central Wisconsin, the district is contained entirely within central Dane County. It includes the village of Maple Bluff and downtown and east side areas of the city of Madison, including most of the Madison Isthmus. The district contains landmarks such as the Wisconsin State Capitol, Wisconsin Governor's Mansion, Monona Terrace, Warner Park, Lake View Sanatorium, and part of the campus of Madison Area Technical College. The district is represented by Democrat Francesca Hong, since January 2021. Representative Hong is the first—and, currently, the only—Asian America member of the Wisconsin Legislature.

References

  1. Milwaukee Sentinel, Madison struggles with Wright choice for Center 1992-08-12. Retrieved 2011-04-21.
  2. Milwaukee Sentinel, Madison Votes Lean Toward Approval 1992-11-04. Retrieved 2011-04-21.
  3. "'Whad'Ya Know?' to end production after 31 years". Current. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
  4. "Dane Dances". Isthmus | Madison, Wisconsin. 2017-04-26. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
  5. "IRONMAN® Wisconsin | Madison". www.visitmadison.com. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
  6. Journal, Samara Kalk Derby | Wisconsin State. "Madison's family-friendly NYE celebration still going after 27 years". madison.com. Retrieved 2018-03-03.

43°4′18″N89°22′50″W / 43.07167°N 89.38056°W / 43.07167; -89.38056