Property Record
W LLOYD ST/LISBON AVE/N 40TH ST/W VLIET ST/STADIUM FREEWAY
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | EMIL BLATZ TEMPLE OF MUSIC |
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| Other Name: | West Side Park/Washington Park Band Shell |
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| Reference Number: | 120123 |
| Location (Address): | W LLOYD ST/LISBON AVE/N 40TH ST/W VLIET ST/STADIUM FREEWAY |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
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| Year Built: | 1938 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 19802012 |
| Historic Use: | bandstand |
| Architectural Style: | Art Deco |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Concrete |
| Architect: | Fitzhugh Scott |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. Emil Blatz Temple of Music dedicated on 23 August 1938. Charles S. Whitney was the consulting engineer; Selzer-Ornst Company was the general contractor. This outdoor concert hall serves as a reminder of the role that live music has played in the social history of the city. The structure was a gift to Milwaukee by a scion of the Blatz family. A monolithic shell-like backdrop projects sound downward and forward toward concert-goers seated in the open air amphitheater. The poured-concrete shell, painted white, expresses the streamlined Art Moderne style popular in the 1930s. For many years crowds of more than 10,000 attended concerts here. One of the best-known concert series, "Music Under the Stars," regularly attracted nationally and internationally known musicians. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Landscape Research, 121, 124. Plaques on bandshell. Buildings of Wisconsin manuscript. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |