In 2002 the Milwaukee Water Works decommissioned a 125 year old reservoir that was used to store and distribute drinking water. Since then, they've been developing it into a public park with a viewing platform facing the skyline, an outdoor grass amphitheater, and a neighborhood playground.

 

Here are the plans from the Milwaukee Water Works website (water.mpw.net)

 

 

 

 

 

And here's the completed park (photos taken 10/3/08)

 

The entrance on North Ave:

 

 

 

The view from the top:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The WWI Memorial:

 

Going down the North side, the amphitheater is on the left:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And a look back up the hill from the playground. I'm sure this will look much better after the plants grow a bit:

 

That grass hill across the river is the lower half of the park:

 

 

 

looks like being "literally" in Chicago's shadow can be a good thing!  Very nice pictures!  I've been to Milwaukee once in January for a studio field trip and I thought it was a nice, cute city.  I'm sure Summer/Fall are even better! 

You don't hear of these types of projects all too often nowadays.  Very cool.

looks like being "literally" in Chicago's shadow can be a good thing! Very nice pictures! I've been to Milwaukee once in January for a studio field trip and I thought it was a nice, cute city. I'm sure Summer/Fall are even better!

 

WOAH!  Putting quotations around the word literally boggles my mind...and I'm not sure what you mean.  Nothing in this thread has anything to do with Chicago.

Good photos and a beautiful park. I like Milwaukee's signature street lights.

Beauty, eh?

Thanks Rob, I love the streetlights too.  I've done entire photo threads on them and I'm hoping to do a thesis on their role in Milwaukee's identity some day.  They come in all sorts of varieties, but the "Milwaukee Harp Luminaries" are so widespread and almost pervasive when you come here, it's incredible.  I really wish more cities had things like this...

 

...like those odd yellow bell lights in Cincinnati.

Everytime I go to Milwaukee, I go to that park (see the Milwaukee section in the UO gallery) and it changes everytime.  Thanks.

See, you're thinking of the lower park (shown in the last photo) which has been around for ages.  That park does already have a great view, but it's a little better when you go up the new hill and get that glimpse of the Lake.  Next time you go to Milwaukee...go to Kilbourn Park, walk to the top of the hill, cross North Ave, and walk up the new hill...

 

...it's spectacular.

D#mn, that's cool. Some nice views up there.