With so much talk about Santiago Calatrava and the modern Milwaukee Art Museum, I decided to use the magazine/journal requirement to get insight on the historic version of the museum. In the 1975 journal article "The Milwaukee Art Center" takes the modern reader back to observe the additions that architect David Kahler made to what was once just a war memorial with an indecent amount of art work.
In the article, the fascination of the city is felt as excitement over the "new Milwaukee Art Museum" is described. Although it is nothing compared to the current +30,000 pieces of art that the museum exhibits, the idea of having 6,000 pieces of artwork back in 1975 fascinated the community. David Kahler more than quadrupled the 1957 structure into something worth being proud of. This gives me an insight of what it was like living in the mid 70's and considering that the World Trade Center in New York and the former Sears Tower in Chicago had recently been constructed, I would too be excited that Milwaukee was part of the architectural boom that the U.S. was about to experience, even if it was just for a museum.
In addition to the appearance of the new art museum, recognition was given to the new technology of the structure. The "advanced technology" included 19 projectors, 10 speakers, 2 amplifiers and a quadraphonic tape desk. Considering that Milwaukee wasn't such a large city o begin with, I can imagine why there was so much excitement.
It wasn't just the architecture that there was to be excited about. The new art museum was to sponsor many upcoming instrumental symposiums, attracting more visitors to the city and assisting in a population growth. Prior to 1975, the war museum wasn't a structure that was used for such attractions, but David Kahler's innovation to the structure made sure that would change.
"The Milwaukee Art Center." Design 76.6 (1975): 29. ProQuest. Web. 21 Sep. 2014.
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