‘One of my favorite things is the sense of family in the fire department.’ Posted on October 16, 2025October 17, 2025 by Maddie Knodel Milwaukee’s Fire Station 27 has been residing on the corner of Bartlett and Park Place since 1903. Despite its age, it still remains a well-oiled, fire-fighting machine. Michael, a firefighter who has been a part of the force for the past 13 years, speaks on everything fire related from ghost stories to insight on systemic […]
‘I knew we had tons and tons of incredible and skilled artists in Milwaukee.’ Posted on October 16, 2025October 16, 2025 by Raquel Escobedo Mya Giuliani is the owner of the River Press in Riverwest Milwaukee. The River Press is an art studio, shop and gallery and was originally built in 1890. The River Press sells, displays and highlights art made solely of local Milwaukee artists. Raquel Escobedo: How long have you been the owner and working in this […]
‘These one-of-a-kind historical spaces show us where we’ve been as we focus on where we’re going.’ Posted on October 16, 2025October 16, 2025 by Lupita Gifford The Charles Allis Art Museum is a piece of Milwaukee history. Weathering storms and snow since 1911, the historic home allows those from Milwaukee and afar to observe the museum’s preserved “present.” Its visitors get to observe art of the past and the local arts of today. Marquayla Ellison has been board chair since 2022. […]
‘It’s 150 years in service and you look inside, and the modern fire trucks in there is just a little bizarre.’ Posted on October 16, 2025October 16, 2025 by Deegan Norris Jackson Stewart is a student at Waukesha County Technical College and a second-year Fire and EMT program participant. He visited Milwaukee Fire Station 27 to learn how the station operates and explore his goal of becoming a firefighter. A Milwaukee native who no longer lives in the city, Stewart returned for a day to take […]
‘It’s almost like being transported into Italy and just kind of getting to walk around.’ Posted on October 16, 2025October 16, 2025 by Ella Ragan Sofia Calicdan works the front desk and is the media intern at the Villa Terrace. She is a film and digital media student at Marquette, and it’s her first experience with Doors Open Milwaukee. Ella Ragan: Are you having a good experience so far? Sofia Calicdan: I am. It is really fun. Villa Terrace always […]
‘It’s a space for advanced climbers and new climbers to work together on problems and routes.’ Posted on October 16, 2025October 16, 2025 by Junior Sotelo Ramos Adventure Rock was first opened at Brookfield, Wisconsin in 1998. The second location at Riverwest was opened in 2016 and the third location in Walker’s Point was opened in 2019. Greg Brewster is an employee from Adventure Rock WKP who’s been rock climbing for four years and works at the Walker’s Point location. Brewster is […]
‘The arts were really important to me growing up here and I want to make sure that that continues.’ Posted on October 16, 2025October 16, 2025 by Alexis Knecht Sam Kacala is a full-time education manager at Arts @ Large and has been with the organization since 2017. The organization has been volunteering for Doors Open Milwaukee for the past three years. As a Milwaukee native, Kacala is focused on staying connected to his community and encouraging creativity throughout Milwaukee. Alexis Knecht: How long […]
‘This gives us a chance, not only to observe the exterior, but also go in and show off the interior.’ Posted on October 16, 2025October 16, 2025 by Stephanie Serrano Gabe Sonsalla is an architecture student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and volunteered for the Doors Open Milwaukee event. Sonsalla is not a Wisconsin native; he was born and raised in Minnesota. He sat in the lobby of the hotel greeting guests as they walked in. His experience at the Saint Kate Arts Hotel allowed […]
‘We enjoy the option of renting an apartment in a very luxurious setting with remarkable dining.’ Posted on October 16, 2025October 16, 2025 by Annabelle Hershelman Walter “Wally” Hobbs is an independent resident at Eastcastle Place, the nonprofit senior living community on Milwaukee’s East Side. He and his wife live there together, and they both help to volunteer on Sunday, Sept. 28, to help with visitors dropping in to see Eastcastle Place during the weekend of Doors Open Milwaukee. He is […]
‘I was drawing once, and I just put a few lines in, and it made a landscape.’ Posted on October 16, 2025October 16, 2025 by Kavina Spinks Kurk Devine is a retired factory worker who wants his artwork to be enjoyed by others. He used to attend the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but he was more curious about the history of art. He has had a 50-year career as an artist using oil paints, acrylics, watercolors, and liner markers, recently favoring acrylics and […]
‘We have a book club, a Euchre league, a cribbage league, and, of course, bowling.’ Posted on October 16, 2025October 16, 2025 by Zack O’Hara Holler House is a historic bar in Milwaukee, best known for having the country’s oldest sanctioned bowling lanes in its basement. The 117-year-old lanes still host five bowling leagues today, all while using manual pinsetters. Cathy Haefke and her husband, Tom, currently own Holler House with their family. Cathy represents the third of five generations […]
‘I hope people appreciate that we want to preserve places like this, because there aren’t many left.’ Posted on October 16, 2025October 16, 2025 by Zack O’Hara Falcon Bowl is a bar, music hall and bowling alley in the Riverwest neighborhood of Milwaukee. It has been a local staple for at least the last 135 years. Throughout its history, it has served as a skating rink, movie theater and wedding venue. The bowling alley in the basement, added in 1915, is the […]