Milwaukee
Washington Park Emil Blatz Temple of Music
Photo is of Mr. Blatz, 1939, with a cake in the shape of the band shell with the names of stars who have appeared there around the bottom of it.
(from The Milwaukee Journal, July 8, 1988.)
The Emil Blatz Temple of Music, dedicated in 1938, is located in Washington Park. The Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the famous landscape architect of New York’s Central Park and includes 130 acres with the bandshell located centrally in a natural depression next to a lagoon. The Art Deco style curved band shell was designed, according to the WI Historical Society, by Milwaukee architect Fitzhugh Scott. It is adorned with Greek muses embossed on the short thick columns on each side of the bandshell while the names of some 45 composers from Puccini, Brahms, Handel, Liszt, Schubert, Sousa, Beethoven, to Mozart are etched on the back of the concrete shell. The statues of the romantic poets Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich von Schiller have overlooked all concert activity since their hillside relocation within the park in 1960.
Most famous when opened and lasting 50 years, were the "Music Under the Stars" concerts, which were often broadcast nationally over the radio. Crowds of more than 10,000 plus regularly attended.
Over time, not been much had been done to improve and maintain the shell, but in 2005, Harley Davidson, the longstanding motorcycle manufacturing company and nearby neighbor, donated substantial funds for this and in 2006, improvements of the bench seating was scheduled. The Milwaukee County committed to renovating the bandshell with $738,000 in the 2016 budget, including the stage and ventilation system as well as new paint and lights.
In recent years, some 300 to 1,000 neighbors regularly stream in on Washington Park Wednesdays, Saturday evenings to hear local artists and bands play jazz and on Sunday to enjoy blues. Seating can accommodate up to 8,000. Neighborhood groups and others, such as local radio stations, help cover the costs and there is no charge to attend. In addition to musical programs, the county parks department has initiated movies nights.
Most famous when opened and lasting 50 years, were the "Music Under the Stars" concerts, which were often broadcast nationally over the radio. Crowds of more than 10,000 plus regularly attended.
Over time, not been much had been done to improve and maintain the shell, but in 2005, Harley Davidson, the longstanding motorcycle manufacturing company and nearby neighbor, donated substantial funds for this and in 2006, improvements of the bench seating was scheduled. The Milwaukee County committed to renovating the bandshell with $738,000 in the 2016 budget, including the stage and ventilation system as well as new paint and lights.
In recent years, some 300 to 1,000 neighbors regularly stream in on Washington Park Wednesdays, Saturday evenings to hear local artists and bands play jazz and on Sunday to enjoy blues. Seating can accommodate up to 8,000. Neighborhood groups and others, such as local radio stations, help cover the costs and there is no charge to attend. In addition to musical programs, the county parks department has initiated movies nights.
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From The Milwaukee Journal, July 8, 1988, paraphrased: Under a beautiful August summer evening in 1938, the exciting opening performance of “Music Under the Stars” was born. It drew a crowd of over 18,000; tickets prices ranged from $0.20 for general admission to $1.00 for box seats. NBC and CBS radio broadcasted parts of the opening concert nationally. For more than 50 years, stars such as Jeanette MacDonald, Lily Pons, Dinah Shore, Mario Lanza, Jan Peerce, Richard Tucker, the Andre Kostelanetz’ Orchestra , and Itzhak Perlman graced the stage and performed on summer evenings. For Milwaukee, now known as a city of summer festivals, this was one of the first summer major entertainment draws. This was all a dream-come-true for Emil Blatz of the Blatz beer brewing family. He so loved listening to Chicago’s Grant Park radio concerts and wanted Milwaukee residents to experience this type of live musical entertainment that he gave $100,000 to have the band shell constructed. Mr. Blatz, elderly at this time, lived to enjoy the next six seasons of the “Music Under the Stars” concerts. |
The Milwaukee Journal, July 8, 1988
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