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View of Madison. From the Water Cure, South Side of Lake Monona, 1855.
View of downtown and Capitol from Washington Street, 1865.
Project
Madison was created in 1836, when former federal judge James Duane Doty purchased over a thousand acres (4 km²) of swamp and forest land on the isthmus between Lakes Mendota and Monona within the Four Lakes region, with the intention of building a city on the site. The Wisconsin Territory had been created earlier that year and the territorial legislature had convened in Belmont, Wisconsin. One of the legislature's tasks was to choose a permanent location for the territory's capital. Doty lobbied aggressively for the legislature to select Madison as the new capital, offering buffalo robes to the freezing legislators and promising choice Madison lots at discount prices to undecided voters. He had James Slaughterplat two cities in the area, Madison and "The City of Four Lakes," near present-day Middleton. Doty named the city Madison for James Madison, the 4th President of the U.S. who had died on June 28, 1836 and he named the streets for the other 38 signers of the U.S. Constitution.[2] Even though Madison was still only a city on paper, the territorial legislature voted on November 28 in favor of Madison as its capital, largely because of its location halfway between the new and growing cities around Milwaukee in the east and the long established strategic post of Prairie du Chien in the west, and because of its location between the highly populated lead mining regions in the southwest and Wisconsin's oldest city, Green Bay in the northeast. Being named for the much-admired founding fatherJames Madison, who had just died, and having streets named for each of the 39 signers of the Constitution, may have also helped attract votes.[3]
Creation and expansion
The cornerstone for the Wisconsin capitol was laid in 1837, and the legislature first met there in 1838. Madison was incorporated as a village in 1846, with a population of 626. When Wisconsin became a state in 1848, Madison remained the capital, and the following year it became host to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The Milwaukee & Mississippi Railroad (a predecessor of what would become known as the Milwaukee Road) connected to Madison in 1854. Madison became a city in 1856, with a population of 6,863, leaving the unincorporated remainder as a separate Town of Madison.[4] The original capitol was replaced in 1863. The second capitol burned in 1904, and the current capitol was built between 1906 and 1917.[5]
During the American Civil War, Madison served as a center of the Union Army in Wisconsin. The intersection of Milwaukee, East Washington, Winnebago and North Streets is known as Union Corners, as a tavern located there was the last stop for Union soldiers before heading to fight the Confederates. Camp Randall, on the west side of Madison, was built and used as a training camp, a military hospital, and a prison camp for captured Confederate soldiers. After the war ended, the Camp Randall site was absorbed into the University of Wisconsin—Camp Randall Stadium was built over the site in 1917. In 2004 the last vestige of active military training on the site was removed when the stadium renovation replaced a firing range used for ROTC training.
The City of Madison continued annexations from the town almost from the date of the city's incorporation, leaving the latter (by the end of the 20th century) a collection of discontinuous areas subject to annexation. In the wake of continued controversy and an effort in the state legislature to simply abolish the town, an agreement was reached in 2003 to provide for the incorporation of the remaining portions of the Town into the City of Madison and the City of Fitchburg by October 30, 2022.[6]
According to the United States Census Bureau, Madison's area is 84.7 square miles (219.4 km2), of which, 68.7 square miles (177.9 km2) of it is land and 16.0 square miles (41.4 km2) of it (18.9%) is water.
The city is sometimes described as The City of Four Lakes, comprising the four successive lakes of the Yahara River: Lake Mendota ("Fourth Lake"), Lake Monona ("Third Lake"), Lake Waubesa ("Second Lake") and Lake Kegonsa ("First Lake"),[7] although Waubesa and Kegonsa are not actually in Madison, but rather just south of it. A fifth smaller lake, Lake Wingra, is within the city as well; it is connected to the Yahara River chain by Wingra Creek. The Yahara flows into the Rock River, which in turn, flows into the Mississippi River. Downtown Madison is located on an isthmus between Lakes Mendota and Monona. The city's trademark of "Lake, City, Lake" reflects this geography.
Local identity varies in different parts of Madison, although there are over 120 officially recognized neighborhood associations.[8] Neighborhoods on and near the eastern part of the isthmus, some of the city's oldest, have the strongest sense of identity and are the most politically liberal. Historically, the north, east, and south sides were blue collar while the west side was white collar, and to a certain extent this remains true. Students dominate on the University of Wisconsin campus and to the east into downtown, while to its south and in Shorewood Hills on its west, faculty have been a major presence since those neighborhoods were originally developed. The turning point in Madison's development was the university's 1954 decision to develop its experimental farm on the western edge of town; since then, the city has grown substantially along suburban lines.
Madison, along with the rest of the state, has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb/Dfa), characterized by variable weather patterns and a large seasonal temperature variance: winter temperatures can be well below freezing, with moderate to occasionally heavy snowfall; high temperatures in summer average in the lower 80s °F (27–28 °C), reaching 90 °F(32.2 °C) on an average 12 days per year,[9] often accompanied by high humidity levels. The warmer months usually see the greater precipitation.
As of the census[1] of 2010, there were 233,209 people, 89,019 households and 42,462 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,029.7 people per square mile (1,169.8/km²). There were 108,843 housing units at an average density of 1,345.4 per square mile (519.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.96% White, 7.07% African American, 0.36% Native American, 7.34% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.67% from other races and 2.55% from two or more races. 6.83% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 89,019 households out of which 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.0% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 52.3% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 17.9% under the age of 18, 21.4% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,941, and the median income for a family was $59,840. Males had a median income of $36,718 versus $30,551 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,498. About 5.8% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.
Madison is governed by a mayor-council system. The city council, known as the Common Council, consists of 20 members, one from each district. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote.
Madison is associated with "Fighting Bob" La Follette and the Progressive movement. La Follette's Magazine, The Progressive, founded in 1909, is still published in Madison. City voting patterns have supported the Democratic Party in national elections in the last half-century, and a liberal and progressive majority is generally elected to the city council. Detractors refer to Madison as The People's Republic of Madison, the "Left Coast of Wisconsin" or as "78 square miles surrounded by reality." This latter phrase was coined by former Wisconsin Republican governor Lee S. Dreyfus, while campaigning in 1978, as recounted by campaign aide Bill Kraus.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Madison counterculture was centered in the neighborhood of Mifflin and Bassett streets, referred to as Miffland. The area contained many three-story apartments where students and counterculture youth lived, painted murals, and operated the co-operative grocery store, the Mifflin Street Co-op. The neighborhood often came into conflict with authorities, particularly during the administration of Republican mayor Bill Dyke, a one-time personality on WISC-TV who was later to run for U.S. vice president with segregationist Lester Maddox. Dyke was viewed by students as a direct antagonist in efforts to protest the Vietnam War, because of his efforts to suppress local protests that had resulted in property damage. The annual Mifflin Street Block Party became a focal point for protest, although by the late 1970s it had become a mainstream community party.
Madison is home to the Freedom from Religion Foundation, which attempts to influence government in matters relating to the separation of church and state. The foundation is known for its lawsuits against religious displays on public property, among other things. In recent years, they have made removal of In God We Trust from American currency a main focus.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, thousands of students and other citizens took part in anti-Vietnam War marches and demonstrations, with more violent incidents drawing national attention to the city and UW campus. These include:
the 1969 strike to secure greater representation and rights for African American students and faculty, which necessitated the involvement of the Wisconsin Army National Guard;
the 1970 fire that caused damage to the Army ROTC headquarters housed in the Old Red Gym, also known as the Armory; and
the 1970 late summer predawn ANFO bombing of Sterling Hall which housed the Army Mathematics Research Center, killing a postdoctoral student, Robert Fassnacht. Four bombers in the "New Year's Gang" were linked to the bombing, one of whom remains at large. (see Sterling Hall bombing)
These protests were the subject of the documentary The War at Home.[16] Tom Bates wrote the book Rads on the subject (ISBN 0-06-092428-4). Bates wrote that Dyke's attempt to suppress the annual Mifflin Street block party "would take three days, require hundreds of officers on overtime pay, and engulf the student community from the nearby Southeast Dorms to Langdon Street's fraternity row. Tear gas hung like heavy fog across the Isthmus." In the fracas, student activist Paul Soglin, then a city alderman, was arrested twice and taken to jail. Soglin was later elected mayor of Madison, serving from 1973 to 1979, 1989 to 1997, and is the current mayor, elected again in April, 2011. During his middle term he led the construction of the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Monona Terrace. David Maraniss wrote a book, They Marched into Sunlight, which incorporated the 1967 Dow protests into a larger Vietnam War narrative.
Madison city politics remain dominated by activists of liberal and progressive ideologies. In 1992, a local third party Progressive Dane was founded. Recently enacted city policies supported in the Progressive Dane platform have included an inclusionary zoning ordinance, later abandoned by the mayor and a majority of the city council, and a city minimum wage. The party holds multiple seats on the Madison City Council and Dane County Board of Supervisors, and is aligned variously with the Democratic and Green parties.
The city's voters are generally much more politically liberal than voters in the rest of Wisconsin. For example, 76% of Madison voters voted against a 2006 state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage,[17] even though the ban passed statewide with 59% of the vote.[18]
In early 2011, Madison was the site for massive protests against a bill proposed by Governor Scott Walker that would remove most (or in some cases all) collective bargaining rights for most public worker unions. Protests in and around the capitol building involved between 10,000 and 85,000 people and lasted for several weeks.
Wisconsin state government and the University of Wisconsin–Madison remain the top two Madison employers. However, Madison's economy today is evolving from a government-based economy to a consumer services and high-tech base, particularly in the health, biotech and advertising sectors. Beginning in the early 1990s, the city experienced a steady economic boom and has been less affected by recession. Much of the expansion has occurred on the city's south and west sides, but it has also affected the east side near the Interstate 39-90-94 interchange and along the northern shore of Lake Mendota. Underpinning the boom is the development of high-tech companies, many fostered by the UW–Madison working with local businesses and entrepreneurs to transfer the results of academic research into real-world applications, most notably bio-tech applications.
Many businesses are attracted to Madison's skill base, taking advantage of the area's high level of education. According to city-data.com, 48.2% of Madison's population over the age of 25 holds at least a bachelor's degree. Forbes magazine reported in 2004 that Madison has the highest percentage of individuals holding Ph.D.s in the United States. In 2005, Forbes listed the city as having the lowest unemployment in the nation: 2.5%, less than half the U.S. 2004 average.[20] In 2006, the same magazine listed Madison as number 31 in the top 200 metro areas for "Best Places for Business and Careers."[21] However, Forbes has named Madison in the top ten several times within the past decade. In 2009, in the midst of the late-2000s recession, Madison had an unemployment rate of 3.5% and was ranked number one in a list of "ten cities for job growth".[22]
The University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics is an important regional teaching hospital and regional trauma center, with strengths in transplant medicine, oncology, digestive disorders, and endocrinology.[24] Other Madison hospitals include St. Mary's Hospital,[25] Meriter Hospital and the VA Medical Center.
In the mid 2000s Madison partnered with Merrimac Communications to develop and build a wireless internet infrastructure.[29] In early 2010 a grass-root effort began to bring Google's new high-speed fiber Internet to Madison. In a public forum in March 2010, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz (chez-LEV-itch) criticized Topeka, Kansas, which had changed its name to Google, Kansas, saying that its move was a cheap stunt.[30]
According to Forbes magazine, Madison ranks second in the nation in education.[31][32] It is home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Edgewood College, Madison Area Technical College and Madison Media Institute, giving the city a student population of nearly 50,000. The University of Wisconsin contributes the vast majority of these, with roughly 41,000 students enrolled, of whom 30,750 are undergraduates.[33] This makes it one of the largest public universities in the United States. It is consistently rated among the top public post-secondary schools in the country. In a Forbes magazine city ranking from 2003, Madison had the highest number of Ph.D.s per capita, and third highest college graduates per capita, among ranked cities in the United States.[34][dead link]
Madison is served by the Dane County Regional Airport, which serves more than 100 commercial flights on an average day, and nearly 1.6 million passengers annually. Madison Metro operates bus routes throughout the city and to some surrounding towns.[39] Madison has five taxicab companies, as well as several companies that provide specialized transit for individuals with disabilities. Most major General Aviation operations take place at Morey Field in Middleton 15 miles (24 km) away from the city center.
A high-speed rail route from Chicago through Milwaukee and Madison to Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, was proposed as part of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative. Funding for the railway connecting Madison to Milwaukee was approved in January, 2010, but Governor-elect Scott Walker's opposition to the project led the Federal Railroad Administration to retract the $810 million in funding and reallocate it to other projects.[40] The nearest passenger train station is 28 miles (45 km) away, in Columbus, Wisconsin, from which the eastbound Empire Builder provides daily service to Milwaukee and Chicago, while the westbound Empire Builder provides daily service to the west. A commuter light rail system has been proposed, particularly for a corridor passing through the isthmus and alongside the university campus, but has remained on paper for decades.[41]
WSOR number 4025 painted for the railroad's 25th anniversary, seen in Madison July 23, 2005.
Railroad freight services are provided in Madison by Wisconsin and Southern Railroad (WSOR) and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). Wisconsin & Southern has been operating since 1980, having taken over trackage owned since the 19th century by the Chicago and North Western and the Milwaukee Road. Some of the proposed light rail and commuter routes would use existing WSOR rights-of-way, such as the line between the Kohl Center and Middleton. Limited commuter trains were tested along this line in the early 2000s as "football specials". The trains took passengers from the Middleton depot to Camp Randall Stadium to help alleviate parking issues on game days.
The Badger Bus connects Madison to Milwaukee running multiple buses a day. Greyhound Lines, a nationwide bus company, has a local stop and offers routes through most of the country. Van Galder Bus Company, a subsidiary of Coach USA, provides transportation through Rockford to Chicago – Downtown at the Amtrak station, O'Hare Airport and Midway Airport. Jefferson Lines provides transportation to the Twin Cities. First Student offers charter bus rental services to groups in the Madison and Milwaukee area.
Madison is home to an extensive and varied number of print publications for a small city, reflecting the city's role as the state capital and diverse political, cultural and academic population. The Wisconsin State Journal (weekday circulation: ~95,000; Sundays: ~155,000) is published in the mornings, while its sister publication, The Capital Times (Thursday supplement to the Journal) is published online daily. Though conjoined in a joint-operating agreement operated under the name Capital Newspapers, the Journal is owned by the national chain Lee Enterprises, while the Times is independently owned. Wisconsin State Journal is the descendant of the Wisconsin Express, a paper founded in the Wisconsin Territory in 1839. The Capital Times was founded in 1917 by William T. Evjue, a business manager for the State Journal who disagreed with that paper's editorial criticisms of Wisconsin Republican Senator Robert M. La Follette, Sr. for his opposition to U.S. entry into World War I. Through Capital Newspapers, Lee also owns many other papers in southwest Wisconsin and northeast Iowa.
The city is home to the free weekly alternative newspaper Isthmus (weekly circulation: ~65,000), which was founded in 1976. The Onion, a satirical weekly, was founded in Madison in 1988. Two student newspapers are published during the academic year, The Daily Cardinal (Mon-Fri circulation: ~10,000) and The Badger Herald (Mon-Fri circulation: ~16,000). The Herald began during the tumultuous Vietnam War era as a conservative alternative to the liberal Cardinal. Madison is home to numerous other specialty print publications focusing on local music, politics and sports, including The Madison Times, Wisconsin Sports WeeklyThe Mendota Beacon, The Madison Observer, Madison Magazine and The Simpson Street Free Press. There is a strong community of local blogs including Althouse, Dane101, and The Critical Badger.
Madison is home to The Progressive, a left-wing periodical that may be best known for the attempt of the US government in 1979 to suppress one of the Progressive's articles before publication. However, the magazine eventually prevailed in the landmark First Amendment case, United States v. The Progressive, Inc. During the 1970s, there were two radical weeklies published in Madison, known as TakeOver and Free for All.
Madison hosts two volunteer-operated and community-oriented radio stations, WORT and WSUM.
WORT Community Radio (89.9 FM), founded by progressive Madisonians in 1975, is one of the oldest volunteer-powered radio stations in the United States. A listener-sponsored community radio station broadcasting from 118 S. Bedford Street, WORT offers diverse music and talk programming that is locally produced and hosted by local DJs. WSUM 91.7 FM is a student radio station whose programming and operation are carried out almost entirely by students.
Madison's Wisconsin Public Radio station, WHA, was one of the first radio stations in the nation to begin broadcasting, and remains the longest continuously broadcasting station in the nation.
In September 2004, Madison became home to the first state Air America affiliate, "The Mic 92.1 FM" (WXXM). "Madison's Progressive Talk" arrived within weeks of the 2004 national elections, which positioned it well for audience appeal. It initially carried the full Air America lineup. Over time, its schedule included other progressive content from national and local programs, such as Matthew Rothchild's Progressive Radio and Free Thought Radio from the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
In 1996 Money magazine identified Madison as the best place to live in the United States.[42] It has consistently ranked near the top of the best-places list in subsequent years, with the city's low unemployment rate a major contributor.
The main downtown thoroughfare is State Street, which links the University of Wisconsin campus with the State Capitol Square, and is lined with restaurants, espresso cafes and shops. Only pedestrians, buses, emergency vehicles, delivery vehicles and bikes are allowed on State Street.
On the other side of Capitol Square is King Street, which is developing along State Street, but with less of a student character and more appeal to the growing young white-collar high-tech population in Madison. King Street has more upper-end restaurants and cafes than are found on the more student-budget State Street.
The skyline of Madison, with Wisconsin ANGF-16 jet fighters in the foreground
The Great Taste of the Midwest craft beer festival, established in 1987 and the second longest running such event in North America, is the second Saturday in August and the highly coveted tickets sell out within an hour of going on sale in May.[45]
Madison is host to Rhythm and Booms, a massive fireworks celebration (coordinated to music) that begins with a fly-over by several F-16s from the local Wisconsin Air National Guard. This celebration is the largest fireworks display in the Midwest in length, number of shells fired and the size of its annual budget.[46]
Sailboats approaching the south shore of Lake Mendota and downtown Madison – north side of isthmus
In 2004 Madison was named the healthiest city in America by Men's Journal magazine. Many major streets in Madison have designated bike lanes and the city has one of the most extensive bike trail systems in the nation. Madison has an active cyclist culture and it is commonplace to see groups of bicyclists in the city on nice days. Bicycle tourism is an $800 million industry in Wisconsin, which has 20 percent of the nation's bicycling industry manufacturing capacity.[48]
There are many cooperative organizations in the Madison area, ranging from grocery stores (such as the Willy Street Cooperative) to housing co-ops (such as Madison Community Cooperative and Nottingham Housing Cooperative) to worker cooperatives (including and engineering firm and a cab company). In addition, there are several credit unions.
In 2005, Madison was included in Gregory A. Kompes' book, 50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live.[49] The Madison Metro area is also credited as the most liberal in the state, and has a higher percentage of gay couples than any other city in the area outside of Chicago and Minneapolis.[50] The city was also named the number one college sports town by Sports Illustrated in 2003.[51]
Among the city's various neighborhood fairs and celebrations are two large student-driven gatherings, the Mifflin Street Block Party and the State Street Halloween Party. Rioting and vandalism at the State Street gathering in 2004 and 2005 led the city to institute a cover charge for the 2006 celebration.[52] In an attempt to give the event more structure (and to eliminate opportunity for vandalism), the city and student organizations worked together to schedule performances by bands, and to organize activities. The event has been named "Freakfest On State Street."[53] Events such as these have helped contribute to the city's nickname of "Madtown."
In 2009, the Madison Common Council voted to name the plastic pink flamingo as the official city bird.[54]
Madison's vibrant music scene covers a wide spectrum of living musical culture.
Several venues offer live music every night of the week, spreading from the historic Barrymore Theatre on the eastside to the Annex on the west side. Several small coffee houses and wine bars offer live music every night in all formats. Closer to downtown, the High Noon Saloon is developing a national reputation for developing and breaking indie rock and local acts. The biggest headliners generally perform at the Orpheum Theatre, the Overture Center or at the UW Theatre on campus. Other popular rock and pop venues include the Majestic Theater, the Frequency, and as of late, the Great Dane Pub.
Garbage is the city's most recognized contemporary contribution to popular music. The multi-million album selling alternative-rock band has been based out of Madison since formation in 1994 by producer-musician Butch Vig of Viroqua. Vig is well-known for producing albums for such highly regarded bands as Bongzilla, The Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Fall Out Boy and Against Me!.
In the summer months Madison hosts many music festivals, most notably the Waterfront Festival, the Willy St. Fair, Atwood Summerfest, Isthmus Jazz Festival, The Orton Park Festival, Forward Music Festival, 94.1 WJJO's Band Camp, Greekfest, Madison Pop Festival, the WORT Block Party and the Sugar Maple Traditional Music Festival, with more being added all the time. One of the latest additions is the Fête de Marquette, taking place near or on Bastille Day (7/14), at Central Park. This new festival celebrates French music, with a focus on Cajun influences. Madison also hosts an annual electronic music festival, Reverence and Folkball, a world music and Folk dance festival held annually in January. More recently Madison is home to the LBGTQA festival Fruit Fest, celebrating queer culture and LGBT allies. The second annual Fruit Fest was June 18, 2011 and featured Tiffany, Erin McKeown, Bitch, Athens Boys Choir, and local Madison group Little Red Wolf.
Community-based theater groups abound in many neighborhoods of Madison including the Broom Street Theater which is not on Broom Street. Past productions have included comic-style riffs on regional and local news stories such as Audrey Seiler, a University of Wisconsin–Madison student who faked her own kidnapping, causing a county-wide search that gained national attention for several weeks. Other groups include Children's Theatre of Madison, Strollers Theatre, Madison Theatre Guild and the Mercury Players.
Madison offers one comedy club, the Comedy Club on State, and has other options for more alternative humor, featuring several improv groups, such as The Prom Committee, Spin Cycle Improv, Atlas Improv, The Monkey Business Institute, the now defunct ARC Improv and Comedy Sportz, and sketch comedy groups The Public Drunkards and The Rabid Badger Theatre Company. A spearheading organization called the WiSUC Project annually hosts the "Funniest Comic in Madison" contest at the High Noon Saloon.
Several films have been at least partially made in Madison. One of the most noted was the documentary The War at Home, which chronicled the anti-Vietnam War movement in Madison. Another film that made extensive use of the city as a backdrop was the 1986 comedy Back to School, starring Rodney Dangerfield. The University's Bascom Hill was used extensively, as was the University Bookstore. The film also showed many campus dormitories, and various outdoor locales, including the Union terrace and Library Mall. More recently, the 2006 film The Last Kiss used Madison and the university as a back-drop. One early scene in the film was also shot on the Union terrace. In 2008, scenes were shot at the state capitol and surrounding area for use in the 2009 film Public Enemies featuring Christian Bale and Johnny Depp.
The Wisconsin State Capitol dome, closely based on the dome of the U.S. Capitol, is the jewel of the Madison skyline, and is visible throughout the Madison area due to its position on the high point of the isthmus (and a state law that limits building heights within one mile (1.6 km) of the structure).[63] Because of its location in the urban core, Capitol Square is well integrated with everyday pedestrian traffic and commerce, and the spoke streets—especially State Street and E. Washington—offer dramatic views of the Capitol.
Architect Frank Lloyd Wright spent much of his childhood in Madison and studied briefly at the University, and is responsible for several Madison buildings. Monona Terrace, a meeting and convention center overlooking Lake Monona, designed by Taliesin Architect Anthony Puttnam, was based loosely on a 1938 Wright design. Wright did design the seminal Usonian House, which is located here. (Another key Wright building, the Unitarian Meeting House, is in the adjacent suburb of Shorewood Hills.) The Harold C. Bradley House, designed collaboratively by Louis H. Sullivan and George Grant Elmslie in 1908–1910 now serves as the Sigma Phi Fraternity in the University Heights neighborhood, along with many well-maintained early 20th-century residences.
Harold C. Bradley House
The Overture Center for the Arts, designed by Argentina-born architect César Pelli, and led by Flad Architects and Potter Lawson (Madison-based firms) as executive architect, also stands on State Street near the Capitol. Since opening in 2004, the center has already presented shows and concerts in its Overture Hall, Capitol Theater and The Playhouse. The center, also including smaller performance spaces, also houses the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. The style, unlike Pelli's Petronas Towers, leans toward sleek modernism, with simple expanses of glass framed by stone that are intended to complement the historic building facades preserved as part of the building's State Street exposure.
Many of the over 175 Madison buildings designed by the architectural firm of Claude and Starck are still standing, including Breese Stevens Field, Doty School (now converted to condominiums), and many private residences.[64]
The UW–Madison campus includes many buildings designed or supervised by architects J. T. W. Jennings (the Dairy Barn, Agricultural Hall) and Arthur Peabody (the Memorial Union and the Carillon Tower). The UW administration building Bascom Hall sits atop a steep hill overlooking Lake Mendota, and has been the site of many demonstrations and events. The density of the campus has grown to include 8 to 10 story high-rises including dormitories, research facilities, and classrooms. Several campus buildings erected in the 1960s exhibit brutalist architecture, which is now unpopular. In 2005 the University of Wisconsin embarked on a major redevelopment initiative that will transform the east end of its campus. The plan calls for the razing of a nearly a dozen 1950s to 1970s vintage buildings and the construction of new dormitories, administration, and classroom buildings, as well as the development of a new pedestrian mall extending to Lake Mendota.
The downtown and near east side is currently experiencing a building boom, with dozens of new condominium and apartment buildings being constructed.
In 1996, Madison was rated #3 in "Safest of Nation's 100 Largest Cities" by Morgan Quinto Press and #9 in "America's Safest Cities" by Money.[75] In 2008, Men's Health magazine ranked Madison as the "Least Armed and Dangerous" city in an article about "Where Men Are Targets" throughout the US.[76] Between 2004 and 2007, 17 murders were reported.[77][78][79] In 2008, Madison Police reported 10 homicides [80]
Inside the Kohl Center during a men's ice hockey game
Madison's reputation as a sports city exists largely because of the University of Wisconsin. In 2004 Sports Illustrated on Campus named Madison the #1 college sports town in the nation.[81] This sentiment was echoed by Scott Van Pelt in July 2010 on Dan Patrick's ESPN radio show when he proclaimed Madison the best college sports town in America.[82]
The UW–Madison teams play their home-field sporting events in venues in and around Madison. The football team plays at Camp Randall Stadium. In 2005 a renovation was completed that added 72 luxury suites and increased the stadium's capacity to 80,321, although crowds of as many as 83,000 have attended games. The basketball and hockey teams play at the Kohl Center. Construction on the $76 million arena was completed in 1997. In 2006, the men's and women's Badger hockey teams won NCAA Division I championships, and the women repeated with a second consecutive national championship in 2007.[83] Some events are played at the county-owned Alliant Energy Center (formerly Dane County Memorial Coliseum) and the University-owned Wisconsin Field House.
Despite Madison's strong support for college sports, it has proven to be an inhospitable home for professional baseball. The Madison Muskies, a Class A, Midwest League affiliate of the Oakland A's, left town in 1993 after 11 seasons. The Madison Hatters, another Class A, Midwest League team, played in Madison for only the 1994 season. The Madison Black Wolf, an independent Northern League franchise lasted five seasons, (1996–2000) before decamping for Lincoln, Nebraska. Madison is currently home to the Madison Mallards, a college wood-bat summer baseball league team in the Northwoods League (not to be confused with the Minor League Baseball). They play in Warner Park on the city's North side from June to August.
Madison is home to a new football team called the Madison Mustangs, a semi-pro football team that is part of the Ironman Football League that originated in Milwaukee in the late 1990s. Games are typically played on Saturday during the summer months, with the home field being Middleton High School.
The Blackhawk Ski Club, formed in 1947, provides ski jumping, cross country skiing and alpine skiing. The club's programs have produced multiple Olympic ski jumpers, two Olympic ski jumping coaches and one Olympic ski-jumping director. The club had the first Nordic ski facility with lighted night jumping.
Madison is home to the Wisconsin Rugby Club, the 1998 USA Rugby Division II National Champions, and the Wisconsin Women's Rugby Football Club, the state's only Division I women's rugby team. The city also has men's and women's rugby clubs at UW–Madison, in addition to four high school boy's teams and one high school girl's team. The most recent addition to the Madison rugby community, Madison Minotaurs Rugby Club, is composed largely of gay players and is Wisconsin's first and only IGRAB team, but is open to any player with any experience level. All ten teams play within the Wisconsin Rugby Football Union, the Midwest Rugby Union and USA Rugby.
Nearly 100 women participate in the adult women's ice hockey teams that are based in Madison (Thunder, Lightning, Freeze, UW–B and C teams), all of which play in the Women's Central Hockey League. The popular Madison Gay Hockey Association is also in Madison.
Madison is home to several endurance sports racing events, such as the Crazylegs Classic, Paddle and Portage, the Mad City Marathon, and Ironman Wisconsin, which attracts over 45,000 spectators.[86]
Madison was part of Chicago's 2016 Olympics bid. If the Chicago 2016 bid had been successful, 80,000-seat Camp Randall Stadium would have served as one of Chicago's stadiums during the Games.[87]
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UW plans renovations to graduate student housing The University of Wisconsin recently announced plans to renovate housing for graduate students, all of whom will have to move out before the project begins in 2014. UW Housing Director Paul Evans said 144 apartments are scheduled to begin ...
UW-Madison reaches 3,000 in total Peace Corps volunteers produced The University of Wisconsin-Madison this year ranks third among large universities nationwide in the number of alumni currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers, up from eighth last year. The 9,095 Peace Corps volunteers now working with local communities ...
UW-Madison artist to show work at UWMC The work of Luke Ahern, a multi-media artist and graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will be on display beginning Monday in the Ahnsbrak Room of the University of Wisconsin Marathon County. His work includes visual art and ...
Campus Connection: Adidas sticking to its guns in dispute with UW-Madison Adidas is forcing the hand of University of Wisconsin-Madison leadership. The apparel giant met the Thursday deadline set by UW-Madison interim Chancellor David Ward to respond to allegations of sweatshop abuses at a factory Adidas subcontracted with in Indonesia.
Small explosion in University of Wisconsin chem lab injures 1 MADISON — A small explosion inside a laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison chemistry building has sent one person to the hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries. University of Wisconsin Police Department Sgt. Aaron Chapin said ...
UW’s Bielema irritated by tactics of Ohio State MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema unveiled a 12-player recruiting class Wednesday and was asked whether he had noticed any changes in recruiting in a Big Ten with new coach Urban Meyer now in charge at Ohio State. Turns out, the answer is yes.
UW football: Badgers sign 12 in midst of changes MADISON -- University of Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema and his three holdover assistant coaches weren't the only ones working overtime to hold this year's recruiting class together during a month Bielema called "insane." Guard Dan Voltz ...
Lerner leaves UW, Dehn could return MADISON -- Along with his 2012 recruiting class ... with proceeds benefiting academics at the University of Wisconsin. Alvarez and Bielema received a requests from a number of different programs, but ultimately settled on the School of Human ...
UW men's basketball: Taylor makes Cousy cut Senior Jordan Taylor, the leading scorer on the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team, was named one of 11 players still in the running for the 2012 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award. Taylor leads the Badgers with 14.1 points and 4 ...
Spacious Villa in Sweden with Mesmerizing Design Features
Welcome to a peaceful and inspiring property in Sweden, composed of a main residence, garage, stables and a large side building with four parking spaces and private offices. The exclusive main villa is surrounded by a lovely garden with large lawns and ornamental stone. With a total floor area of 450 square meters, the inhabitants of this home have plenty of space for relaxation and family activities. The interiors are mesmerizing and blend modern comfort with elegant traditional details. Once inside, a potential visitor is overwhelmed with the spacious entrance hall, which communicates with the living room, kitchen and library. A beautiful and well-placed fireplace provides light and heat, while contributing to a romantic atmosphere. The dining area is surrounded by a glass pavilion, with views towards the garden. This home found on Skeppsholmen is definitely worth analyzing in detail, and it is our pleasure to invite you to discover each and every inspiring design element the project puts on display.
You're reading Spacious Villa in Sweden with Mesmerizing Design Features originally posted on Freshome. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Freshome on Twitter, Facebook and Google+
US Luxury Retailers Welcome Speedier Visas For Chinese, Brazilian Tourists For years now, the United States of America has been losing out to European nations because of its stringent visa policies. But the struggling economy looks set to change all that. And luxury retailers are smiling. President Barack Obama has finally agreed to speed up tourist visas for travelers from China and Brazil. The plan [...]
Pure White Highgate Apartment Split Into Half-Levels
TG Studio, with architecture and design offices in London, were the ones who envisioned this serene and contemporary white space. Clearly influenced by the owner’s Norwegian upbringing, this classy Highgate Apartment in a mid terraced house near Hampstead Heath displays a sculptured interior design, carefully placed to incorporate views of Parliament Hill. Evoking memories of the owner’s mountainous and brightly landscaped homeland, the interior design spreads over three half levels that merge to shape a unitary overall design. Connected by a sculptural glass staircase with wooden steps, the levels are beautifully separated but keep a semi-transparent design that allows natural light to floor every corner of the apartment. Sheltering three bedrooms and two bathrooms on top of the bright entertaining space – kitchen, living and dining areas – the open spaces feature naturally treated Norwegian Pine floors and modern white furniture throughout. This is one of the few completely white spaces that can be considered exceptional.
You're reading Pure White Highgate Apartment Split Into Half-Levels originally posted on Freshome. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Freshome on Twitter, Facebook and Google+
Most expensive Valentine's Day Idea: $55,000 sparkling red velvet cupcake Wrik Sen: With the splurges of the Valentines Day being meted out in the recent past few weeks, why would gourmet food be left out? Not dinners or particular champagnes, its the good old cupcake which is the talk of the town in Malvern, where the premier bakery products maker, Cupcake Gourmet has managed to dish out a $55,000 cupcake. Apart from a velvet dressing, it features an 8-carat diamond engagement ring, which just might prove to be the ideal way to pop up the much coveted question. For a second, it also reminded us of the world’s most expensive cupcake, which was especially made to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the Since1910s jewelry store.
$55,000 sparkling red velvet cupcake with diamond ring
The special design of the sweetish sees the use of velvet on the base, upon which a cream top sits housing the 8-carat diamond ring selected by the client. The jeweler partnering with gourmet bakery is Warwick Jewelers, who have involved a set of creative brains to bring in a variety of designs for the perfect pairing of the rings with the cakes. Once the order for the ring is supposed to be decided upon, the customer has to visit any one of the Cupcake Gourmet outlets 3 days in advance to select the design, with the suggestions from the jeweler. Once the selection is complete, the ring will created according to specifications, and the bejeweled cupcake will be presented at the opportune moment during the dinner at one of the outlets of the bakery, where the questions awaits to be forward.
Incentives for the special couples dont end here. If they order the rest of the bakery menu from Gourmet cupcakes, they can avail a whole set of free cupcakes (no jewels) from them, to be served on the special occasion. However, to avail this offer one would have to check if they are the first ones to do so or not. If yes, then specialties from the bakery kitchen will follow suit soon.
Via: Cupcakes Gourmet/ Marketwire
Tony Cochran steampunk guitars will be a collectible in time to come Karanvir Singh: Steampunk, a neo-Victorian era inspired art synthesized with the modern style technology delivers the coolest gear, a guitar, perfect piece of art for geeks and guitar lovers both. Just like Steampunk culture got a history, each of the Tony Cochrans guitars has a story too. Tony has this passion to give history to any unused electric guitar, to make it precious and worth to be treasured. Tonys steampunk guitars are his leather wrapped, metal clad beauties that has been nailed, screwed and riveted into a new past, and of course they look beautiful and can be used to rock out.
Steampunk guitars
We had earlier featured the Aethertone custom electric guitar that appealed to the steampunk lovers, this time Cochrans collection of eccentric electric guitars is truly worth admiring, and is also available for sale. He got a pretty collection of guitars, a total of 17, and they are not the cheapest guitars, average price floats around $1500.
Alumicaster guitar
Alumicaster guitar
Priced at $2030, it is one of Tonys favorite guitars. Its a Strat look alike clad with aluminum from the Porche James Dean died in. As Tony says, its original owner de-skinned the door and used the aluminum sheet to cover up the body cracks in the guitar.
Adjusticaster guitar
Adjusticaster guitar
Mary Freidenhowers mother found some pieces of an electric guitar in 1959. She then combined these found pieces with an incomplete guitar left by her father before he went to prison. This Adjusticaster guitar is now available for $1859 at Tony Cochrans website.
Tokyocaster guitar
Tokyocaster guitar
While patrolling a burned out village, Private Eldon R found this guitar in 1964, in a steaming pile of rubble. Guitar was in playable condition that time despite of some corrosion and charring. Now, a steampunk lover can buy this guitar for $2030.
Picture Gallery
Tony Cochran Guitars
Tony Cochran steampunk guitars
Via: Geekosystem / PP
Mortgage news feed
Record Low Rates Likely to Hold Most mortgage rates fell to the lowest levels ever recorded, and it looks like they could hang near those lows through next week. The one exception is the one-year adjustable-rate mortgage.
The 30-year mortgage, 15-year mortgage and five-year, Treasury-indexed, hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage all fell to record lows.
This week's Treasury Market data suggests rates are likely to be about the same in next week's report.
Survey: Strip Off Jr Liens in Chapter 13 BKs A majority of people in the legal community believe that a borrower should be able "strip off" a junior-lien mortgage in a bankruptcy payment plan even if the bankruptcy is not discharged.
The findings were based on a poll taken of lawyers, judges and other bankruptcy professionals as well as bankers and lenders.
The majority either agreed or strongly agreed that debtors should be allowed to strip off a wholly unsecured junior mortgage lien in a chapter 13 plan, even if they are not entitled to a discharge.
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Freehold, New Jersey Condo 2012-02-01 09:54:32 - DESIRABLE COMMUNITY NEAR JERSEY SHORE $164000
THE VILLAGES 55+ Adult Community- Nothing to do. Just move in!
RENOVATED 2008-2009 New Kitchen, cabinets, counter top,new appliances, washer & dryer. Two new full baths, master with 5' walk-in shower,new tile,vanity, fan ,lights ,recessed lights in kitchen. all electric outlets replaced, new 3/4" solid hardwood ...
Marshalltown, Iowa Duplex 2012-01-26 14:33:24 - Superb Investment Property with 2 wonderful apartments with private entrances. All the work is done. You could live in one unit & rent the other, or rent them both. Newer roof, permanent siding, newer energy efficient furnace, plumbing, & wiring are new. All but 2 windows ...
Swainsboro, Georgia Single Family Home 2011-12-04 15:08:44 - MUST SELL! Drive up the 180 ft. paved driveway to this 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath brick home close to Swainsboro Golf and Country Club. This fabulous house sits on over 3 acres and includes: granite counter tops in kitchen and master bath, large den with masonry fireplace and wood ...
Las Vegas, Nevada Commercial Property 2011-12-02 20:03:30 - INVESTOR SPECIAL: Beautiful 4 bed 2 bath 2,646 2 storey home with large front & rear yards in Spring Valley. High end Granite kitchen with all appliances, Solid cherry wood flooring, Brick fireplace and stone frontage. ...
Shingletown, California Single Family Home 2011-11-25 21:15:40 - Just two and a half miles east of Shingletown, pull off Highway 44,
onto a private driveway to arrive at this secluded mountain home.
Two majestic redwoods frame the east and west sides of the house.
Enjoy this turn-key, well-maintained 2000 square foot, 3 bedroom, 2 bath residence with easy access.
Stepping inside the ...
Wickenburg, Arizona Residential Property 2011-10-20 12:56:02 - I'm also offering a $ 20'000 Finder's Fee on top for anyone bringing a buyer, paid through escrow for this 5,000 sqf home on 20 acres (8 hectares 80,000 m2) of buildable land
Please check this link:
www.TourFactory.com/idxr518408 (unbranded version of the virtual tour for you to use)
This is a ...
Gilbert, South Carolina Single Family Home 2011-09-08 09:38:23 - Lake front home in Gilbert SC. Home is located on Pleasure Island, Lake Murray. Lot includes 112 foot of waterfront, with dock, dock house, ramp & boat lift. Go to my web site www.222pleasureislandroad.com for complete detail and lots of photos. ...
Boothwyn, Pennsylvania Residential Property 2011-08-29 13:09:15 - Beautiful Brick Rancher that is located in a quiet neighborhood in Upper Chi Chester Township. It has hardwood floors,central air, a large sunroof, a real wood burning fire place, a detached garage and a huge backyard with a large deck. THIS PROPERTY COMES WITH A 2-YEAR WARRANTY ON ALL ...
Tallahassee, Florida Single Family Home 2011-08-09 15:12:05 - Custom built home with 10-foot ceilings and archways in the living areas, hardwood floors in Living and Dining Rooms, beautiful ceramic tile in Kitchen, Foyer, Hall and Bathrooms. Mexican tile in the large screened sunroom which opens to an elevated deck with an aesthetic vista. Wood-burning fireplace, ceiling fans throughout, ...
Winter Haven, Florida Manufactured Home 2011-06-25 11:10:19 - ENJOY THE ACTIVIE SENIOR COMMUNITY
This beautiful home is located in a gated 55+ golfing community. This 2001 Home of Merit features an open concept w/ 2 bedrooms, 2 baths & a den. The gorgeous master suite has a large closet, his & her sinks, a separate shower & the ...
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House Plans: Editor’s Choice Dream Homes from 2011 The editors of The House Designers have been busy going through over 6,000 best-selling house plans to choose their favorite designs from 2011. These particular house plans were chosen based on their innovation and energy efficiency as well as their interior detailing and curb appeal. The Palladium House Plan was one of the newest [...]
House Plans: Innovative New House Plans from The House Designers The newest house plans from The House Designers feature a mix of innovative green home products and building practices combined with timeless architectural styling and open floor plans to ensure years of comfortable and efficient home living. You’ll find everything from unique mountain homes to gorgeous Mediterranean estates to traditional two-story house plans, as well [...]
Leading architect from The House Designers designs a house plan for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in Texas Leading architect from America’s best-selling house plan company, The House Designers helps design a custom house plan for a worthy family in Texas for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” ABC’s Emmy award-winning reality TV Show, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” will surprise a worthy family in Bastrop County Texas where wildfires destroyed 1,500 homes this past Labor [...]
Share Your Home Building Experience & Win $250 Share Your Home Building Experience We would like to invite all our home plan purchasers to share their home building experience and rate our house plans to assist others in choosing their dream home. Send us your photographs of your new home and share your experience building one of our house plans by DECEMBER 20 [...]
House Plans: One-Story Floor Plans Today’s one-story house plans go well beyond the traditional ranch home. Architects and designers are taking the single story house plans to a whole new level by incorporating a variety of innovative and unique shapes and sizes to meet the needs, budget and lifestyle of future new home builders. Consumers and builders can expect [...]
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