Doors Open Milwaukee comes to UWM this weekend as part of the annual city-wide event that gives locals the opportunity to see behind the scenes of the 414’s best locations.
UW-Milwaukee is a public campus, so the majority of its buildings are open to the public year-round. However, eight locations owned by UWM will be open to the public for exclusive tours and experiences this weekend for the event.
UWM owns several research centers on campus and throughout Milwaukee from a Greenhouse to the Neeskay, a Freshwater Research Vehicle. Students and visitors will be allowed to tour these facilities that are normally only open for classes and field trips.
Here is the full list of locations on and off campus with information on what each location has to offer for Doors Open Milwaukee Visitors.
Golda Meir Library
UWM’s Golda Meir Library, named for the UWM alumna and fourth prime minister of Israel, will have several exhibits open for Doors Open Milwaukee including collections from the American Geographical Society Library, UWM Archives, Special Collections and their Slovenian Music Collection which is the largest collection outside of Slovenia.
The American Geographical Society Library was formed in the early 1850s, and contains over 1.3 million items including maps, atlases, globes, books, periodicals and photographs from as early as 1452.
The UWM Archives were recently moved to the third floor of Golda Meir Library and chronicle the history of Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin from the 1800s to today. Visitors will be able to learn about Milwaukee’s diverse communities, social movements, and industrial achievements through photographs, letters, audio, video and more.
UWM’s Special Collections is Milwaukee’s largest public rare book collection, holding over 130,000 items dating back to the 15th century. For Doors Open, a sampling from the collection will be on display including early printed books, contemporary publications, artist’s books, comic books and zines.
Golda Meir Library is located at 2311 E Hartford Ave. They will be open on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Biological Sciences Department Greenhouse
On the roof of UWM’s Northwest Quadrant Building Complex, the Biological Sciences Department maintains a 9,625 square-foot collection of 670 plant species representing over 110 plant families.
Visitors can enjoy self-guided tours, take part in an economic botany scavenger hunt and learn about UWM’s cutting-edge research funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Greenhouse is located on the roof of the NWQ Building Complex at 2025 E Newport Ave. They will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Manfred Olson Planetarium
UWM’s Manfred Olson Planetarium, named after a professor of physics from 1931 to 1965, was built in the final year of his tenure.
The planetarium shows allow visitors to experience space projected on its 30-foot dome by a Spitz A3P optomechanical Projector, also known as a starball. Several digital projectors are also used to supplement the show with visual effects including a rotating Milky Way Galaxy and the Aurora Borealis.
Manfred Olson Planetarium is located at 1900 E Kenwood Blvd, and will be open Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Twenty-minute stargazing shows will be held inside the planetarium every 45 minutes.
Thomas A. Greene Geologic Museum
The Thomas A. Greene Geologic Museum displays a geological collection of approximately 75,000 minerals and foss, collected by Thomas A. Greene. This collection was recently designated by the International Commission on Geoheritage as one of the most important geological collections in the world.
Thomas Greene’s collection was donated to Milwaukee Downer College, the predecessor to UWM, in 1911. The collection was displayed at the Thomas A. Greene Memorial Museum building (3367 N. Downer Ave.) until the mid 1990s, when it was moved to the UWM Department of Geosciences.
Approximately 5,000 fossils are on display, while the rest are stored in the basement. The museum also features the most comprehensive collection of 420-million-year-old Silurian invertebrate fossils in North America, and possibly the world.
Visitors can take self-guided tours of the museum with staff available to answer questions. There will also be an Augmented Reality Sandbox and a touch table for children to handle fossils and minerals.
Thomas A. Greene Geologic Museum is located in Lapham Hall Room 168 at 3209 North Maryland Ave. They will be open Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Joseph J. Zilber College of Public Health
UWM’s Joseph J. Zilber College of Public Health opened in August of 2012, and is Wisconsin’s first nationally accredited college of public health. First built in 1919 as a hosiery factory, it was then used by Pabst Brewing Company as a cold storage facility.
A donation from the Zilber Family Foundation allowed for the building to be renovated, and its renovation methods earned the building a LEED Gold Certification for sustainable design and operation.
UWM’s Joseph J. Zilber College of Public Health is located at 2311 E Hartford Ave. They will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
UWM School of Freshwater Sciences
UWM’s School of Freshwater Sciences is the only graduate school of freshwater sciences in the U.S., researching fish ecology, nutrition and aquaculture, beach health, water chemistry, invasive species, weather and climate science.
During Doors Open, visitors can tour the building and their research vessel Neeskay. Visitors can also attend Harbor Fest and Sturgeon Fest, which brings over 4,500 Milwaukeeans to the inner harbor.
UWM’s School of Freshwater Science is located at 600 E Greenfield Ave. They will be open on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
WUWM 89.7 Radio Station
WUWM 89.7 has been broadcasting in Milwaukee for 60 years, and features programming from several outlets including National Public Radio, American Public Media, British Broadcasting Company and more.
To celebrate their 60th anniversary, they will have raffles to win different prizes and coloring activities for children.
Visitors will be able to take guided tours of the recording studios, newsroom, and Lake Effect. WUWM reporters, hosts and producers will also be available to answer questions.
WUWM is located on the seventh floor of the Chase Tower at 111 E Wisconsin Ave. They will be open on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena
UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena was first built in 1950 as the Milwaukee Arena, home to the NBA’s Milwaukee Hawks from 1951-55 and the Bucks from 1968-88. The Wisconsin Center District now owns the Panther Arena, and is home to UWM men’s basketball, Milwaukee Wave professional indoor soccer and Milwaukee Admirals professional ice hockey.
UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena is located at 400 W. Kilbourn Ave. They will be open on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors can take self-guided tours of the building.
Click here to read Cael Byrne’s article on the best spots around the city.