Three UWM sites added to Doors Open Milwaukee this year

UWM will welcome the community for the ninth annual Doors Open Milwaukee, this time bringing back four favorite sites and adding three new ones.

Doors Open Milwaukee, Sept. 28-29, shines a spotlight on Milwaukee’s art, architecture, culture and history by providing tours of more than 170 buildings, some of which are not usually open to the public.

Newly included on this list of businesses, museums and theaters are UWM’s recently opened Lubar Entrepreneurship Center and UWM Welcome Center, the new Makerspace in the Engineering Building and the Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health.

Doors Open visitors will be able to explore more than a million items in the collections of the Golda Meir libraries. (UWM Photo Services)

With the inclusion of these new sites, the community can see firsthand how UWM has expanded in recent years.

“We are community-oriented,” said Alyssa Conrardy, neighborhood housing and relations manager at UWM. “It gives people an opportunity to interact with the campus.”

At the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center and UWM Welcome Center, visitors can tour UWM’s newest addition. Guests can compete in a paper airplane contest, which encourages people to build with their hands, experiment with different designs and interact with others.

Finished in 2018, the Makerspace in the Engineering Building includes equipment and spacious workstations to help students understand engineering concepts with a hands-on approach.

At the Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health, visitors can explore state-of-the-art technology, as well as teaching kitchens, Collaboration Commons and a mural done by UWM Peck School of the Arts students.

Nearly 2,500 people explored campus at last year’s event, and Conrardy is hopeful for a similar turnout this year.

Here’s a look at what UWM is offering. You can also download a map.

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Golda Meir Library will showcase over 1.3 million items dating from 1452 in three of its treasured collections: the American Geographical Society Library, the Special Collections Library and the Archives.

In the Engineering Building, visitors can view the newly renovated Makerspace.

The Manfred Olson Planetarium will offer 20-minute stargazing shows every 45 minutes. Additionally, there will be astronomy displays and solar observation on the roof (weather permitting). The last show begins at 4 p.m.

At the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center and Welcome Center, visitors can tour UWM’s newest building, including innovation labs and instructional spaces.

The Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health was first built in 1919 as a hosiery factory and later stored kegs. After a donation from the Zilber Foundation, the building was renovated and reopened in 2012. Now, visitors can take a self-guided tour around the facility to see a unique view of the Milwaukee skyline.

The School of Freshwater Sciences will allow community members to tour its research vessel Neeskay and look at scientists’ research into invasive species, beach health, water chemistry and more.

The Panther Arena will show the history of Milwaukee sports throughout the last 70 years and give guests a chance to stock up on UWM gear at the Panther Shop in the arena. To end the day, visitors can stay for the Admirals pre-season game at 6 p.m. Admission is $10.

Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Biological Sciences Greenhouse will host a botany scavenger hunt and self-guided tours of the 9,200-square-foot greenhouse. The collection comprises 684 species of 110 plant families.

The Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health and the Manfred Olson Planetarium will be open on Sunday as well.

Top Stories