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Santiago Calatrava's singular Quadracci Pavilion at the Milwaukee Art Museum

The sweeping angles, broad curves, and dramatic lighting provide a powerful presence at night

The award-winning Quadracci Pavilion is a journey of one vibrant space after another

A powerful setting for the 21st century meeting — the unforgettable Windhover Hall

A daytime wedding in Windhover Hall requires little added decor and almost no electricity!

Form and function — the galleries provide all the atmosphere you need for a private reception

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Milwaukee Art Museum – Quadracci Pavilion

Location:

Style: Business Meetings, Social Gatherings

The sculptural wizardry of architect Santiago Calatrava abounds with glass, stone, daylight and even moving parts in the magnificent Quadracci Pavilion.

In 2005 the City of Milwaukee gave birth to a new and impressive addition to its skyline, to the existing Milwaukee Art Museum, and notably to the adjoining harbor. This striking new presence, the Quadracci Pavilion, whether one sees it as part ship or part sea creature, is the work of architect/engineer Santiago Calatrava. Calatrava continues to define modern cityscapes, places of community and public gathering, and distant urban views in countries around the globe. Calatrava’s work is modern yet understandable, and sculptural but purposeful.

The soaring, light-filled Windhover Hall, with its windows reaching out into the harbor, is a focal point of the museum. The Hall provides a dramatic meeting space by day, or can be transformed for any social affair by night. This space is accentuated with a 90-foot ceiling. It evokes a feeling of floating over the harbor as in a ship, and the ample floor area can accommodate events of virtually any purpose.

One of the most striking features of the building is the moveable sun screen, resembling the large tail of a whale about to descend beneath the sea. As appealing as it is to look at, it also functions and adjusts to monitor light and comfort levels within the building.

Also of great architectural importance at the Milwaukee Museum of Art is the War Memorial Center. Built in 1957, the memorial was designed by world-renowned Finnish– American architect Eero Saarinen. This classic modernist building provides a unique setting for a military service memorial. 

Images courtesy of Milwaukee Art Museum