Monona Terrace

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Part of the Madison skyline as seen from Lake Monona, with Monona Terrace in the middle and the capital directly behind it.

Monona Terrace (view from Lake Monona)

Monona Terrace (officially the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center), is a convention center on the shores of Lake Monona in Madison, Wisconsin.

1 Controversy
2 Location
3 Design
4 Construction
5 Facilities
6 External links

[edit] Controversy

Originally designed by Wisconsin native Frank Lloyd Wright, it was first proposed by Wright in 1938. The county board rejected the plan by a single vote. Wright would continue to seek support for the plan (and alter its design) until his death in 1959.

For the next three decades, various proposals for a convention center on the Monona Terrace land would be considered and rejected. Several times, it appeared that supporters of the project would be able to secure the public financing to complete the project, but various forces (such as the start of World War II) inevitably sidelined the plan. In 1990, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin resurrected Wright's proposal, which won narrow approval in a public referendum in 1992. Construction began two years later.

In 1997, nearly sixty years after Wright's original inception, Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center opened its doors.

[edit] Location

Monona Terrace is located two blocks from the Wisconsin State Capitol building in downtown Madison.

From the roof of Monona Terrace, one can see views of downtown Madison, including the Capitol and a panoramic view of Lake Monona.

[edit] Design

Wright made several alterations to the design of Monona Terrace during his lifetime. Although the exterior design is Wright's, the interior as executed was adapted from Wright's original design by Taliesin architect (and former Wright apprentice) Anthony Puttnam.

[edit] Construction

The construction of the building was done by J.H. Findorff and Son Inc. Local contractor of south Wisconsin

[edit] Facilities

In addition to hosting conventions and private events, the weekly radio variety show Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know? broadcasts from Monona Terrace when it is not on a national tour.