Milwaukee Riverwalk/Summerfest

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The 1996 debut of the two-mile $12 million Riverwalk, master planned by Ken Kay Associates, launched the revival of this industrial city and its river and lakefronts. Blank walls once lined the polluted Milwaukee River that runs through 15 blocks of urban Downtown Milwaukee. The Riverwalk’s promenades, plazas, parks, and bridges connect downtown neighborhoods for walking and bicycling, and have attracted more than 3,300 new downtown residences and thousands of visitors, while drawing more than $712 million (2002) in private investment along the cleaned-up river.

Ken Kay Associates master planned the Riverwalk’s extension and Summerfest Park, linking the Third Ward Historic District to Henry W. Maier Festival Park on Lake Michigan and drawing millions to the annual Summerfest on the Lake. Milwaukee now enjoys a lively downtown connected to such cultural icons as Santiago Calatrava's Milwaukee Art Museum addition, the museum’s Dan Kiley-designed gardens, and historic lakefront parks and paths designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.

Former Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist hired Ken Kay as his urban design consultant for the entire downtown for over a decade of new renewal projects. The mayor praised the Riverwalk design's “simple yet elegant features that reflect Milwaukee's Old World character.” The Riverwalk has won numerous awards and been featured in books and national magazines.

MILWAUKEE RIVERWALK - 1993 BEFORE / 2004 AFTER

DOWNTOWN MILWAUKEE & SUMMERFEST MASTER PLANS