What's All the Hubbub about Monona Terrace?

Madison was practically giddy July 18 about the long (long) awaited opening of Monona Terrace. How long have Madisonians been waiting to see the Frank Lloyd Wright design finally come to life on the shores of Lake Monona just blocks from the state capitol in downtown Madison? About sixty years.

The idea of a grand structure on the shores of Lake Monona was first borne in 1938 when the City of Madison and Dane County decided to build a joint administrative building, and Frank Lloyd Wright offered a grand vision of curving surfaces, glass domes, and huge fountains housing offices, courtrooms, an auditorium, rail station and more. The budget came in a $17 million for Wright's design, and the public was unprepared to leap for Wright's "Dream Civic Center."

Over the next six decades, Wright's design would periodically surface, the public would approve funding for a civic building on the lake, and controversy would repeatedly surround Wright's design and the cost of putting it in place.

No legal stone was left unturned. Several Wisconsin governors, the Attorney-General, and the Supreme Court would find themselves embroiled in the controversy. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the City of Madison debated various plans for developing a convention center. Finally, in 1990, Mayor Paul Soglin appointed a blue-ribbon commission to study the feasibility of constructing a convention center based on Wright's plan.

Once the decision was made to go ahead with the Monona Terrace project, Madison Planning Director George Austin was given the responsibility for seeing the construction project through completion. On September 25, Austin will tell conference participants the story of Monona Terrace. Press reports at the time of the opening describe Austin as proud and excited about the city's achievement, despite the considerable bumps along the way--both before and after Austin became involved in the project.

The Monona Terrace that survives has been certified as a genuine Wright design. Architects have given the convention center design positive reviews, fulfilling Wright's vision of a magnificent building that would tie the Capitol to Lake Monona. Opponents are still haggling over whether the $67 million investment will spark additional economic development in Madison's downtown and whether a site closer to State Street's shopping district would have been more sensible--even if less aesthetically and historically pleasing.