Every week on Urban Spelunking, Radio Milwaukee’s Nate Imig and OnMilwaukee’s Bobby Tanzilo dig into the buildings and architectural features that help retain the city’s sense of history while it builds for the future.
Preservation crews are deeply studying an 1893 pavilion on the site of the Pabst Mansion, digitally scanning each brick as they work to deconstruct and safely rebuild the crumbling structure.
Originally built on-site at the 1893 World's Fair held in Chicago, the pavilion was intended to exude the bravado of the Pabst Brewery, which was present at the event along with other major brewers. The structure was originally displayed indoors but was moved back to Milwaukee following the fair, where it was subjected to more than 100 Wisconsin winters.
The constant freeze-thaw has taken a toll on the terra cotta pavilion, and despite temporary measures to keep it open, it has been closed to the public while the restoration is underway.
So, how do you go about taking apart an entire building and rebuilding it from scratch? Who do you ask for help? On this episode of Urban Spelunking, Bobby and I dissect the process of dissecting a pavilion. View his complete story and plenty more photos at OnMilwaukee, and be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss new episodes every Thursday.
