This week on Urban Spelunking, OnMilwakuee's Bobby Tanzilo told me about his recent visit to a local artist's backyard studio where items from Milwaukee's past have been repurposed as standout pieces of landscape art.
Home owner and artist Jeff Hicks invited Bobby in to tour a medieval chapel he built himself, made from leftover bricks and stone salvaged from demolition of iconic Milwaukee places, such as T. A. Chapman's department store and Waldheim's Furniture. There's even a piece of stonework from Vatican, Bobby writes.
Along the other side of the yard, another piece of Downtown Milwaukee is still being used today. A river bridge operator's house -- salvaged from Wells Street -- serves as Hicks' studio space and storage. It was supposedly purchased on the spot as it was being torn down, Bobby said in our interview.
Curious to hear the rest of the story? Click the podcast player above the photos, and read Bobby's complete story here.
