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.
For architecture aficionados, Frank Lloyd Wright's distinctive style is immediately recognizable. Throughout his career, the Wisconsin-born, modernist architect designed buildings all over the world that are famous for their intentional "compression and release" design, including several in Southeastern Wisconsin still standing today.
This week on Urban Spelunking, we visit one of Wright's final works, Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 9200 W. Congress St., completed in 1961 on Milwaukee's northwest side.
The high-concept design is striking inside and out, with an enormous dome shape inspired by Jesus' crown of thorns, ornate religious iconography at every turn and consistent dedication to the Greek Orthodox tradition.
Never boxing himself into one type of building, Wright dedicated his talents — and infamous attention to detail — to all kinds of structures, including residential homes, office buildings, museums, government buildings and churches.
Historic Milwaukee's Doors Open Milwaukee event runs Sept. 24-25, with hundreds of buildings normally closed to the public offering behind-the-scenes tours, including this one. But because of Sunday services, if you want to check it out, it'll only be open for one of the days: Saturday, Sept. 24.
Listen to this week's episode below, and make sure you stay until the end to hear this week's trivia segment as we answer why the KGB was on site during the church's consecration. You can also visit OnMilwaukee for even more photos and history.
Come back next week for our full Doors Open preview, complete with 11 more picks for your own Urban Spelunking, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
