Located on a bluff that overlooks Lake Michigan, Juneau Park has been able to attract residents and visitors to a space that has come to define downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Featuring a lakefront walking path, various areas for special events and numerous monuments, the park showcases what it can mean to cultivate different kinds of experiences that resonate with both residents and visitors.
Named After Milwaukee’s First Mayor
Established in the early 1870’s, Juneau Park was named for Solomon Juneau who served as the first mayor of Milwaukee beginning in 1846. Unveiled in 1887, a fifteen-foot bronze statue of Juneau sits atop a limestone base. Intended to represent the rugged early beginnings of Milwaukee, the monument has become an icon of the park.
The Leif Eriksson Statue depicts the explorer on the prow of his ship around 1002. On the pedestal’s west side is a Celtic cross and the inscription “Leif the discoverer son of Erik who sailed from Iceland and landed on this continent.” Installed in 1887, the sculpture is bronze on a base of red sandstone.
These monuments and a few others are spread out amidst the natural beauty of the space that overlooks Lake Michigan. The park has deciduous and coniferous trees amidst wide-open spaces that allow it to host events that range from fireworks to concerts to festivals. This variety has been able to attract the attention of residents and visitors for activities that are as distinct as they are powerful, enabling it to be featured in maps and guides to the city.
This collection of experiences along with an identity defined by the Juneau Monument as well as a leaf icon that appears throughout the park has helped transform what might otherwise be a plain urban greenspace into a landmark that is connected to a much larger legacy for the entire region.
Defining a Legacy for Milwaukee
Featuring over 14 acres of green space that offers endless activities as well as monuments that define the legacy of Milwaukee, Juneau Park connects with audiences of all types thanks to the identity it has cultivated as well as the variety of experiences that it has facilitated. Doing so has positively defined the space in a way that resonates across eras.
