Urban Spelunking

This week, Nate and Bobby are talking about the Charter Communications building located on North Martin Luther King Jr Drive. The large brick building used to be home to power-generating equipment and coal. Read more: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/commerce-street-power-plant Produced & edited by Kiri Salinas

This week, Nate and Bobby are talking about a south side landmark: the Howard Avenue windmill. Located in the Tippecanoe neighborhood, the bright red home known for its attached 1920s Dutch windmill replica is officially up for sale. They look back at the businesses and families that have lived within the walls for decades. Read more: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/howard-avenue-windmill Produce...

Organ Piper Pizza has been a staple in Milwaukee since the late 70s and decades later, it still has the same feel as it did back then. The owner, Derek Paikowski, shows Nate and Bobby around the restaurant -- making stops behind the organ and in the kitchen to watch how the dough is made fresh every day. Read more: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/organ-piper-pizza Produced & edited by Kiri Sa...

This week, Nate and Bobby are touring the Redeemer Lutheran Church with the help of Rev. Dr. Lisa Bates-Froiland. The 1915 building is currently undergoing a major renovation which will include added mental health services to the community, a new kitchen, a totally redesigned community hall and lots of structural repair. Read more: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/redeemer-lutheran Produced &...

This week, Nate and Bobby take us on their tour of the Alano Club -- located on Prospect Avenue. The building is a recovery center and clubhouse that provides an inclusive place for folks battling addictions of all kinds. While Nate and Bobby explore, we also hear from one of the board members. Read more: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/alano-club-fred-kraus-house Produced & edited by Kiri Sa...

The Milwaukee Public Museum has revealed its latest gallery coming to the Future Museum. Nate and Bobby break down what you will find inside the We Energies Foundation Gallery -- including a rainforest exhibit, a butterfly vivarium and a rooftop terrace. Read more: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/mpm-future-museum-rainforest Produced & edited by Kiri Salinas

This week, Nate and Bobby are getting schooled at Marquette University High School! The building located on the city's near West Side holds so much history within its walls -- and it's even inspired an amazing upcoming field trip. Read more: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/marquette-high-spelunking Produced & edited by Kiri Salinas

Nate and Bobby are breathing a sigh of relief now that it's been confirmed the popular snake button is moving to the Future Museum! This week, the Milwaukee Public Museum unveiled more details about its 'Living in a Dynamic World' exhibit and two flexible gallery spaces called "Mixing Zones." Read more: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/mpm-reveal-living-in-a-dynamic-world Edited & produced by...

Big plans are in store for Milwaukee's downtown area. The Department of City Development has released a draft of Connec+ing MKE: Downtown Plan 2040 , which it includes ideas like adding four route extensions of The Hop, redeveloping the site of the Marcus Center parking structure and removing I-794 through Downtown. Read more: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/connecting-mke-plan. Project website:...

Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) leaders and exhibit design partners at Thinc Design have unveiled sketches of the Future Museum’s Milwaukee Revealed gallery. This is the gallery that is the "spiritual sucessor" to the Streets of Old MIlwaukee. Nate and Bobby talk about some of the exhibits people will get to experience.

This week, Nate and Bobby go grocery shopping in Wauwatosa! Their destination is the Sendik's Food Market located on 86th and North Avenue, which used to be home to the first Kohl’s arched-roof store. Read more: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/sendiks-kohls-tosa

This week, Nate and Bobby are talking about the Pabst Mansion's pavilion and the new steps being taken to deconstruct and rebuild the addition that was made in 1893. They discuss what it takes to attempt to preserve the structure for the future. Plus, the process is also giving UW-Milwaukee students a great hands-on experience. Read more: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/pabst-pavilion-deconstruct...

This week, Nate and Bobby are talking to the exhibit designers of MPM's Future Museum as they unveil sketches and details of the "Wisconsin Journey'' gallery. Plus, they ask what is the one thing that nobody is talking about when it comes to the Future Museum. Read more: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/mpm-unveiling-wisconsin-journey

This week, Bobby and Nate are talking about a cool Milwaukee Airbnb that used to be a former Schlitz saloon. They talk about the history behind the building and how it went from a place to grab a drink and some groceries into a place to stay for those visiting the city. Read more: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/schlitz-tied-house-airbnb

There's been lots of buzz around Milwaukee Public Museum's new building coming in 2026 and instead of talking about what's going to be inside, this week Nate and Bobby are talking about the building itself. MPM’s Chief Planning Officer Katie Sanders, and architects Jarrett Pelletier of Ennead and Chris Ludwig of Kahler Slater share the inspiration behind the Future Museum design. Read more: https:...

This week, Nate and Bobby get a first look at one of five new exhibitions planned for the Future Museum. They talk with Oronde Wright, senior exhibition designer at Thinc Design and Katie Sanders, chief planning officer at Milwaukee Public Museum about their plans to take iconic MPM exhibits and reimagine them. Read more: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/mpm-time-travel

This week on Urban Spleunking, Nate and Bobby take a look inside a local home that was built back in 1852. The Brown's Folly double house on Astor Street was long home to Zita's dress shop and is one of very few Federal Style buildings left in the city. Read more: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/urban-spelunking-zita-building

With a little over a year until its grand opening, the new Wisconsin Center expansion is forging ahead with construction. This week on Urban Spelunking, Nate and Bobby are live onsite -- checking in on the progress made so far. Read more: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/wisconsin-center-progress-report

The Clark building in downtown Milwaukee currently is home to lots of storage, but before that it was a busy transportation hub. Bobby and Nate talk about the former Greyhound station and the changes that could be in store now that the Iron District is under construction. Read more: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/greyhound-station-clark-building

An expansion of the Wisconsin Center is in the works on the block between Kilbourn, Wells and 6th Streets and Phillips Avenue. But well before this more-modern structure, there was another convention center that called the location home. On this episode, Nate and Bobby look back at the Milwaukee Exposition and Convention Center and Arena, also known as the MECCA. Read more: https://onmilwaukee.com...

Nate and Bobby look back at the history behind the New Holy Ghost Tabernacle Church located on West Garfield Avenue. The 1887 Gothic Revival church has recently been sold to a developer, and its future has yet to be decided. Read more: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/second-german-epworth

The building recently known for the giant Giannis Antetokounmpo mural actually has decades of history behind it. On this episode, Nate and Bobby take a look at how 600 East Wisconsin Avenue came to be and the ghost sign that still stands today. Read more: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/600-east-wisconsin-spelunking

This week's episode is part two of our tour at the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. Nate and Bobby go inside the Jones Island Water Reclamation Facility and learn what makes up the locally-made Milorganite fertilizer. Read more at OnMilwaukee: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/deep-tunnel-pump-room

Three hundred feet below the surface of Jones Island lies deep tunnels that prevent pollution from getting into Lake Michigan. This week, Nate and Bobby got a tour of the deep tunnel pump room and see how the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District keeps the city's water clean. Read more at OnMilwaukee: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/deep-tunnel-pump-room

It all happens here -- all the maintenance for the entire Milwaukee Fire Department engine fleet, plus small engine repair, oxygen tanks, carpentry, leather and textile work, it's all concentrated in a two building complex in Walker's Point. This week on the podcast, we visit the MFD's maintenance facility and get a personal tour from MFD’s Construction & Maintenance Division Deputy Chief Schu...