Articles by Rich Rovito
The historic, 15-story Wells Building was Milwaukee’s first skyscraper, completed in 1901. It features classic architectural details of the period: a stunning white Italian marble lobby and grand staircase, detailed domed mosaics, and an ornamental terra cotta exterior with brass finishings.
But inside, there’s far more than meets the eye.
The Milwaukee Admirals are in the thick of one of the most remarkable winning streaks in Wisconsin professional sports history.
The Admirals have won 17 consecutive games, which is tied for the second-longest winning streak in American Hockey League history with the 2004-05 Philadelphia Phantoms and the 2018-19 Bakersfield Condors.
A team from the Wauwatosa Curling Club has won a spot in the men’s USA Curling Club National Championships for the first time. Sliding, sweeping and throwing stones with pinpoint accuracy, Team Carlson, representing the club, earned the title of Team Wisconsin and will take part in the championships at...
With a cloth and a spray bottle in hand, Sandra Wicker began a careful polishing, one by one, of some of the 33,000 crystals that make up the magnificent chandelier that hangs in the Pabst Theater. The first of a crew of volunteers to arrive at the Downtown theater shortly...
Damian Lillard swished a 3-pointer at the buzzer in overtime to give the Milwaukee Bucks a stunning 143-142 win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night. The Kings led by four late in overtime, but Brook Lopez made a 3-pointer from the corner to pull the Bucks to 141-140 with...
At a cramped gym on the upper floor of Golda Meir School near Downtown Milwaukee, Allazia Blockton smoothly moves across the basketball court dressed in a jersey with black and white vertical stripes, dark sweatpants and dark shoes and a whistle draped around her neck, all standard gear for her...
MILWAUKEE (AP) — When Adrian Griffin tried to lead his Milwaukee Bucks to a second straight victory to start the season Sunday night, he knew he would have an eye on one opposing player in particular. Griffin’s son, AJ, is a second-year guard on the Atlanta Hawks who is averaging...
Once a major node of Milwaukee’s manufacturing industry, city leaders are now looking for a new blueprint for the 30th Street Industrial Corridor. Once the site of major manufacturers like Briggs & Stratton, A.O. Smith and Badger Meter, these manufacturing giants have either closed or moved out of the area....
For more than a century, Master Lock Co.’s North Side factory has churned out a variety of products, but the core of the company’s business is plain to see for all passersby. A large replica of its signature laminated padlock sits atop the north end of the facility. The multi-building...
On a sunny Sunday morning in late May, Gal Dahan steps to the lectern and gazes over the packed crowd that has gathered at the Wisconsin Center for Cardinal Stritch University’s graduation ceremony, the last in its 86-year history. The undergraduate commencement speaker, clad in a black graduation gown and...
MILWAUKEE — Brandon Woodruff took the mound for the Brewers for the first time in four months on Sunday at American Family Field against the Pirates. After pausing briefly behind the mound, Woodruff stepped on the rubber and fired a 94 mph sinker for a strike to Pittsburgh’s leadoff batter...
MILWAUKEE — The power surge that began last month and has continued at full throttle in September propelled the Phillies to a 4-2 win over the Brewers on Sunday afternoon at American Family Field, ending Philadelphia’s three-game losing streak. Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto belted back-to-back home runs off Brewers...
After a long push, roller skating in Downtown’s Red Arrow Park finally became a reality this summer. But organizers remain irked by limited hours, issues surrounding the playing of music and the lack of on-site skate rentals at the county-operated park. Terrence Clarke, who leads the nonprofit group Roll Train,...
MILWAUKEE — Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani displayed his astounding power at the plate in Sunday’s 3-0 win over the Brewers, leaving his teammates, coaches and fans shaking their heads. Ohtani belted a towering solo home run to straightaway center field with two outs in the third off Brewers pitcher Colin...
From the start, it was cast as a fight for survival. When plans for a pair of music halls in the Deer District backed by mega concert promoter Live Nation became public earlier this year, local independent concert venue operators scrambled to join forces to try to block the project....
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Aaron Judge hit his 58th and 59th home runs of the season to move within two of Roger Maris’ American League record with 16 games remaining and lead the New York Yankees over the Milwaukee Brewers 12-8 on Sunday. Judge added a two-run double in the ninth...
In early December of 2021 as many were celebrating the holiday season, a major event happened in Milwaukee. 400 gallons of oil drained into the Menomonee River, after an accident at Komatsu Mining Corp on the city’s south side. The oil began to saturate the water, ending up in the...
It has proven transformational for the local building design landscape. It’s also a defining work of its world-renowned Spanish architect. And in the 21 years since its completion, the Quadracci Pavilion at the Milwaukee Art Museum – so synonymous with the man who designed it that most locals to this...
The United States reclaimed the Ryder Cup with a dominating win over the European squad at Whistling Straits in Kohler over the weekend. Held over three days on the magnificent layout in rural Sheboygan County, the Ryder Cup drew large and boisterous crowds – more than 40,000 attended each day...
Lifelong Milwaukee Bucks fan Dan Roberts is often quick to attract attention. A mountain of a man at 6 feet, 9 inches tall and 450 pounds, Roberts has long dealt with the stares and finger pointing because of his size. But a brief moment on the Jumbotron at Fiserv Forum...
Marques Johnson, Zora Stephenson and Jim Paschke were in a strange new routine on Aug. 26, putting on a pregame telecast from Milwaukee ahead of the Bucks’ afternoon playoff game in the NBA’s “bubble” at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The team hadn’t yet taken the court for...
MILWAUKEE (AP) — From college walk-on to major league starter, Chicago Cubs right-hander Alec Mills had to earn most every break he got. On the brink of big league history, he was happy to welcome this bit of luck: expecting to see two-time batting champion Christian Yelich in the on-deck...
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Ryan Braun knew the best night of his career at the plate wouldn’t mean much if the Milwaukee Brewers didn’t win. Braun made sure they did with his career-high sixth hit, a two-run single with one out in the 18th that lifted the Brewers to a 4-3...
Bright lights illuminate the gymnasium at Bradley Tech High School in Walker’s Point as a sparse crowd looks on from the bleachers. Burly security guards occupy spots at each corner of the court. A rap song, “Watch Me,” by Silento, blares from courtside speakers, and a few players move in...