A New Horizon: The tide is coming in for the Lakeshore State Park Visitor and Education Center
January 19, 2026 | Topics: Places
By Molly Snyder
Photography by Eddee Daniel
A visitors’ center for Lakeshore State Park, Wisconsin’s only urban state park, was always a part of the original plan. Over the years, numerous factors delayed the project — but now Friends of Lakeshore State Park (FLSP) is determined to finally make the building a reality.
The purpose of the Visitor and Education Center is three-fold: To provide environmental education and community events on the island year-round – including the winter months; to make the park a destination instead of a “pass-through;” and to teach the importance of protecting the lakefront to next generations.
“When the Visitor and Education Center is built, it will ensure a vibrant future for Lakeshore State Park by expanding opportunities for education, accessibility and year-round engagement,” says Jim Plaisted, executive director of the Historic Third Ward Association and Friends of Lakeshore State Park board member. “It will strengthen the park’s role as a place where nature, recreation and community come together on Milwaukee’s lakefront.”
Currently, FLSP is amid a $5 million fundraising campaign to build Lakeshore State Park Visitor and Education Center, which includes an endowment to support the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) ongoing maintenance of the building. The group is reaching out to corporations, endowments, family foundations and anyone else who has an interest in helping to bring the project to completion. They’ve raised $1.5 million to date, and the goal is to complete fundraising by the end of 2026.
“The park is such a treasure, and we will be able to use it so much more with the Visitor and Education Center,” says Maragaret Krei, FLSP board member and Third Ward resident. “This is a gift that will benefit many generations to come.”
The proposed center, designed by The Kubala Washatko Architects, is a 2,500-square-foot, single- story building on the north end of the park, overlooking the marina. It will feature a green roof, electricity-generating solar panels, bird-friendly windows, permeable patio pavers, native landscaping, a 25,000-square-foot outdoor plaza and bioswales to reduce flooding, prevent erosion and improve water quality.
The interior layout will offer a classroom for community events and visiting school groups, and an interactive educational exhibit where visitors will learn Milwaukee’s impressive story of public-private water stewardship.
“The man-made park’s creation alone is a testament to Milwaukee ingenuity and what can be accomplished through collaboration,” says Bill Schmitt, FLSP board member and chair of the Building Committee.
The Center will also provide permanent office space for the DNR. This will allow them to better program the park, welcome visitors as they arrive via the bridge on foot or at the marina by boat, and lead environment and water safety activities.
The building will also provide much needed amenities like accessible restrooms, drinking water station and safe space for visitors to duck into during sudden inclement weather.
“Shelter will make it a destination, not just a stopping point,” says Schmitt.
But perhaps the most important aspect of the new center will be its opportunity to educate school- aged students, many of whom do not currently have access to the lakefront or the important environmental information that can be gleaned from it.
The park has 3,600 education participants from more than 125 learning programs. It partners with schools, nonprofits, and cultural organizations, including the Schlitz Audubon Center, Urban Ecology Center, Discovery World, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences, the water industry, and the DNR.
Every year, thousands of Milwaukee-area children take field trips to the state park — and almost 90 percent of these kids are from socio-economically disadvantaged ZIP codes and have never been to the lakefront. Thus, they’ve never learned about the importance of protecting the lakefront – and the three rivers that feed into Lake Michigan – that serve as the source of Milwaukee’s drinking water.
Schmitt calls this a “pay-it-forward investment.”
“We are educating future stewards of a Great Lake with a beautiful shoreline that previous generations ensured would belong to everyone,” he says.
In general, supporters of the new center believe it will better serve families, seniors and the disabled community. The park’s accessible-to-all fishing pier and paved walking trails have already proven to be heavily accessed.
“Everyone should have access to our incredible, beautiful lakefront – not just those of us lucky enough to live nearby and consider it our backyard,” says Krei. “It will allow many more educational opportunities for kids and adults alike.”
Lakeshore State Park, adjacent to Henry W. Maier Festival Park and Discovery World, welcomes 450,000 visitors annually. They seek out the picturesque park to bike, jog, walk, fish, picnic, relax and enjoy nature in an urban environment.
Community events will also increase dramatically with a visitors’ center, as restrooms and shelter will be available. “Picture dragon boat races, art festivals, intimate concerts on the island, monthly bonfire, winter activities and panoramic views of the lake, sky and city – most stunning at sunrise, sunset and moon rise,” says Schmitt.
Lakeshore State Park was originally built as Harbor Island in 1991. It was constructed from limestone rubble excavated by Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District during Deep Tunnel construction. The park was conceived during Gov. Tommy Thompson’s administration and completed during Gov. Jim Doyle’s administration.
Now, it seems the time is finally right for the center.
“The Visitor and Education Center will serve as a welcoming oasis for Lakeshore State Park, connecting visitors to Milwaukee’s lakefront and its unique urban natural environment,” says Plaisted. “It will provide vital space for education, community gatherings, and year-round programming that deepens the connections its many visitors feel for the urban park.”
To learn more about Lakeshore State Park and to see more photos of the park go to our Find-a-Park page.
To learn more about the Visitor and Education Center project, including how to support it, go to the Friends of Lakeshore State Park website.
Stories related to Lakeshore State Park:
Under control: Burning Lakeshore State Park!
The prairie at Lakeshore State Park is abloom!
Phenology at Lakeshore State Park.
The Birds Are Here: Public Art Lands on Lakeshore State Park
Groundhog Day at Lakeshore State Park
Sturgeon Fest (2018)
Sturgeon Fest: A Child’s Perspective (2019)
This article was first published in the Historic Third Ward Newsletter. It is reprinted here, slightly edited, with permission. The photographs are all by Eddee Daniel, except as noted, but were not included in the original article.
Molly Snyder is a senior writer, editor, and manager for OnMilwaukee. She also writes for the Historic Third Ward. Eddee Daniel, writer/photographer, is a board member of Preserve Our Parks, the Project Director of A Wealth of Nature, and editor of The Natural Realm blog.
The Natural Realm blog is part of A Wealth of Nature, which is a project of Preserve Our Parks.
About Preserve Our Parks
Preserve Our Parks, Inc. is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of parks and green spaces. Our mission: To advocate for and promote Milwaukee area parks and open spaces and to strive to protect the tenets of Wisconsin’s Public Trust Doctrine.
For more than 25 years, we have been a leader in advocating for the protection of Milwaukee County park lands, halting many proposals to develop, privatize, or sell local parkland and lakefront spaces. More information about POP, including past accomplishments, is available at www.preserveourparks.org.