Matt George and Cassidy Meyers
Mitchell Family History
Mitchell Park was originally called Mitchell’s Grove and was private land owned by Alexander Mitchell which he often used to as an escape from the bustling Milwaukee with his friends and fellow Scots (Rongstad, pp 16, 2011). Mitchell Park was named after John Lendrum Mitchell after he had sold the 25 acres of property and subsequently donated five more to Milwaukee in 1890 (Rongstad, 2011). Following the footsteps of his father, Alexander Mitchell, John L. Mitchell was a businessman and philanthropist who took pride in his father’s stories of the Scottish Highlands before his immigration in 1839 (Mclean, 2010). John L. Mitchell had enlisted in the 24th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment as a Lieutenant and fought in major battles of the American Civil War representing Wisconsin, and his service provided a model for William “Billy” Mitchell who would fight in the same regiment as his father before becoming a great American aviator and Colonel as well as being attributed as the Father of the Air Force (Mclean, 2010).
Alexander Mitchell (1817-1887), was an immigrant Scot who was born in the parish of Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland to John Mitchell (1763-1847), a farmer and unofficial legal advisor in Ellon, and Margaret Lendrum (1778-1827) (House Histree n.d.; American biographical publishing co., 1877). Alexander Mitchell, along with Martha Reed (1818-1902) bore three sons but only survived one, John Lendrum Mitchell, the other two, George and William, died in childhood. (House Histree n.d.)
Upon settling in Milwaukee in 1839, Alexander Mitchell would work for the Wisconsin Marine and Fire Insurance Company, and aid by George Smith, would build the company to be a strong financial institution important for the early development of the city. (Gurda, 1999; American biographical publishing co., 1877). In 1865, Alexander Mitchell would go on to become the president of the Milwaukee and Saint Paul Railroad line and expand it to create Milwaukee one of the largest shippers of wheat on the planet in the 1860s (Gurda, 1999). Alexander Mitchell, who headed the state’s largest bank and the largest railroad, also “ran the largest marine and fire insurance firm west of Buffalo: Northwestern National Insurance, founded in 1869” (Gurda, p. 111). This banking tycoon and railroad magnate is often accredited with making Milwaukee what it is today (Gurda, p. 100).
Noteworthy contributions of Alexander Mitchell to Milwaukee were rebuilding Milwaukee’s Chamber of Commerce building, creating one of the first horticultural conservatories in the west at his home mansion, The Mitchell Mansion, on the corner of 9th Street and Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Milwaukee which currently houses the Wisconsin Club, and the Mitchell building on E. Michigan Street that housed his business endeavors and “took commercial architecture in Milwaukee to new heights” when it was completed in 1878 (Gurda, 111; Mclean, 2010). “Although the immigrant Scot had arrived in Milwaukee with little capital, by 1885, he would be the richest man in Wisconsin and have accumulated several millions of dollars” (Leonard, 1951, p. 160).
The Early Conservatories and Origin of Mitchell Park
The dominant feature of Milwaukee’s Mitchell Park is the building known affectionately by locals as “The Domes.” Officially called the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory, it is a magnificent example of glass architecture. Long before the Domes, however, Milwaukee boasted two other horticultural conservatories constructed mainly of glass with a connection to the Mitchell family. Long since torn down, the first conservatory was a private edifice located on the estate of Alexander Mitchell. Now known as the Wisconsin Club, the Mitchell family home still stands at 900 W. Wisconsin Avenue, next to the Central Library and just down the street from Marquette University. In the 1860s, Alexander Mitchell commissioned construction of a 15,000 square foot structure to serve as home to his private collection of flowers, trees, and other plants. The fashionable architect, E. Townsend Mix, designed it as part of his project to remodel the Italianate mansion in the popular Second Empire style. Completed in the early 1870s, the glass and iron conservatory featured exotic tropical flora and complemented the delicate beauty of the main house’s new tower and mansard roof. (Zimmermann 110)
After Alexander Mitchell’s death, his son John donated a tract of land to the county to serve as a public park, and Mitchell Park became home to a new horticultural conservatory that would hold the donated Mitchell botanical collection and be open to the public. Milwaukee County’s Mitchell Park Conservatory was designed and built by Henry C. Koch, an architect famous for such structures as Milwaukee City Hall, Turner Hall, the Church of the Gesu, and the Pfister Hotel. The building consisted of an east and west wing, approximately 300 feet in length and around 9,000 square feet. Built of glass and style, its Victorian design style was inspired by Britain’s celebrated Crystal Palace. The first public conservatory was built in 1898 and opened to Milwaukeeans the following year.
In 1904, Warren Manning—a landscape architect who apprenticed with Frederick Law Olmsted—created the sunken garden, adding to the park’s beauty. As one of the founding members of the American Society of Landscape Architects, his contribution to the Mitchell Park Conservatory led to the park earning the colloquial name “Flower Park.” While seasonal plants, flowers, and other attractions drew visitors for decades to come, attendance began to decline in the 1950’s. As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported, “The building bowed to the ravages of time and age and the decision of the county park commission that it represented a hazard,” (Milwaukee Journal, July 11, 1955).
The Mitchell Park Conservatory since 1955
The Victorian glass conservatory was levelled in 1955 to make way for a new one. A nationwide contest was launched that year, and the winning architect would have the honor of constructing his or her design. Milwaukee’s own Donald L. Grieb won the prize. Grieb had already made a name for himself as a prominent architect in Milwaukee, designing Milwaukee County Courthouse, the Milwaukee Union Station, and the MacArthur Clock Tower. The Domes are arguably his greatest legacy, and the talented architect left this world only back in 2018. (Zimmermann, 168)
The one-of-a-kind design features three beehive structures, allowing for open air space in each dome. The construction lasted almost a decade and cost almost $5 million to complete. They were formally dedicated by First Lady Johnson in 1965. The three domes are unique from each other – the first called the Show dome, which features various flora and changes themes throughout the year; the second is the Tropical Dome, a humid microcosm encompassing over 1,500 species of life; last is the Desert Dome, an arid landscape that blends Old World and New World deserts (watch out for the cacti!).
In 2008 the Domes received a revitalization to its facilities including an LED lighting system. Present at the grand re-opening was the architect himself, Donald L. Grieb. The Mitchell Park Domes have since hosted many exciting and educational events, from light shows and floral shows, to workshops and art exhibits.
The Future of the Mitchell Park Domes
In recent years, the Mitchell Park Domes have been up for debate. Many have cried out for its destruction. But the Domes still have many friends. The Milwaukee Preservation Alliance proposed a nearly $20 million plan for the Domes back in 2019. The future of the Domes still yet hangs in limbo. These structures are considered as one of the top eleven most endangered historic places in the country. They need all the help they can get to remain one of Milwaukee’s most iconic spots in our urban landscape. We owe it to future generations, to Donald L. Grieb and to the man who started it all – Mr. Mitchell.
Print Sources
American biographical publishing co. (Chicago, IL). (1877). The United States biographical dictionary and portrait gallery of imminent and self-made men: Wisconsin Volume. Chicago: American Biographical Pub. Co.
Alexander Mitchell (1817-1887). House Histree. (n.d.). Retrieved May 6, 2022, from https://househistree.com/people/alexander-mitchell
Gurda, John. ( 1999). The making of Milwaukee. Milwaukee, WI :Milwaukee County Historical Society, 43-112.
John Mitchell (1763-1847). House Histree. (n.d.). Retrieved May 6, 2022, from https://househistree.com/people/john-mitchell
Leonard, David. (1951). A Biography of Alexander Mitchell: 1817 – 1887. University of Wisconsin–Madison, 160.
Margaret Lendrum (1778-1827). House Histree. (n.d.). Retrieved May 6, 2022, from https://househistree.com/people/margaret-lendrum
Mclean, J. J. (2010). The Macarthurs and the Mitchells: Wisconsin’s first military families. The Wisconsin Magazine of History, 94(2), 14–27. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41331172
Rongstad, Jack. (2021). A History of Mitchell Park in Three Eras: 1890-2021. Honors College Senior Thesis, 18-X. https://dc.uwm.edu/honorsthesis/1
Zimmermann, H. Russell. The Heritage Handbook: Landmarks and Historical Sites in Southeastern Wisconsin. Milwaukee, WI: Harry W. Schwartz, 1989.
Online Sources
https://milwaukeedomes.org/early-domes-history
https://www.wuwm.com/regional/2020-02-21/the-origins-of-milwaukees-mitchell-park-domes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_H._Manning
Milwaukee Journal (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), July 11, 1955: 27. NewsBank: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Historical Newspapers. https://0-infoweb-newsbank-com.countycat.mcfls.org/apps/news/document-view?p=EANX-NB&docref=image/v2%3A1477BBDEA50EB75C%40EANX-NB-15A2AB7BE232CE26%402435300-15A2AAABE9BE95EF%4026-15A2AAABE9BE95EF%40.
https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/wisclubspelunking
https://househistree.com/houses/alexander-mitchell-mansion
https://www.wuwm.com/2021-12-07/advocates-urge-milwaukee-county-to-restore-the-mitchell-park-domes