Milwaukee County Historical Society caught between RNC and protesters

The Milwaukee County Historical Society will find itself in the middle of history and physically between two political ideologies when the Republican National Convention is held in Milwaukee in July.

A few blocks west of the building, the Republican National Convention will gather at Fiserv Forum, the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and the newly opened Baird Center to officially select Donald Trump as the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.

To the east of the building, Père Marquette Park will likely be the designated area for those who come to Milwaukee to express their disagreement with the party and Trump.

The location of the protest zone, known as the First Amendment zone, has been a subject of controversy. RNC officials pressured the U.S. Secret Service to change locations due to concerns about conflicts between protesters and Trump supporters and proximity to the convention’s security zone.

The historical society has been located at the intersection of West Kilbourn Avenue and King Drive for 113 years. He hopes to rent the building for conventions, but he also fears being at the heart of potential conflicts.

“Our mission is to preserve and share the history of Milwaukee County,” said Ben Barbera, executive director of the historical society. “We are caught between a rock and a hard place because of where we are. »

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Building available for rent but difficult to find a buyer

Downtown Historical Society staff will work at other locations or remotely during RNC week. But the building is available for rental.

Businesses in the area typically hope to make money by hosting events. and the city expects to see an estimated influx of 50,000 people during this week. But the historical society could lose out financially.

Barbera said they were hoping to find a group to rent it, so the company would have additional income, but that hasn’t been easy.

“Right now we don’t have any rentals,” Barbera said. “A big sticking point is the potential location of the protest zone. Most entities we have heard from are not interested in leasing a building this close to this area.

Inside the building are artifacts from the county’s long history, as well as a research library, exhibits and programs.

“My biggest fear, by far, is that people will break into the building and destroy what is arguably the largest dump in Milwaukee history. It would be tragic on many levels,” Barbera said, adding that the historical society does not have the means to move objects or the additional space to store them.

Barbera said he has had discussions with the U.S. Secret Service, law enforcement and Milwaukee County Parks, but “none of which have been particularly fruitful.”

“The answer seems to be that the park will almost certainly be the location of the protest zone,” Barbera said. “Everyone understands our concerns and everyone seems to think it is inevitable that this will be the protest zone. Then they all look at me and say, “Well, what are you going to do?” And my answer is: I don’t know at this point.

Barbera said the patio on the east side of the building, near the park, is made of brick, which could be a problem.

“These bricks are all loose. So we have potentially thousands of projectiles right outside our building,” Barbera said. “We also have very large ornate glass windows. As you can imagine, there is concern that these bricks and our windows will not match well.

The historical society could close the windows and doors or erect a high fence, but it doesn’t want to go that route.

“That’s not a good look.” That’s not the impression of a historical society that we want to give to anyone,” Barbera said. “And I worry that doing something like that would actually result in potential damage or destruction.”

At the same time, the historical society is having internal discussions about how to record this event for future generations.

Barbera said the company plans to preserve different ephemera such as signs, flyers and other materials. They might even interview guests if the event is calm enough.

“We should definitely work on documenting the event,” Barbera said. “What that looks like on the ground, I’m not sure.”

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