Our Home in Riverside Park

Urban Ecology Center's headquarters are located between the Riverwest and East Side communities, one of the most populated and diverse areas in Milwaukee.

Our “outdoor classroom,” of Riverside Park, includes 15 acres of wooded land and riparian habitat on the east bank of the Milwaukee River, an imaginative and a habitat-themed playground. The “green” building in Riverside Park that houses our main offices, resource areas and classrooms is home to live animals, informational exhibits and user-friendly resource materials about the environment.

Our Green Building

We are proud of our 20,000-sq.-ft. green main building located in Riverside Park. Dedicated in September 2004, the building has won national awards for its use of recycled or renewable materials. With this facility as a base, the Center will continue to be an important conduit between residents and nature. This green facility was built totally with community support.

Click here for a booklet that describes the building’s features.

Host your next party at the Urban Ecology Center! Contact Mike Larson at mlarson@urbanecologycenter.org or (414) 964-8505, x126.

Be sure to see these highlights when you visit our
earth friendly building in Riverside Park:

• At a huge 44.4 kilowatts, the solar electric panels now covering the roof at the UEC are the largest such solar installation in the state of Wisconsin. The system, originally installed in 2003 by H&H Solar Energy Services of Madison, started out as a 48 module array. With the addition of 208 solar panels, the completed system now consists of 256 Kyocera solar panels mounted directly to the Center’s metal standing-seam roof. The Kyocera panels are expected to produce over 55,000 kilowatt-hours each year.
  
  
• Sustainable Building Exhibit featuring healthy, eco-friendly building and remodeling materials and systems. The Sustainable Building Exhibit is a multi-function library of sustainable materials and systems
  information housed at the Urban Ecology Center and the first comprehensive resource center of its type in Wisconsin! A joint effort with Solterra Studios, Pragmatic Construction, Green Built Home, Wisconsin Green Building Alliance, and Outpost Natural Foods, this library provides information to the public on the importance of building green, as well as raising the awareness of, and requests for, sustainable healthy building products. In addition, it helps our members develop and expand contacts within the architectural, design and construction communities, and with product manufacturers/vendors.
  Hours: The Sustainable Building Exhibit has a staff member available to answer questions on Sundays, noon - 2 p.m. and Mondays, 4 - 7 p.m. Among the resources you’ll find:
  
  • Exhibit of alternative materials and products along
    with the raw material from which they are made
    
  • Library with in-depth information on eco-friendly design
    
  • Contact information for product sources and service providers
    
  • Computer that can be checked out to obtain up-to-the-minute information from the Internet
    
  • Information about products and materials used in the UEC, directions to see them on site and fact sheets about pros, cons, installation and costs.
    
    
• Tower with 40-foot climbing wall.
  
  
• Secret entrance where you get to slide into the Center.
  
  
• A hidden classroom. Can you find the 80 animals camouflaged within its four murals?
  
  
• The Native Wisconsin Animal Room, home to turtles, snakes, fish and frogs.
  
  
• Art exhibits in the Community Room.
  
  
• A huge Milwaukee Aerial Puzzle.
  
  
• A pond that has a people-powered fountain.
  
  
• The watershed map of southeastern Wisconsin painted on the floor.
  
  
• "Reused" hardwood maple floor that's over 100 years old.
  
  
• Green roof garden that holds the tipi in winter.
  
  
• Wrap around porch made of wood scraps from the construction of the Atlantic City Boardwalk.
  
  
• Rainwater flush toilets - choose between a half tank or full tank flush.
  

Urban Ecology Center Building Facts

Size: 20,000 square feet

Cost (with tower): $3,700,000

Architect: Joel Krueger, Kubala Washatko Architects, Inc.

Construction Manager: CMA of Milwaukee, Inc., a division of The Jansen Group, Inc.

Project manager: Monique Charlier

Site supervisor: Dave Drew

Awards:

6th Annual MANDI (Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation)

State Farm Insurance and Financial Services Building Blocks Award - Small Project March 10, 2005

Leading Edge Award

2004 Real Estate Development Showcase Awards

Wisconsin Commercial Real Estate Women