What) Originally designed by Wisconsin native Frank Lloyd Wright, the Monona Terrace (officially the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center) was first proposed by Wright in 1938. The county board rejected the plan by a single vote. Wright would continue to seek support for the plan (and alter its design) until his death in 1959.

    For the next three decades, various proposals for a convention center on the Monona Terrace land would be considered and rejected. Several times, it appeared that supporters of the project would be able to secure the public financing necessary to complete the project but various forces (such as the start of World War II) inevitably sidelined the plan. In 1990, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin resurrected Wright's proposal. The proposed construction was put to a public referendum in 1992 and it passed. Construction began two years later. In 1997, nearly sixty years after Wright's original inception, Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center opened its doors.

    Wright made several alterations to the design of Monona Terrace during his lifetime. Although the exterior design is Wright's, the interior as executed was adapted from Wright's original design by Taliesin architect (and former Wright apprentice) Anthony Puttnam. (1)

    Where) 1 John Nolen Drive  Use these coordinates (N 43 4.167  W 89 22.966) and you will arrive at the entrance to the Monona Terrace parking ramp.  Open 8am - 5pm with a public tour at 1:00 pm    Adults: $3    1-608-261-4000

    Why) I had hopes for this one because it was a public building that might have the famous Wright interior touch.