Maple & Main

Clocks, Barrels, Signs, and Murals.

Posted by Curt Otto on July 22, 2010

 The clock tower is no longer "hands free".

Over my past few years of living downtown, I have become accustomed to the sound of church bells sounding the hours of the days as they pass.

But last week, my ears were treated to chime I have never heard before.

Now, at 9AM every day, bells ring out the “The Star Spangled Banner” and you may be surprised to hear where it is coming from…

The downtown clock tower!

At long last the faces of the tower have been restored and the clocks all tell an accurate time.

And it seems as an added bonus, the original hourly chimes have been activated.

As I have mentioned before, the clock tower is an icon in the downtown- and now it finally operates as such.

There is something new sitting behind the law offices of Hippenmeyer, Reilly, Moddie and Blum over on Clinton Street.

At first glance, one might think they are brewing whiskey or keeping bees, but I assure you it is neither.

The owners of this building have installed a rain barrel- and the water it collects is used by the Business Improvement District to assist in watering the flowers around downtown.

Not only is this a very “green” idea, but it’s darn neighborly as well.

Rumor has it that more rain barrels will soon be popping up along the downtown landscape in the near future.

 Not your typical 3 foot by 4 foot sign.

Signage for new business doesn’t often make for interesting news, but this sign is worth your attention.

The creative minds at The Waukesha Tattoo Company on West Main Street brought the inventive design of the interior of their new tattoo shop to the exterior when they finished the installation of their new signage last week.

“Cool” has just reared its head at the end of Main Street. Perhaps it will inspire others to follow suit.

Discount Liquor (downtown’s second most famous icon only to the clock tower) is getting a cultural facelift to its Main Street building façade.

Mural artist Chris Vincent has begun transforming the once plain brick face into a huge mural that will exhibit some of Waukesha’s most historic elements.

The completion date hinges on good weather, but it looks like it will be spectacular when it’s finished.

If I told you the artist was going to hide a Milwaukee Brewers logo in the painting, would you look for it?

I’ll bet you would…

And finally, for all of you who have ever complained about being stuck by a train in the city of Waukesha…

I missed the light at the corner of Bluemound and Moorland Road in Brookfield the other day and let me tell you something- I grew old waiting for that light to change.

As a matter of fact, I have spent less time waiting for a train to pass in Waukesha than I did at that light.

And in review, I find that it is far more entertaining to read the graffiti on passing train cars than it is to rot in a lingering cloud of auto exhaust watching six automobiles scramble to run a red turn arrow…

But that’s just my observation.

You may feel differently.

And that is great for you.

 This "Train" has never stopped traffic in Waukesha.