Royal Purple

Issue date: 7/4/07 Section: News

Media Credit: graphic submitted The Cravath archway is embedded with symbols highlighting the history of Whitewater

Construction will begin in July on an intricately designed archway at Cravath Lakefront Park to highlight the city's history.

"The goal is to create an educational and artistic element for the community," said Dawn Hunter, a Whitewater Arts Alliance board member. "It will be an attention-getter and hopefully people will visually appreciate it."

The city of Whitewater, the Whitewater Arts Alliance and the Whitewater Historical Society have joined together for the project. Estimated costs for completion in the fall will be around $50,000-60,000.

The steel arch will be 24 feet wide and 21.5 feet high. It will extend over the existing Second Street paved entrance into the park. Stone pillars on each side will support the project detailed with several silhouettes of historical landmarks of Whitewater.

Private individuals as well as local groups and businesses have contributed to funding the project.

"People who said they would sponsor an image chose something they were really interested in," said Hunter.

The Class of 1961 sponsored a silhouette of Old City High which no longer stands. It will be a tribute to Fran Achen, who died three years ago. He was an instructor at the school and a prominent photographer in Whitewater.

Other images to be placed on the arch include the Birge Fountain, Old City Hall, a cow, the White Memorial Building and the Whitewater water tower.

The historical Territorial Oak used to survey Whitewater when it was founded, and the steeple of Congregational Church, the oldest in the city, will also be represented on the arch.

The chosen silhouettes came from a compiled list of possible objects. The Whitewater Arts Alliance consulted Carol Cartright of the Whitewater Historical Society about the information and relevance of historical objects in the community.

The group also studied books that compiled Whitewater's history as well as asked for the general public's opinions at an open meeting at City Hall in April.

"The arch will be a historical sign and also be important for the community today," Hunter said.

The steel will have a powdered coated surface as a protective sealant and will be colored to match the gray-green color of the park's existing light poles. A brass plaque will be on the face of each pillar identifying the historical sites represented on the arch as well as the community sponsors who attributed to the project.

In March, sculptor Brady Lueck, a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater alumnus who designed a similar arch on Fort Atkinson's bike trail, presented several arch designs to the Parks and Recreation Board.

One was selected and Hunter contacted the Scharine Group about the steel and fabrication costs.

An estimated timeline of three-five years was given to complete the project based from the estimated cost of the production design. The Scharine Group shortened the timeline immensely when it paid for the arch's materials.

The arch is among many other proposed improvements to the Cravath Lakefront Park. The City of Whitewater Park and Recreation Board have also heard ideas of reorganizing parking around the park, building a gazebo, an information center and adding a playground.

The board will continue to discuss other changes.

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