Downtown Milwaukee’s first public dog park, located underneath the elevated I-794 freeway in between North Plankinton Avenue and the Milwaukee River, is officially open.
Officials, community members and dog owners gathered at the park, dogs in tow, on Wednesday afternoon for its grand opening.
The park, which took roughly four years to complete, features a space for large dogs to roam freely and a dedicated space within it for smaller dogs.
The $2 million project was funded by a collection of private donations from local companies including Mequon-based Fromm Family Pet Foods, the Milwaukee Admirals, 333 Water, Veolia, and St. Paul’s Fish Company, among several others.
“Like generations before us, we invest back into the community because it’s the right thing to do,” said Tom Neiman, owner of Fromm Nieman Brands, the parent company of Fromm Family Pet Foods and Foxtown Brewing.
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- Two sections inside the park separate large and small dogs.
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- A seating area is located inside the park in the large dog section.
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- People and dogs gather at downtown Milwaukee’s first public dog park at its grand opening on Wednesday afternoon.
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- Milwaukee officials, media, community members, dog owners and their dogs gathered at Wednesday’s grand opening event.
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- Tom Neiman, Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Paul Schwartz, Matt Dorner, Ald. Bob Bauman and others cut the ribbon at Wednesday’s grand opening of Milwaukee’s Downtown Dog Park.
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- Dog owners and their dogs waited outside the fence at Wednesday’s grand opening ceremony.
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- The park’s title sponsor is Fromm Family Pet Food.
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- Booths from Tito’s, Skilo, Fromm Family Pet Foods and more were featured at Wednesday’s grand opening.
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- A dog awaits the opening of the gates at Wednesday’s grand opening of Milwaukee’s Downtown Dog Park.
The park’s title sponsor is Fromm Family Pet Foods, whose affiliate Foxtown Brewing, is developing a 28,000-square-foot complex called Foxtown Landing just south of the dog park at St. Paul and Plankinton avenues along the Milwaukee River. The park and building will make up what the project’s developers, the downtown Milwaukee business improvement district and the Historic Third Ward business improvement district, are calling Milwaukee’s Dog District.
FoxTown Landing is currently under construction and will feature a three-story building with a restaurant, tap room, distillery, and outdoor seating.
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- Foxtown Landing’s river-facing east side. Rendering from Stephen Perry Smith Architects
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- Foxtown Landing’s northeast side. Rendering from Stephen Perry Smith Architects
