Brookfield Wannabe

Last time, I talked about golden arches. Now, I’m on to illuminated gateways. Much as St. Louis is known as the “Gateway to the West,” could Brookfield soon be the “Gateway to Oconomowoc?”

Sounds silly, doesn’t it? And silly is exactly what I thought when I read about a proposal to create a “gateway” to mark the intersection of 124th Street and Capitol Drive. (JS-Online (Waukesha): Brandon Lorenz, “2 city “gateway” ideas advance,” posted May 22, 2006) The following structures were proposed: 1) a trellis; 2) a tower; 3) an illuminated wall; and 4) a metal mesh wall enclosed with stone.

The first question that popped to mind was, “Huh?” The second question was “Why?” The third question was, “A TRELLIS??”

I don’t know what prompted the idea of a gateway. If my memory is correct, there was already a simple Welcome to Brookfield sign at that intersection, much like the other welcome signs scattered throughout the city. Although recent construction at the site may have called for the removal of the sign, I don’t know why something so grandiose is being contemplated as a replacement. For example, according to the article, the illuminated wall was explained as “a series of illuminated rectangular light boxes arranged in an oval spanning the north and south sides of Capitol.” Additionally, “the boxes could change color, depending on the time of day.” In the article, a representative of the design team stated, “What we wanted to do is make a statement about what Brookfield is.” So, what exactly does a multicolor light wall say about the city?

For those of you who have lived in Brookfield for awhile, you know that this particular intersection has been a source of “concern.” Remember the infamous “Schmuckville” comment by a former mayor? If you read the city’s crime report in the paper, you will note that stores at this intersection have more than their fair share of incidents. My brother, who happened to be at the Pick ‘N Save there, at around midnight on Mother’s Day, almost did not go in because of the presence of several squad cars around the entrance to the store. (Why he was there at that time of night is a long story, but it did involve a party his wife was throwing later that morning and therefore he had no choice but to go in.) So, it probably comes as no surprise that this particular intersection has been targeted for making a “statement,” but none of the proposed gateway ideas states anything substantial about the city. Nothing says, “Hey, this is a great place to live,” or “We’ve got great schools and parks.” Although I’ll grant you that it would be rather difficult to convey those thoughts in the form of a piece of architecture, let’s not kid ourselves. This gateway thing is about image

So, let’s say we go ahead and build an illuminated wall. On the pro side, it could say, “Brookfield is hip, Brookfield is edgy.” On the con side, it could say “Brookfield, a bit pretentious.”

When I told my friend, a former Brookfield resident, about this gateway idea, we had a few laughs comparing it to the Wizard of Oz, the part where Kansas is all black and white and then you cross over into Oz where everything is in color. (She gets full credit for the title for this blog, by the way.) On the serious side, she responded that it kind of sets up an “us” and “them” situation, and I’m inclined to agree.

Do we need a “gateway” to make a statement about what Brookfield is, and if we think we do, what does that say about us?

I’m not sure if I’m quoting it correctly, but there’s a saying that goes something like “If it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck, and acts like a duck, then it must be a duck.” In this case, the duck that I’m talking about is the McDonald’s on Moorland Road, across from Brookfield Square. If current plans go through, the new McDonald’s, while still serving the same food and providing the same service that we’ve come to rely on, will be “unrecognizable” as a McDonald’s. (JS-Online (Waukesha): Brandon Lorenz, “Council approves rezoning for upscale McDonald’s,” posted May 16, 2006)

Plans are in the works to raze the existing restaurant and rebuild it. In contrast to the existing building, the new one will be earth-toned, will have a sloped roof, and (this is what killed me) WILL NOT HAVE ANY GOLDEN ARCHES. Instead, the arches would appear “on tower windows as colorless glass etchings.” (JS-Online (Waukesha): Lisa Sink, “New McDonald’s will be Brookfield-ized,” posted April 20, 2006)

Now, I know this is not late-breaking news, but does this strike anyone else as just … wrong?

Sentimentality may play a part in my reaction to this news. A few years ago, the powers that be tore down the McDonald’s that used to be one of my high school haunts. Now, they’re going after the one that my husband worked at in high school. Back then, McDonald’s was about the only game in town for high school students looking for employment unrelated to family-owned businesses. I believe there were only two McDonald’s in Brookfield at that time, the one on Moorland, which was near Brookfield Central, and the one on Lilly and Capitol, which was near Brookfield East and is no longer. So, despite the uniforms (remember the polyester two-piece numbers, with blue and white stripes, complete with the paper cap?), students flocked to apply there. McDonald’s was the place to go after football games and basketball games. The place would be so packed that security, termed “rent-a-cops” by students, had to be called in for crowd control. If you didn’t have any food in front of you, you were kicked out of your table and out of the restaurant. There was many a game night that my girlfriends and I nursed a few packages of fries until the basketball/football player someone had a crush on finally appeared. I have to confess that it made me a little melancholy to see it close. It was a reminder of a time when life was easier.

Is a McDonald’s really a McDonald’s without the golden arches? (Well, okay, I guess it could be, but it’s the principle of the thing, people.) When you’re on a trip with your family in unfamiliar parts and the troops are restless due to hunger, isn’t one of the things you start looking for the golden “M”? Children who can’t even read yet know what those telltale arches mean. (Yes, I know the arguments on childhood obesity, but in the finicky world of kiddie cuisine, sometimes only a Happy Meal will pass the smell test.) I realize that the Moorland restaurant is in need of an update. Unless I miss my guess, it’s the oldest McDonald’s in the city. I even applaud the fact that a great deal of thought is being put into how the new look will fit with the overall plan for that area. The development of the Bluemound Road corridor and the resulting urban sprawl has long been pointed to as an example of poor city planning. It is heartening to see that Brookfield has learned from its mistakes. Where once there was building on top of building, now there is concern for environment, utilization, and cohesiveness. What concerns me now is whether we’re starting to head towards the opposite extreme when we sacrifice a beloved symbol standing for tradition and nostalgia for the sake of urban planning aesthetics.

Modernization. That I can understand. Colorless glass etchings. That I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around.

Why would a person who doesn’t live in Brookfield want to write a blog about Brookfield? The answer is a simple one. The reasons behind the answer are a bit more complicated.

I’m certainly no stranger to Brookfield. My parents, originally from the Philippines, moved to Brookfield in the winter of 1974. (Why people from a tropical region would move to Wisconsin is perhaps the subject for a future story.) I grew up in Brookfield, graduated from Brookfield East High School, and continued to live with my parents in Brookfield while I attended Marquette University and Marquette University Law School. Deciding it was time to leave the nest, I moved into an apartment on the eastside, only to move back to Brookfield two years later after meeting my future husband, who is from … wait for it …. Brookfield.

After getting married, my husband and I moved to Pewaukee, mainly because my stepdaughter goes to school there. She lives with us half the time and can easily catch the bus from our home. So, for the present, we’re still in Pewaukee.

The simple answer as to why I’m writing this blog about Brookfield: It still feels like home. Explaining why is the hard part. It’s certainly not the same Brookfield I grew up in. When I was a child, and even as a teen, a lot of the city was still undeveloped. There are more people now. There’s more traffic, more everything.

Of course, there’s always a feeling of home in the things and places of our childhood. My parents still live in the same house I grew up in, and I still occasionally refer to their house as “home,” much to the confusion and sometimes consternation of my husband. But the feeling I have is more than just familiarity. It’s a sense of ease. Not so much comfort as … “comfortableness.” Kind of like putting on your favorite ratty bathrobe. It’s not the same as when it was new, and maybe you’ve even bought others, but nothing fits quite like the old one.

I’m looking forward to sharing with you my memories of the Brookfield of yesterday and comparing it to the Brookfield of today. I’m also excited about attending some of the new events and exploring some of the new places that have sprung up since I last moved, the experiences of which will be material for future blogs.

Of course, I’ll also be giving you my opinions on any “hard” news that surfaces, and I’ll certainly be open to hearing yours. So, although I don’t technically live in Brookfield, not yet anyway, I’ll be content to write about it for now.