So, a couple weeks back I got a phone call from David Hintzman of Equitable Development, the company responsible for the Fountains of Franklin commercial complex, right after they announced that Sendik's would be an anchor store. He hinted that even more exciting things were in store. But they all say that.
This, however, certainly qualifies as a legitimately exciting announcement: Fountains of Franklin will now include the Franklin Cultural Arts Center, a complex paid for completely by private investment and grants (official web site here).
From the official web site:
The goal of the Franklin Cultural Arts Center is to construct arts/community center servicing the needs of Franklin and the surrounding communities of South Western Milwaukee County. The facility will provide performance and exhibit space for local and touring artists, as well as provide arts based educational outreach programs covering a wide range of needs from children to seniors. The Center will become and active hub for our community with meeting space for business and community groups, and auditorium and halls for banquets and receptions.
It is the goal of the Franklin Center Committee to build the facility entirely with private funds and/or grant funding and to have the facility be entirely self-supporting once it is built.
As we work towards our primary or longer-term goal, we are actively brining the arts to the community through a series of visiting artist programs; community based performing groups and featuring the work of local and regional artist. These events provide valuable performance experience for local artist and performers in our community as well as bringing the arts to the community.
The footprint of Fountains of Franklin has also grown enormously, expanding from its former long and relatively thin site to the full corner of Rawson and 51st street - - now inclusive of the new Andy's Convenience Center and Car Wash (the web link for which, I just noticed, makes use of my Google Earth overlay of the Andy's site plan). This will vastly change the character of that particular crossroads. Whether that change will be for the better or worse remains to be seen - there certainly are reasons to be optimistic.
Construction of the Cultural Center is not set to begin until 2008, but one thing is clear: the focus has definitely shifted for the time being from The Shops at Wyndham Village to Fountains of Franklin in terms of anticipation.
And what of old-guard stalwarts like Southridge Mall? If they weren't thinking massive overhaul before, they certainly will now.
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