GANEY AND PETERS ON CAMPUS TOWN ADDITIONS:

The Campus Town East apartments did not originally stretch all the way from 16th Street to 15th Street. Some small retail stores and businesses, including the Avalanche Bar, lined a portion of Wells Street west of 15th Street, said Tom Ganey, university architect.

The original Campus Town East apartments were built in the early 1990s, Peters said.

The remaining buildings on Wells Street between Campus Town East and 15th Street were "eye-sores," Peters said. Marquette either had to refurbish the buildings or look at alternative uses that would be better for the university and the neighborhood, he said.

The Avalanche closed in 1997. The other businesses continued to run for a few years. Once market demand for more apartments increased, the leases of the businesses ran out, and funding was secured, the university was able to build the additional apartments, Ganey said.

The university demolished the stores to make room for the fifth phase of Campus Town construction, which included building the rest of the Campus Town East apartments, Ganey said.

The apartments were finished in 2002, Peters said.

KORBAN ON TRAIN TRACKS:

The city knew it would uncover the train tracks that lay beneath the Wells Street pavement during construction of the new median, said Ghassan Korban, Milwaukee Department of Public Works project manager.

Contractors could have constructed the median without removing the train tracks, but that would have meant a shallow base for planting trees, Korban said. Instead, the tracks will be replaced with blended soil more "conducive" for the trees, he said.

Several decades ago, streetcars ran along the tracks as part of a city rail system, Korban said. The tracks were covered after the paving of Wells Street more than 30 years ago.

The tracks will be sold to a salvage yard for scrap material, Korban said.

Campus Town was created because the Board of Trustees wanted an area close to campus for students to live and have services catered toward them, said Mike Whittow, assistant to the vice president in the Office of Administration. The businesses also cater to the community, he said.

"Students only live here eight months per year, so those businesses need that community aspect," Whittow said.

Marquette owns all the properties between 15th and 17th Streets and Wells Street, except for Angelo's and Marquette Gyro's, Whittow said. Marquette leases the lower floor to the businesses. Before the Campus Town additions in ????, those buildings were all one or two floors, he said. (NEED INFO FROM GANEY, UNLESS YOU HAVE YEARS OF ADDITIONS).

Campus Town was part of the Campus Circle project of the late '80s, said Toby Peters, associate senior vice president. Marquette partnered with the city and businesses in order to revitalize the neighborhood. The project was the university's response to "our deteriorating neighborhood," Peters said.

At the time, there were some known drug houses in the area, and crime had escalated, Peters said.

"If we were to continue to be a successful university, we couldn't turn our back to the neighborhood," Peters said.

Peters said Marquette's development has "absolutely" been a positive for the neighborhood.

"If we had not intervened at the time we did, we wouldn't have seen the success we've had to the degree we have it," Peters said.

Peters believes the values of Campus Town properties have risen since Marquette purchased, rehabilitated and sold them to "responsible" landlords.

There are less abandoned properties now, and crime has dropped dramatically, Peters said.

"This is one of the safest neighborhood neighborhoods in the near-downtown area," Peters said.

The Campus Circle project has contributed to the area drop in crime over the past 16 years, said June Moberly, executive director of the community group Avenues West Association.

Moberly said the improvements in the neighborhood are quite noticeable.

"It's looking better," Moberly said. "There are problems, but nowhere near what is was like."

However, there has been a struggle to bring new businesses to the area, in part because of the low income, Moberly said.

The university's investment in Wells Street has extended Marquette's presence, which benefits both students and the Avenues West neighborhood, said Rana Altenburg, vice president for public affairs. For example, Marquette pays property taxes for its Campus Town businesses, which are then reinvested in the neighborhood.

The variety of restaurants and businesses in Campus Town make it very attractive, Whittow said.

"We're making it a destination spot for students and the community," Whittow said.

Peters cited the 2040 Lofts and the Ambassador Hotel as signs of renewed interest in the area.

"People are investing in this neighborhood," Peters said. "That wouldn't have happened 20 years ago."

Peters said the university works closely with the Avenues West Association to ensure that the university needs align with those of the community group.

"We've always tried to be responsive to the neighborhood and, more specifically, to our students," Peters said.

The university tries hard to be good partners with the neighborhood and to be sensitive to its needs, Moberly said. For example, it included the Avenues West Association in discussions about campus portals in the '90s and in current meetings about the Wells Street median.

The association, established in 1987, helps the university see from a perspective beyond its environment, Moberly said. For example, she sometimes plays the role of "friendly dissident," like when she expressed concerns about the lack of available parking spaces once the Wells Street median is finished.

"There's a give and take, and I think it's growing and improving," Moberly said.

Historical information from Peters:

The university razed all the buildings on the north side of Wells Street (I THINK BETWEEN 15TH & 17TH STREETS) and started over. Meanwhile, the structures on the south side of Wells Street were rehabilitated, Peters said.

Campus Town East was built about seven years ago after razing the previous structures.

The current Open Pantry was previously a Blockbuster. The Bursar's Office was a BBQ place and the headquarters of Hilltop Enterprises. Papa John's was there (near current Bursar) before moving to the south side of the street. The Office of Public Affairs was a music store. Qdoba was a Dairy Queen and then a George Webb's. The current student space near BookMarq was the old Open Pantry. Print World was a Big Apple Bagel's. Jimmy John's was a Stone Creek Coffee.

Before Campus Circle, there was a also a butcher shop, a parking lot, a couple of bars, and Murphy's was in a different location.

Additional notes from Rana Altenburg, vice president of public affairs:

Altenburg, a 1988 Marquette graduate in Arts & Sciences, said Wells Street remains a central spot for students to hang out.

"It has the same level of activity, but it is a nicer street," Altenburg said.

The most noticeable difference from when Altenburg was a student is the decrease in the number of bars on Wells Street. The street was active mostly at night, whereas now it is lively both day and night, Altenburg said.

She attributed that to Wells Street being more than "just a strip of bars" and to the prominent student housing.

"The development of Campus Town was critical to the success of Wells Street as a viable commercial corridor," Altenburg said.

Wells Street has always had character, Altenburg said. It's also always been active. It just has different activity now, she said.

People generally went to Wells Street for eating and drinking when Altenburg was a student.

"There wasn't much else to do," Altenburg said.

Now, there are more reasons to be on Wells Street, such as the amenities and parking, Altenburg said.

"It's a lot more active and diverse than it used to be," Altenburg said. "I have very fond memories of Wells Street then, but it's got much more of a community feel now. It has a much broader appeal."

"It's a great sign that Marquette continues to prosper and meet the needs of its community," Altenburg said.

Altenburg said returning alumni are always stunned by the changes to Wells Street, like becoming a two-way street and the disappearance of bars.

Whittow acknowledged that the decreased number of bars in the area might have inspired negative feelings among some people. Nevertheless, the bars that remain have good tenants, and the area is not far from downtown.

The most famous Wells Street bar was the Avalanche, Altenburg said.

The "Lanche" used to serve 50-cent beer in bottles, which was quite attractive to fiscally challenged college students during an era in which the legal drinking age was 18. Many patrons would smash the bottles, littering the floor with shards of glass, Altenburg said.

"It was a little crunchy when you walked in," Altenburg said.

The bar eventually switched to cups, Altenburg said.

The Avalanche was always crowded, and sometimes the whole bar would sing along to the music blasting overhead, Altenburg said.

"People have very fond memories of the Avalanche," Altenburg said. "When it closed, it's one thing that people of that generation always reminisce about."

Altenburg said Marquette's culture has improved since she was a student. It was more of a drinking culture in the '80s, especially since the drinking age was lower. The university now emphasizes non-alcoholic programming. Altenburg believes this has led to more responsible and better-behaved students.

Moberly also believes Marquette student behavior has improved, which helps the neighborhood's reputation. She cited instances of students knocking beer kegs over their apartment balconies and injuring themselves on plastic slides during the winter.