For over thirty years, the heart of Irish culture in Milwaukee has been at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center (ICHC). Less than a mile west of Marquette’s campus, the ICHC holds great significance to the city.
Constructed in 1887, the center used to be the Grand Avenue Congregational Church, Milwaukee’s largest auditorium at the time. It even hosted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s first appearance in the city in 1957.
However, the church was sold in 1992 to the board of the ICHC for one dollar. Since then, it has been a hub for Irish culture in Milwaukee, hosting numerous bands, dance groups and clubs. The many venues within the building are notorious for celebratory gatherings.
Unfortunately, the center announced on Sept. 5 that they would be suspending operations at the end of October due to financial deficits. This foreclosure will significantly displace Milwaukee’s Irish community despite efforts to manage the building’s assets after it was sold.
Milwaukee Irish Fest and St. Patrick’s Day are the only festivities of the year in the city that showcase Irish culture, but Irish culture remains active year-round, with eight percent of Milwaukee’s population being Irish. Groups such as the Shamrock Club and the Ulster Project of Greater Milwaukee bring people together to celebrate Irish practices, while pubs and Irish cuisine are also spread throughout the city.
Besides these, Milwaukee is home to eight world-class Irish dance schools. Each has its own studios, but the ICHC was a notable gathering point for all of the schools to come together. Without this valuable space to rehearse and unify through the art of dance, these schools will be greatly affected.
I was fortunate enough to perform many times at the ICHC throughout my thirteen years of Irish dancing. The ICHC was where I was exposed to Irish culture outside of my own dance studio. Some of my fondest memories of building friendships and learning about Irish culture took place there, and it is heartbreaking to know that the future generation of dancers in Milwaukee will not get to have the same experience.
Some members of the community who grew up in this space feel similarly.
“The loss of a shared space with so much history is a heavy blow to the community,” Alec McLoughlin Martinez, a former dancer who trained at the ICHC, wrote in an email. “It will be hard to match a location with so much history.”
The Irish community has always joined together in times like these, but finding a venue holding an incredible amount of history and significance will be difficult.
Bridget Jaskulski, president of CelticMKE and owner of Glencastle Irish Dancers, is an integral member in promoting Irish culture in Milwaukee.
“The Irish community has always adapted and found ways to keep traditions alive,” Jaskulski wrote. “This is a moment for the community to come together, support one another, and ensure that the Irish culture continues to thrive in Milwaukee.”
Many questions remain unanswered for the future of the ICHC’s building and for Milwaukee’s Irish community. With resilience, the community will find alternatives for spaces to hold events, but it will never be the same without the ICHC as a core location to foster culture.
Regardless of what steps the Milwaukee Irish community will take after the ICHC suspends its operations, the center’s legacy will live on as a welcoming venue filled with passion for Irish heritage and culture.
This article was written by Bella Gruber. She can be reached at [email protected]
