Excerpt from a piece by Kathie Asmuth
Tucked in a quiet glen east of the Visitor Center off the Veranda, visitors will find a beautiful piece of art titled Fountain of the Great Lakes. This fountain, which possesses an intricate history, was generously donated to Schlitz Audubon Nature Center by members of the Robert C. and William G. Brumder families in memory of William George Brumder (“Bill” 1901-1976).
Family History of the Fountain’s Donors
Bill Brumder was a grandson of George Brumder, who emigrated from Breuschwickersheim, Alsace, about ten miles north of present-day Strasbourg, France, in 1857. George Brumder and his wife, Henrietta were married in 1864 and raised eleven children in Milwaukee, thus founding the large clan of Brumders. He founded the Germania Publishing Company, at one time the largest German language publishing company in the U.S.
In 1960, grandson Bill Brumder was President of the First Wisconsin National Bank. He commissioned a fountain to be designed and installed by Dick Wiken, a local artist specializing in architectural sculpture, in the bank’s newly renovated headquarters at 743 N. Water Street in downtown Milwaukee. The fountain was unveiled in May 1961. When the bank moved to its headquarters on Wisconsin Avenue in 1973, the fountain was not reinstalled and was moved several times before being set up in its current home.
The Artist
Dick Wiken (1913-1985) was a prolific Milwaukee artist whose drawing and sculpting ability was evident early in his life. His formal art training ended in high school. Early in his career, in the 1930’s, he was employed by the WPA. In addition to the work with the WPA, he was an instructor in sculpture at the Art Institute in Milwaukee at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His goal was to work with architects to create architectural sculpture, and his work was commissioned for many projects including the Milwaukee Journal Central Plaza, the Milwaukee County Zoo, the Milwaukee Athletic Club, and more. Schlitz Audubon is fortunate to have this fine example of the work of a distinguished Milwaukee artist.
Educational Purpose
The Center is a great location for this sculptural fountain as it can fulfill its educational purpose, which is to teach about the amazing Great Lakes system. The fountain’s intent is to demonstrate the geologic relationship of the Great Lakes and the flow of water from one lake to the other. The artist chose to support the “lakes” with bronze stalks of cattails whose graceful stems and leaves intertwine providing both support and visual interest.
Last year, thanks to a generous donation made through the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s Thekla Brumder Fund, extended family members elected to fortify and further enhance the fountain through the addition of a beautiful stone basin.
View Fountain of the Great Lakes from the Great Hall’s east veranda the next time you visit the Center and reflect on its historical roots, educational message, and legacy.
