I am a native Kenoshan. After graduating from St. Joseph’s High School, I joined the army and began my “adult” life which, I was convinced, had nothing to do with Kenosha. For most of the next twenty-four years, it didn’t. Sure, I came back to visit my family, sometimes for months at a time, but I didn’t “live here.” Many of my friends had left town as well, to either go to college or just live somewhere else. This was in the early 1980s, when Kenosha began its economic decline. Unless one wanted to bet on a future that looked increasingly dim, Kenosha seemed like a good place to be from, but not to live in. Besides, Kenosha didn’t have the “big city” opportunities. Over the next twenty-four years, I traveled a bit and lived in a number of other places; Germany, Madison, WI, and Chicago among them. Ultimately, I settled in Southern California, living in LA and Orange County for about twelve years (with another seven months in the Northern California Wine Country thrown in), but, I digress.
In 2005, I returned for an indefinite period of time. The primary reasons were health concerns with my parents and brother-in-law. I decided to move back to Kenosha to be with my family and try and be of some help.
As I said, over the years, whenever I returned, I was increasingly surprised to find interesting new businesses established and new city developments. While some of these developments such as Dairyland Greyhound Park (which is failing) and Harbor Park (which is depressingly monotonous) could be considered normal urban development, others, like the new Kenosha Public Museum, the moving of the Kenosha History Center into a bigger space, the Dinosaur Discovery Museum, the new branch libraries, and the Civil War Museum, demonstrate a kind of cultural growth.
New types of businesses have also opened which indicate an expansion of cultural diversity. Examples of these new businesses are the new Japanese and Korean restaurants such as Honada and Soon’s Sushi Cafe as well as the Chinese restaurants and buffets, the opening of real cafes such as Common Grounds, Mo’s Lounge, the Nook, Carolyn’s Coffee Connection, a Starbucks (or two), and Kenosha’s first (and only) good used bookstore; Lakeshore Books.
In addition, a number of businesses that I think of as alternative and unique have opened. These include massage and yoga places like Equinox Massage, Yoga & Friends, and Mindful Yoga, and stores that sell handcrafted or alternative products such as Peacetree Originals, Down the Rabbit Hole, and the Drum Hut (the owner of which, Heather Poyner, has a monthly drum circle during Second Saturdays).
There has also been a multiplication of art galleries. Aside from the venerable Kenosha Art Association, which was has been in existence since 1950, there is the Anderson Arts Center, Artworks, and the Lemon Street Gallery (celebrating its tenth anniversary).
As for music, in addition to the bars/clubs that provide venues for live performance such as tg’s, Capt. Mike’s, Ashling on the Lough, and the “Open Mics” at the Nook on Mondays, the Kenosha Symphony (which I have never heard), the Kenosha Pops, and the Twilight Jazz Concerts at the Anderson Arts Center during the summer provide real opportunities to hear quality live music.
There are undoubtedly many businesses I did not mention. But to me, those mentioned above represent an expansion of cultural diversity that has enriched the lives of the people of Kenosha and make it a more interesting and desirable place to live. In my mind, they demonstrate a cultural growth that I wryly like to think of as the “Kenosha Renaissance.” It is worth noting that many of the businesses mentioned above are located in or near Downtown or “Harborside” (the area north of the harbor).
Of course, this “Renaissance” is not without its problems. The fact that a large portion of the buildings downtown remain vacant because owners (or their agents) are asking for rents out of line with what business owners are willing to pay demonstrates this; not to mention meaningless establishment of the trolley to nowhere (the operation of which has to be the loneliest job in town.)
After living in Chicago for two years and another dozen plus in Los Angeles and Southern California, I am excited by the changes I see in Kenosha. I remember when, after the American Motors Lakeshore plant was demolished, the harbor area resembled Richmond, Virginia after the Civil War.
In the last twenty-five years, Kenosha seemed doomed. This ignominious decline appears to have been arrested if not reversed. I might be overstating the case for a “Kenosha Renaissance,” but positive and culturally interesting changes have taken place in Kenosha in recent years and are continuing. It is up us, the people who live here, to make sure that this development continues. For my part, I will do what I can to celebrate the successes of creative individuals and businesses and bring to people’s attention to the challenges that lie ahead.
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5 comments ↓
I grew up in Chicago. I lived in San Diego County and Los Angeles County in the ’80s. Back to Chicago in the 1990s. I’ve been living in Kenosha with my husband and children since 2001 - and I love it! I love having my acting studio, Actor’s Craft, as part of the vibrant and supportive arts community - particularly downtown. Soon’s Sushi Cafe is fabulous! So is Thai Gourmet. Plus my kids are getting a great education at Harvey School and Paideia Academy. Thanks for the article that celebrates this wonderful city. I LOVE KENOSHA!
I grew up and lived in Colorado and Western Michigan in the 50s thru 80s. Then I lived in Southeast Wisconsin in the 90s. I’ve been living in Kenosha with my wife and five kids since 1997 because I love this wonderful, vibrant and supportive city, Kenosha, and its communities plus downtown. I’ve been very fortunate (Kenosha is very fortunate to have them also) to be in the most empower experiences and best trainings in both Actor’s Craft and Stunts Are Us….
Very insightful treatise, except (I hate saying ‘except’ in passing a compliment) for a couple of takes.
On vacant buildings: where? there really aren’t that many … mainly just the Alford and Barden buildings, and the latter hasn’t been vacant that long. But they’re larger than most, so I guess they get fixed into the mind of the casual passerby. There are also a couple on 56th Street, and then at Harborside there’s the former drugstore on the NW corner of 50th and 7th, the only empty building in that whole business district. Not bad, I’d say, considering this current economy.
But come on, Ronald, you’re not getting away with calling downtown and HarborPark and all its attractions “nowhere”. With three world-class museums (one a Smithsonian affiliate), stunning views of Lake Michigan, sculptures, fountains, and a quarter-billion dollars worth of condos … please. That’s not the HarborPark the rest of us know.
The streetcar line drew a record 65,000 passengers last year and over 34% of all tourists use it; and Kenosha now pulls about a quarter billion dollars in tourism annually, up from $92 million a year back in 1992. It’s a success, and it’s okay to not appreciate it, but I ask you to appreciate what it does for Kenosha’s bottom line.
(I’m like that in a way because I wouldn’t go across the street to see a pro-football game if it was free, and I can’t grasp why anyone would, but they tell me it’s good for everyone’s bottom line, so … okay.)
I have been in and around Kenosha and now a full time resident I have watched the recovery of the land at Harbor Park and I think the look and feel is just right for the Downtown Kenosha area. What would you have done better? I think the street car is novel but I do question the money spent and the route it takes. I am in the downtown area 7 days a weeks and the cars are normally empty. I love the Kenosha History Center but to be honest the Civil War Museum is far at best. Maybe good for school kids! I do agree that the downtown has made great strides and I look forward to all Kenosha residents to make an effort to support the Downtown area and businesses. For a city of 90K there is very little activity downtown expect for the 4th. It is getting much better.
Apologies, but Don’s comment on the streetcar route prompts me to add a postscript:
As with nearly all new American streetcar lines, ours has been a ’starter route’ from the beginning, meaning it’s planned for eventual expansion. The supporting infrastructure is already there - carhouse, shops, rolling stock, state-of-the-art substation, spare parts, etcetera.
The current two-mile starter loop was installed when the HarborPark infrastructure went in - streets, utilities, parkways, etcetera - else the costs would have been high.
Don questions the “money spent”. That was mostly federal and state funding designated specifically to transit, and if we hadn’t applied for it, some other community would have. (We’ve been paying for other cities’ rail lines since the 1960s, and finally those cities have helped pay for ours.)
And the cars aren’t “normally empty” — they carry more passengers per mile traveled than do the buses and 2009 ridership is at a new high. Every time you pass a public park or golf course, they look empty, as do stadiums and ballparks, churches, stores, theatres and even streets and highways at times. Doesn’t mean they’re not used.
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