The Monona Terrace will officially reopen Jan. 26, following a month of construction, according to Fran Puleo, the Monona Terrace Manager of Community and Public Relations.
The terrace was closed at the end of December and will host a reopening celebration Sunday, Feb. 2 to reveal the building’s new amenities.
The celebration will give the public an opportunity to get acquainted with the architects, designers, artists and poets who will perform live readings of their poetry.
New structural designs include revamping the building with environmentally sustainable LED lighting and plumbing.
“We did go to all low-water-usage plumbing fixtures,” Puleo said. “The toilets and the sinks are all more water efficient.”
Other artistic improvements brought to the building include a new photo and poetry exhibition called “Reflections: Madison,” administrated by David Wells, the director of the Edgewood College Gallery. The artwork comes mainly from local artists from the Madison area, according to Puleo.
“In terms of the artwork, we wanted to make sure that we were opening up our public facilities for more public artwork,” said Puleo. “One of our goals was, because we have lots of convention attendees that come in from outside of Wisconsin, to try to get them to go see Madison.”
The poetry included in the redesigns will be presented on the walls with quick response codes that open up readings of the poetry read by the poet themselves, according to Puleo.
Another addition to the terrace includes a gallery titled “Beyond the Drawing Board: The Journey of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Monona Terrace” as a tribute to Frank Lloyd Wright’s contributions to the terrace, according to Puleo.
“One other big part to the renovation is our museum gallery that we’re opening,” Puleo said. “This is an interactive multimedia exhibition about the 60-year history of the Monona Terrace.”
The official Reopening Celebration will take place in the Monona Terrace building from 1-4 p.m. promptly before the Super Bowl.
