Architect who designed Milwaukee landmark the Domes has died at age 99

The architect of Milwaukee's Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory, known as the Domes, has died at age 99.

Donald Grieb was also known for designing the former Milwaukee County Courthouse Annex over I-43, which featured the "Whaling Wall" mural; the 1965 Milwaukee Union Station on St. Paul Ave.; and the clock tower that stood in MacArthur Square for many years.

"Through his architecture, Donald Grieb gave the city of Milwaukee authenticity, character, and an undeniable sense of pride," County Executive Chris Abele said in a statement.

The Domes have stood for more than 50 years, introducing millions of people to plants and environments far from Wisconsin's temperate forests.

In a 2016 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel interview, Grieb's son, Donald Grieb Jr., said of his father's design: "He woke up at 4 a.m. and it just kind of burst into his head. I remember him making models out of toothpicks and balsa wood at home."

Over the years, the Domes fell into disrepair. But the trio of glassy beehives was one of the most daring, progressive projects of its time and it rose above what was then a dirty industrial valley. 

The project was wholly unique to Milwaukee, Abele said of Grieb's design. 

"His contributions to our community helped create our sense of place, and it's important that in his passing we remember and appreciate his work," the county executive said. 

Grieb's vision would lead him to enter the Sydney Opera House competition, to espouse the idea of plastic and Styrofoam-like homes, to advocate for more affordable housing and to suggest that a swath of downtown Milwaukee be modeled after a 19th-century Copenhagen amusement park, Tivoli Gardens.

"He's always wanted to be an architect since he was a little boy," Donald Grieb Jr. said of his father, who was born in Milwaukee and raised as the son of a builder.

Grieb founded his own firm and was adamant about keeping just one name on the door. In the 1960s and '70s, his name was associated with scores of projects including schools and office buildings.

"Donald Grieb was a self-styled visionary, as idealistic as he was idiosyncratic," Minneapolis architect Vincent James said in a 2016 Journal Sentinel article.

"I am confident the Jetsons would have loved some of his buildings. But the Domes are his great contribution to the city of Milwaukee," James said.

Grieb died Feb. 25 in Houston, where he had been living in recent years. 

He is survived by his wife, Nancy; his two children, daughter Linn Grieb Wright and her spouse Don Wright; Donald Grieb, Jr., and his spouse Diane Grieb; two grandchildren, Gavin and Gina Marie Grieb; sister, Audrey Valashinas; and many nieces and nephews.

An interment service will be held Monday in Houston.

In lieu of flowers, Grieb's family has asked that donations be made to Friends of the Domes, 524 S. Layton Blvd., Milwaukee, WI 53215.