Monona Terrace

Madison, Wisconsin (not to be confused with our hometown of Madison, South Dakota) is the capital of Wisconsin and the home of the University of Wisconsin. It is also the location of a Frank Lloyd Wright building with a most unusual history: Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center.

Wright first proposed a building on this site just blocks from the State Capitol on the edge of Lake Monona in 1938.

The County Board defeated the plan by one vote. By 1941 it looked like the project might move forward. Then World War Two intervened.

In 1954 the project was on and Wright was approved as architect. But in 1957 the project was derailed. In 1959 Wright died.

In the 1960’s the project was restarted, only to be stopped yet again.

Finally in 1992 voters narrowly approve the project and in 1994 construction began, overseen by Taliesin architect Tony Puttnam.

Monona Terrace finally opened in July 1997, 59 years after the inception of the project and 38 years after Wright’s death.

Otis Redding died in a plane crash in Lake Monona on December 10, 1967 at the age of 26. His biggest hit “(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay" was recorded only three days earlier. Redding did not consider the recording complete, as he wanted to write lyrics for one more verse. The song was released posthumously with the now-famous whistling in place of the missing lyrics.

This plaque on the rooftop of Monona Terrace was placed in Redding’s memory

It does not mention that Redding’s manager, four members of his backup band, the Bar-Kays, and the pilot were also killed in the crash.