Fonzie's Home

The site for the Fonzie statue has been chosen.

It won't be adorning the Chase Plaza on Wisconsin Ave. as originally planned. It will be tucked away on the riverwalk.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The Fonzie statute will become a reality this summer, but its downtown Milwaukee location will carry a somewhat lower profile than originally planned.

The bronze Fonz, a life-size statue of "Happy Days" TV show character Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli, will be enshrined on the riverwalk, just outside the patio of Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery, 740 N. Plankinton Ave.

That section of the riverwalk draws a fair number of people, especially during the summer. But it has less visibility than the riverwalk plaza south of E. Wisconsin Ave. and one-half block west of N. Water St., the original proposed site for the statue.

The change occurred in part because arts supporters, including former Milwaukee Art Museum Director David Gordon, opposed the Wisconsin Ave. location. They said the Fonzie statue could detract from future public art planned for that same area.

"Collectively, there was a realization of people having strong feelings about having (the statue) at such a prominent location," said Gordon, a member of a committee that selected the statue site.

Fonzie's new home is "a great location," said Gordon, who recently left the museum and launched a consulting firm, Gordon Advisory LLC.

The Rock Bottom site presents a better spot for visitors to take photos of the statue, said David Fantle, vice president of public relations at Visit Milwaukee, a nonprofit group that promotes the city as a tourism and convention destination. Visit Milwaukee led the campaign to create the statue.

...The Rock Bottom location, while not on Wisconsin Ave., is "in the heart of downtown," said Stacie Callies, executive director of Westown Association, and a member of the site selection committee. Westown is an organization of downtown business and property owners located west of the Milwaukee River.

This sounds like a good compromise to me.

I wasn't in favor of the Wisconsin Ave. location, but I also didn't think that the statue threatened to destroy Milwaukee's image.

...The statue will be dedicated on Aug. 19, at a ceremony to be attended by Henry Winkler, who played Fonzie, and other "Happy Days" cast members, Fantle said. Visit Milwaukee wants the statue up before Harley-Davidson Inc.'s 105th anniversary celebration, which begins on Aug. 28.

It's interesting that Visit Milwaukee, a group devoted to promoting the city as a tourist destination and convention site, wants the statue to be dedicated and ready for Harley's 105th anniversary celebration.

They obviously believe that it will be a crowd pleaser.

...Plans for the statue prompted some local art gallery owners to criticize the project as kitsch. Backers say the statue isn't meant to be art, but rather a fun addition to downtown's attractions.

I hope the gallery owners are satisfied.

Former Milwaukee Art Museum Director David Gordon certainly seems pleased with the site for the bronze Fonz.

If it turns out that it's not the right location, it can always be moved with relative ease. It's not like it's a Big Blue Shirt attached to a parking structure at the airport.