The Valleskey Garage creates a functional yet
beautiful space for vehicle storage and second-floor welding, as well as
contributing to the renaissance of craft in its south side Milwaukee
neighborhood. Spatially-conscious neighborhood lots that include simple
backyard cottage-style residences inform the structure’s size and shape.
These lots offer a level of backyard privacy and vertically-layered
space – a surveillanced refuge within the city - that the modern city
often lacks. Local planning and zoning laws no longer allow such
residential architectural infusions to small, narrow lots; the project
seeks to create a contemporary rendering of the ideals of the original
neighborhood structures: A secure homestead with small-scale spatial
richness – using conventional materials, scaled-back dimensions, and an
artisan-based use. The simple exterior will grow in complexity and
ornamentation over time as the owner creates functional and decorative
metal pieces in the loft welding workshop. As the owner creates, the
building transforms and gains identity, and so does the neighborhood.
