Domes Reimagined update: alliance rebrands, applies for historic tax credits and seeks $30 million county commitment

The Milwaukee Domes Alliance (formerly Friends of the Domes) provided a progress report on the Domes Reimagined program to the Parks and Culture Committee on April 8, describing organizational changes, financing milestones and next steps toward a restoration and rehabilitation plan.

Krista Beal Dieffenbach, executive director of the Milwaukee Domes Alliance, said the organization rebranded to reflect a new role and partnership with Milwaukee County Parks. Dieffenbach said the group submitted Part 1 of a National Register/historic tax credit application and is working with the State Historic Preservation Office to define the historic boundary; SHPO required that the adjacent greenhouses, the circle drive and a northern parking lot be included in the boundary because of permanent physical connections.

The Domes Alliance reported it had entered the “silent” phase of a capital campaign and had begun soliciting lead gifts; staff also submitted requests for potential congressional or state-directed appropriations and secured bipartisan letters of support. The Alliance engaged consultants (including Baker Tilly) for financial modeling and contingency planning and has considered phasing the project so that an initial phase — the show dome, an interactive children’s garden, expanded retail and a cafe — yields an operating conservatory that could be sustained before later phases proceed.

Jim Tarantino (Deputy Director, Milwaukee County Parks) said county counsel and Alliance counsel were negotiating a lease and related contract language that would meet requirements for tax-credit financing (historic and potential new-market tax credits). Alliance and county staff told the committee they expect to complete agreement negotiations in the summer, to file Part 2 of the historic-tax-credit application in 2026 and to pursue pre-development work with a target of construction in subsequent years (project phasing and external factors such as tariffs could affect timing and cost).

Committee members emphasized safeguards. Supervisor Martinez asked that any county funding requests be tied to milestones and asked about impacts to parking-lot repairs; Alliance staff said funds and design work had been planned to address nearby parking and stormwater elements and that some capital funding was already in the Domes reimagined budget. Committee members also asked for clarity on staff roles and unions; staff said horticulturalists and trades workers would remain public employees where appropriate while the Alliance would operate under an agreement for programming and fundraising.

Why it matters: The Domes are a county-owned, internationally notable conservatory complex. The proposed plan combines rehabilitation, a public–private operational model, and multiple tax-credit funding sources. The committee received the informational update and staff said they plan to return with an executed agreement for committee and board consideration.

Committee action: Informational; staff said they plan to return with negotiated agreements and explicit milestone-based funding requests for future committee and board action.