Burke Properties office showcases owner's philosophy - The Business Journal
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From the The Business Journal: http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2000/04/03/focus2.html
Burke Properties office showcases owner's philosophy The Business Journal - by David Schuyler Date: Sunday, April 2, 2000, 11:00pm CDT The first thought visitors to Burke Properties' downtown offices must have is that they've stepped into an art gallery. Paintings line the walls of the Burke gallery -- er, offices -- complete with identifying wall plaques and overhead spotlighting. To the right, a fireman's coat floats aside a tree branch. To the left, a childlike forest of cutout pine trees spring up from a canvas. Across the way, a scantily clad woman meditates under a tree. Behind the reception desk, a huge bust of Mozart graces a central platform. Fragile glass heads atop tall pedestals stand as office sentries. Insiders say all of this art offers a peek into the mind, and possibly business, of company founder John Burke Jr., real estate developer, ex-casino operator and enduring arts lover. "He told me that his theme is that: `Things are not always what they appear to be,'" says Paul Votto, president of Burke Properties. And at Burke Properties, things aren't what they seem. The cutout trees that seem to spring from a painting are as flat as the hardwood floor. The vinyl fireman's coat is actually carved wood. The solid-looking Mozart bust is constructed of flexible vinyl. The woman is a sculpture. The tree branch isn't a tree branch, but a solid piece of wood whittled and stained to look like a branch. Even the walls strike passersby at odd angles, altering the perception of the space. "There are no straight walls in this place," says Monica Schick of The Schick Group, Burke's in-house public relations firm. Burke has worked in real estate development since 1968, but made a name for himself by developing and operating Potawatomi Bingo & Casino from 1989 until 1997. Burke is also a household name in arts circles. His wife, Kathryn Murphy Burke, served as chairman of the Wisconsin Arts Board for nine years ending last May. She's also on the board of the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts and the Milwaukee County Cultural Artistic and Musical Programming Advisory Council, or CAMPAC. John Burke established the John J. Burke Family Collection of public art at the Midwest
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2000/04/03/focus2.html?s=print
25/07/2011
Burke Properties office showcases owner's philosophy - The Business Journal
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Express Center. His name will also grace what will be perhaps the grandest and most visible work of public art in the city -- the Burke brise soliel -- the "wings" of the Calatrava addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum. Burke purchased the naming rights to the addition's sunshade for $1.5 million. At Burke's office, 622 N. Water St., the tipoff to the unusual design on the inside was Burke's unleashing last year of three 6-foot ladybugs on its facade. Those ladybugs are obviously reproducing, because now the Burke Properties offices are crawling with them -- clinging to the break room refrigerator, climbing out of various office plants, and even dwelling in a soap bar in the bathroom. Once the office tower became the "ladybug building," ladybug gifts have been pouring in, Schick says. So, how does all this art fit into the real estate development business? Burke Properties looks at projects from different angles, said company president Votto. Seeing the various aspects of a project like costs, development and land or property use in different ways allows the company the flexibility it needs to compete and the originality it desires. "We're not a cookie cutter developer," he said. The office of Cybertoons Digital, one story above and co-owned by Burke, and the law firm of Fox, O'Neill & Shannon S.C. on the fifth floor are examples of that flexibility and originality. Both offices were redesigned by Kahler Slater Architects, Milwaukee, with assistance from Burke. Inspiring young employees Cybertoons, an Internet software development and computer animation firm, demands a progressive and creative space to inspire its young crew of computer software designers, Schick says. The new office features few straight walls and colorful, cartoon-like furniture for visitors. Bright colors on the floors and walls change from room to room, imbuing an animated quality throughout the space. The Fox O'Neill law offices follow the strict elegance and businesslike manner required of the profession. Elsewhere, Burke Properties and its various affiliates have developed and/or manage the Cygnet Airport Center in Cudahy, the 610 Building in Milwaukee, the Heritage Reserve Strong Funds building, the Cygnet Woods Business Centre, the Westbrook Office Plaza and the Westbrook Corporate Center, all in Menomonee Falls. Burke himself was not available on Business Journal deadline. "John wanted something that was very expressive," says Ursula Twombey, designer of Burke's offices for architect-of-record Kahler Slater. She is now a principal in her own agency, Continuum Architects & Planners, Milwaukee.
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2000/04/03/focus2.html?s=print
25/07/2011
Burke Properties office showcases owner's philosophy - The Business Journal
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Votto said the offices reflect more Burke's presence and whimsical personality than his attitude or philosophy toward work. "A big part of his life is his art -- his collecting and showing of his art to other people," Votto said.
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2000/04/03/focus2.html?s=print
25/07/2011