Sun shines on Bar Center groundbreaking

July 2, 1998

State Bar President Susan Steingass and former State Bar President Steve Sorenson commemorated the start of construction for the new State Bar of Wisconsin Bar Center on July 2 at a groundbreaking ceremony held on the American Center site in Madison.

Past State Bar President Gerald O'Brien (left), past State Bar President Steve Sorenson and current State Bar President Susan Steingass pose after breaking ground at the new State Bar of Wisconsin Bar center site in Madison on July 2, 1998.

Speaking to an audience which included Wisconsin Attorney General James Doyle, Madison Mayor Susan Bauman and past Bar President Gerald O'Brien, Sorenson expressed his feeling that the new Bar Center would be a "center of justice, law, and public outreach." He also thanked State Bar President Steingass for allowing him to serve as master of ceremonies for "Big Dig: The Sequel," a title reflecting the rescheduling of the first groundbreaking ceremony in late June which was canceled because of heavy rains.

Past President O'Brien expressed his gratitude to the Facilities Committee for their hard work and recalled the visits he, Executive Director Steve Smay, and Bar architect Lew Wasserman made to state and local bar centers in Columbus, Ohio, and Raleigh, N.C.

"Without fail," he said, "The executive directors at each association were flattered that we toured their bar center because they considered the State Bar of Wisconsin the leading bar in the U.S.. I'm going to come down here everyday to see how it's going," he joked.

Attorney General Doyle felt privileged to be a part of the ceremony. "This new building symbolizes that the Bar and law are always changing," he said, noting how new technology and alternative dispute resolution has changed the practice of law. "But it also stands for the eternal values of law and justice."

Doyle continued saying, "I understand that a golf course might be built out here. Then it will truly represent all that lawyers stand for."

Lt. Gov. Scott McCallum said the new Bar Center is something from which the people of Wisconsin will benefit. "What the Center stands for goes beyond the 19,000-plus lawyers in the state; it is important for all," he remarked.

Although Mayor Bauman initially hoped the Bar would stay downtown, she too congratulated the State Bar, and expressed her pride that it is part of Madison.

State Bar President Steingass remarks brought to light the discovery of a time capsule, earlier in the week, in the cornerstone of the current Bar Center. In addition to letters written by attorneys predicting what the practice of law would be like in the year 2050, the capsule's contents also included a brochure on the proposed, now current, Bar Center. The fundraising goal for construction of the Center was $200,000. "I would be thrilled if we only had to raise that much," Steingass said.

Steingass concluded her remarks by describing the new facility as not only "a tribute to Steve Smay, Steve Sorenson, and Gerry O'Brien, but...a tribute to us all."

Also attending the event were Bar staff, employees of American Family and the Wisconsin Bankers Association (the Bar's new neighbors), representatives of the Center's design/build firm, former Dane County Executive Rick Phelps, County Board of Supervisors' Kevin Kesterson, Eva Galanter from Sen. Herb Kohl's office, U.W. Law School Dean Kenneth B. Davis, members of the State Bar Board of Governors, and State Bar past presidents Don Heaney, Myron LaRowe, Truman McNulty, and John Skilton.