🏘️ Madison built 2,500 new homes in 2025

🏘️ Madison on Track To Build 15,000 New Homes By 2030

• The city of Madison added 2,328 net new homes in 2025, from single-family homes to apartment homes, moving towards city officials’ goal of building 15,000 new homes by 2030.
• Nearly 400 of those homes were offered at rates below market value, the city said, and 188 were single-family detached homes. An additional 5,320 homes are currently under construction, which when finished will get Madison more than halfway to its 15,000-home goal.
• Dig deeper: This construction is just one part of the mayor’s multifaceted plan to address the housing crisis in our city. [City of Madison, 🎧 City Cast Madison]

🏗️ Lake Street Will Be Closed Until Friday For Crane Removal

• The section of North Lake Street between University Avenue and State Street will be closed Monday through Friday. The closure will allow Mortenson Construction to dismantle a tower crane that’s being used in the construction of the new State Street garage project.
• That mixed-used project is replacing the old State Street campus garage, and will include parking, housing, retail, and an intercity bus terminal. [City of Madison]

🍎 The River Food Pantry Closes to Move to New Facility

• One of Madison’s largest food pantries is closed for the rest of January as The River Food Pantry moves to its much larger new facility at 3301 Packers Ave.
• The pantry is no longer accepting food donations at its old Darwin Road location, but is now accepting food donations at the Packers Avenue building from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. as well as at donation bins around town. In the meantime for those needing assistance, St. Paul Lutheran Church on North Sherman Avenue will hold pantry pop-hours on Wednesdays and Fridays through Jan. 23.
• The new facility will be open in early February, and The River is hosting a donation event on Jan. 26 where visitors can take a look inside the new building. [River Food Pantry]

Frank Lloyd Wright may be the most famous architect who ever lived. He called Madison home and his influence and artistic eye has made an impact throughout the city, from our most iconic buildings to hidden gems in residential neighborhoods.

On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin talks to March Sweitzer about Wright’s Unitarian Meeting House, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year with an array of events starting this week.

Here’s your guide to some of his architectural feats in and around Madison, from iconic public buildings to private homes.

Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center

Wright transformed downtown Madison with his vision for Monona Terrace, with panoramic views of Lake Monona and a terrace that leads directly to the Capitol Square. He drafted the plans in 1938, but wasn’t finished until 1997, nearly 40 years after his death. Check out “Inspired by Wright,” a fourth-floor exhibit detailing Wright’s vision for Monona Terrace and for Madison.

First Unitarian Society Meeting House

One of our favorite buildings in Madison is this gorgeous structure Wright built for his congregation in 1946, whose triangular design is meant to evoke both a farm plow and a pair of praying hands.

Taliesin

Any Wright fans will plan a trip out to the Driftless Region to see Wright’s home and studio on a beautiful 800-acre piece of land near Spring Green.

Herbert Jacobs House

One of Wright’s visions was to build affordable housing that had an uniquely American aesthetic. His first attempt (made for just $5,000) at “Usonian” (United States of North America) architecture was at 441 Toepker St. for Herbert Jacobs, featuring natural materials in harmony with the environment and an open-plan interior. Wright would go on to build 140 “Usonian” homes, and his designs influenced ranch home architecture of the ‘50s and ‘60s.

Mendota Boathouse

Wright won a competition in 1893, when he was only 26, to design this boathouse, featuring two towers connected by an arch. He also designed a boathouse for Lake Monona that was never built, but in recent years there’s been a groundswell of interest in finally building it.