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City Cast Madison

Rob Thomas

“Inhumane.” “Some sort of Soviet gulag.” “A disturbing and alienating Lovecraftian monster.”

And that’s just from the people who LIKE the Mosse Humanities Building.

the grey, brutalist building on the UW-Madison campus

 at 455 N. Park St. nicknamed the “Inhumanities Building” has been a major part of the college experience for generations of students.

 Now that the building’s days may finally be numbered

, Madison artist Doug E.L. Haynes has captured the unique character and history of the building, and the conflicting opinions about it, in his new illustrated book “

The Humanities Building: Do you love it or hate it?

Haynes met me at the building last week to talk about the book and his release party on Oct. 26 at Leopold’s Books Bar Caffè. (In what was perhaps an unwitting tribute to the building’s notorious labyrinthine structure, Haynes and I first spotted each other standing on different levels of the courtyard, and then spent several minutes trying to figure out which set of stairs would connect us.)

“I don't want people to think that I neglected the opinions of people who hate the building,” Haynes said in an interview in a concrete-bunker-like classroom in the building, featuring a row of tiny skylights covered in blackout tape. “But I think I do have some love. Madison is filled with conventional architecture. There’s a lot of buildings that could be anywhere in the world. They’re forgettable.”

The Humanities Building is anything but forgettable. 

Designed by Chicago architect Harry Weese

 (who also designed the original Chazen Museum of Art building next door) but underfunded by the state Legislature, it’s been plagued with maintenance issues almost since it opened in 1969, known for inadequate ventilation, leaking roofs, temperature issues, and crumbling concrete.

Haynes first came to the building as a West High School student taking summer ceramics classes and was immediately fascinated by it. Later, Haynes attended UW-Madison, where his very first class was in the building, and he spent years sketching in its studios, listening to lectures in its classrooms, and otherwise hanging out.

” during the COVID-19 pandemic, Haynes was looking for another Madison artistic project. He knew that the Humanities Building was scheduled for demolition and wanted to document it, wandering over with his materials with drawing supplies in hand. In the end, the book contains over 100 drawings of the building, everything from its temple-like exterior to to its interior rooms and stairwells.

“One hundred is a lot, but it is a massive building,” Haynes said. “There’s a lot to take in.”

For the text in the book, Haynes conducted a survey online to capture people’s reactions and memories of the building – the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

The survey is still active and accepting responses

. Some respondents write about how they grew to love the distinctive building, while others focus more on the formative experiences they had within its concrete walls. Others just plain hated it.

But if the building is ever finally torn down, Haynes predicts that even the haters might miss the Humanities Building more than they expect to.

“I'm guessing absence will make the heart grow fonder,” he said. “You’ll forget about the musty smells or the cockroaches. A lot of it is about the memories. Even if they hated it, they’re like, ‘This is where I met my wife.’”

Discover the history and unique character of UW-Madison’s iconic "Inhumanities Building" in Doug E.L. Haynes’ new illustrated book. Explore generations of student memories, conflicting opinions, and the brutalist legacy of the building before its days are finally numbered.

Madison Artist Documents UW’s Weird Humanities Building

UW-Madison’s ‘Inhumanities Building’ Inspires New Book

Find the best of everything that Madison has to offer.

Madison’s Best

Madison's Best

, you’ll feel soft felt lining the underside of the bar. Owner Garth Beyer put that felt there to muffle noise bouncing up from the concrete floor, so it’s easier to have a conversation.

That wasn’t Beyer’s idea. That was yours.

Before he opened the Monroe Street bar in 2019, he surveyed over 200 people about what they’d like to see in a craft beer bar, and reduced noise was high on the list. And now, seven years later, he’s going back to the people to find out what they think of Madison’s beer scene.

“I thought it was time to reignite the Madison community about what beer ought to be,” Beyer said over a pint recently. “Especially post-pandemic, everybody got really reserved, and brewers weren’t reaching out to the community to ask what they wanted. They were brewing what they needed to brew to be able to survive.”

over 350 people responded to a new, detailed survey Beyer created

, answering specific questions about everything from what kind of beers they want to see to what they like (or don’t like) in a bar.

In addition to giving him some tips on how he can improve his own namesake bar, he hopes the survey can be a resource for other bars, craft brewers, and even imbibers to work together to make the kind of local beer scene they want.

Here are a few takeaways that Beyer gleaned from the results, 

Madison drinkers want to see more classic beer varieties such as Extra Special Bitters and pilsners on the tap list. “I think in Madison we got into the notion of ‘Let’s just make some hazy variants, and produce more of what’s selling.’ But Madison’s been speaking up that they want more things like ESBs. I think of bars like Vintage that are able to knock it out of the park having a slew of different classic beers.”

Beer drinkers responded that they want to see some sort of beer festival in Madison that’s not as massive as Great Taste of the Midwest, but bigger than a local brewery’s in-house event. Madison had a citywide Craft Beer Week for years, but that ended with the COVID-19 pandemic. “Folks are really missing that,” Beyer said.

The noise complaints that Beyer heard when he installed the felt in 2018 haven’t gone away. “I'd say this (concern) is probably even deeper now, post pandemic. People finally feel like going out isn't just going out and being rambunctious. It's going out and having meaningful conversations, and (noisy environments) hurt a lot of folks.”

The ubiquitous brew ranked high on the list of beers that drinkers think are overdone – but also pretty high on the list of beers that drinkers want to see more of. “Everybody loves them, but everybody loves hating on them as well. People are having this internal conundrum with themselves.”

Beyer said lagers, pilsners, and other lighter beers are in big demand right now – but not just the average lawnmower beers. “I think this is a direct reflection of the demand that's happening not just nationally but locally as well. They're wanting more variety. I think Working Draft is a great example of somebody who's taken a lager and then created multiple variations of it. What's the Italian pils? What's the French pilsner? What's the Czech style?”

Brewery owner Garth Beyer surveyed over 350 people about their beer and bar preferences. These are his takeaways about Madison's beer scene.

Surveying the State of Madison’s Beer Scene

What Do Madison Beer Drinkers Really Want? 

The latest on the best and newest restaurants and bars in Madison. We'll help you find where to eat, drink, and socialize.

Madison Food & Drink

Food & Drink

One thing’s for sure, you won’t walk away from the 

Wisconsin Book Festival’s 25th annual Fall Celebration

 Oct. 15-18 without something new to read.

The festival’s annual event, put on at the Madison Public Library and its foundation at the Central Branch and a few other locations, offers something for every kind of reader. Whether you want the hottest new literary fiction, the most thought-provoking nonfiction, some new bedtime stories to read to the kids, or even some tips for your own writing project, they’ve got you covered. And it’s all free.

, host Bianca Martin is joined by festival Director Jane Rotonda and Madison writer Jeff Oloizia, 

host of the “Writing Forward” podcast

 that just launched its second season. They talk about highlights of this year’s festival, Wisconsin’s literary tradition, and the books that every Madisonian should read.

An Insider’s Guide to Madison’s Writing and Literary Scene. Plus, Books Every Madisonian Needs

Here’s a few recommendations for every kind of book lover to enjoy at the fest. As a note, the Madison Public Library is a sponsor of City Cast Madison (you’ve probably seen their ads in this newsletter!). But this article is produced with 100% editorial independence.

Sweating about the upcoming midterms? Former Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler has the prescription for progressive angst in his new book “

This Is The Plan: How To End America’s Meltdown and Save Democracy

.” Wikler offers a hopeful and specific list of action items for individuals and small groups to get the country back on track. Can’t wait? Wikler was on the City Cast Madison podcast last year 

to talk about the future of Wisconsin’s Democratic party

. (6 p.m. Oct. 17, Madison Central Library)

It’s hard to believe that the Strokes’ debut album “Is This It” was released a quarter-century ago, ushering in a new era of guitar rock in the ‘00s that included bands like The Killers and Franz Ferdinand. In his new book “

Is This It: The Never Ending Rise and Fall of The Strokes (and Rock ‘n Roll

,” rock critic Steven Hyden chronicles the band, and how their career shows the ever-changing impact of rock music on popular culture. (6 p.m. Oct. 16, Madison Central Library)

The book festival always coincides with the Wisconsin Science Festival, and sponsors several collabs of science-related books. Check out Siri Carpenter’s anthology “

The Best Science Stories and How They Work

,” which looks at 11 stories by science journalists, with Carpenter’s commentaries on what makes them compelling. (4:30 p.m. Oct. 16, Discovery Building)

Téa Obreht’s 2019 novel “Inland” was a thrilling and ambitious novel that challenged the stereotypes of the Old West. She rides a similar trail in “

,” which follows three different characters in three different timelines a century apart who arrive at the same Wyoming town. (6 p.m. Oct. 17, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art)

Fans of the literary magazine The New Yorker have enjoyed the squiggly, funny cartoons of Roz Chast for years. Chast comes to Madison with her new book, “

,” co-written with Jason Adam Katzenstein, which explores the darker, funnier corners of both their food prep spaces. (7:30 p.m. Oct. 16, Madison Central Library)

In addition to being the unmistakable voice of National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition, Scott Simon is also an animal lover. In his illustrated memoir, “

,” Simon celebrates the animals that changed him over his lifetime, from the family dog growing up to a delinquent hamster named Bagel. (12 p.m. Oct. 18, Madison Central Library)

Discover your next great read at the 25th annual Wisconsin Book Festival Fall Celebration, Oct. 15-18. Enjoy free author events for all ages at Madison Public Library.

Wisconsin Book Festival Tips For Every Kind of Reader

Practice Shelf-Care at the Wisconsin Book Festival 

We’re in the middle of our fall membership campaign this week (have you heard?), and one thing we keep stressing is the importance of community, of meeting your Madison neighbors out in the world and building community together. The City Cast Madison team who makes the newsletter, makes the podcast, makes the social media posts – we all live here too!

In that spirit, every time somebody signs up for the City Cast Madison newsletter, we send them a welcome message and ask them this question: 

What’s your favorite place in your neighborhood and what makes it special?

Here are some of the answers we received – it seems everybody has a different favorite spot to get together. 

We hope City Cast Madison has become one of those favorite spots for you, too

you’ll consider supporting us as a City Cast Madison neighbor

. “It’s a city park flower garden maintained by volunteers. Magical!”

. “I love to get my exercise there. It’s peaceful, beautiful and safe to enjoy alone. It doesn’t feel like you are in the middle of a city.”

. “Super friendly and authentic/great food.”

(located across the street from Gloria’s!). “The owners are super friendly and the food is incredible. They offer different Korean dishes (bulgogi, bibimbap, japche, soondubu) but I always get the same thing (pork japche Level 1 spicy) because it’s so tasty!”

! “A little fancy bar near the corner of Park St and Fish Hatchery. It's a cool, dimly lit place with great cocktails (especially their espresso martini), the bartenders are super cool, and my favorite part: they allow dogs! My pup and I frequent there. They've started doing drag karaoke there every other Wednesday which is always a really great time (but I'm obsessed with karaoke so I'm biased).”

City Cast Madison Neighbors share their favorite places in Madison.


Readers Share Their Favorite Neighborhood Spots in Madison

Your Favorite Spots To Meet Your Neighbors in Madison

It’s October in Madison, which means there’s lots of scary stuff going on. And there’s lots of 

 of scary stuff to do, whether you want to see a horror movie, get lost in a haunted forest, learn about some haunted spaces, or more.

So here’s a list of the ways that Madison is trying to scare you this Halloween. Enjoy, and make sure to keep the lights on at night.

Get the willies scared out of you at one of the area’s haunted houses. 

 near Stoughton includes four haunted experiences to walk through for one price, including a prison and a mad scientist’s laboratory. (That’s a no from me!)

By day, Schuster’s Farm near Deerfield offers a fun and family-friendly corn maze. But by night, the ghouls come out for 

. Good thing there’s a bar where you can decompress afterward with a beer and some live music.

 offers eerie tours of both downtown Madison and the UW-Madison campus, digging up stories of the spirits that may still haunt those historic spaces. Meanwhile, 

 unveils the spooky stories behind locations like the Majestic Theater and Tempest Oyster Bar.

,” which UW Cinematheque is screening for free Halloween night in a beautiful 35mm print. The Bartell Theatre has 

a double feature of two scary-funny horror movies

, “Re-Animator” and “Prom Night II,” on Oct. 30. And the Union South Marquee Theatre is screening two ‘70s horror classics, “Suspiria” and “Halloween,” on Oct. 30 and 31.

Meanwhile, Marcus Point and Marcus Palace is offering its “

” series, where for $18 you can see four classic horror movies – but you won’t know which ones until the lights go down.

Madison Ballet presents a brand-new production of Robert Louis Stevenson’s “

” at MYArts Starlight Theater Oct. 29 through Nov 1. Chicago’s 

Manual Cinema recreates Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”

 on Oct. 23 on stage using eerie shadow puppets. And Glass Cannon Network will play the Lovecrafting role-playing game “

” live on stage at Atwood Music Hall on Oct. 15.

Looking for a scare this October in Madison? From horror movies to haunted forests and eerie ghost tours, here is your ultimate guide to Madison Halloween events.

The Best Spooky and Haunted Things to Do in Madison

Where To Get Scared in Madison for Spooky Season

 are putting on those cardigans and enjoying the flavors of fall. (Notwithstanding you freaks who have been 

ordering pumpkin spice lattes since late August

Here are a few places around Madison who are serving up special fall beverages, from flavored lattes in the morning to autumnal alcoholic concoctions at night.

The local coffee chain’s autumn drink menu includes the special PSL, but I tried the Maple Pumpkin Matcha Latte, which includes the two standard fall drink flavors, but is also green enough to still remind us of summer.

The ice cream shop on King Street recommends getting its pumpkin spice latte iced so the whipped cream and pumpkin spice cold foam on top lasts longer. And if that wasn’t sweet enough, they add a mini pumpkin spice donut as a garnish.

Ancora has a full line-up of limited edition fall drinks, including a miso pumpkin spice cold brew and a caramel black sesame zombie. I went with the sweet/savory salted maple latte (at the Maple Bluff location, of course).

The Alchemist is back! Madison Chocolate’s popular fall drink mixes together fall spices, brown sugar, single origin espresso, and black walnut bitters. It’s like a brisk walk in the woods in drink form.

The Fitchburg cafe embraces the end of summer with its Back-2-School Spritz, a cold pick-me-up that combines seltzer water, pomegranate syrup, strawberry syrup, and Lotus Energy.

The east side brewery is the place I’d go for an Oktoberfest beer, and Working Draft has two. The Stackenblochen is a traditional Oktoberfest beer brewed with Munich and Pilsner malts, while the Kettenraucher is a smoked Marzen-style Oktoberfest that’s a collab with 

This Verona restaurant won Best Micro-Cidery at the 

. They’re celebrating with AppleFest from Oct. 6 to 10, celebrating all things apple with cider pairings, special menus, and seasonal cocktails.

This Fitchburg craft cocktail bar has a full lineup of fall cocktails to try. Some imbibers will go for the charm of the pumpkin spice espresso martini, but you’ll find me with a maple walnut old fashioned in hand.

This award-winning cocktail bar on East Johnson Street just dropped its fall drinks menu, and it’s a wild one. My money’s on the Carrot en la Posset, featuring Tullamore D.E.W., Turkish delight pumpkin-spiced carrot cordial, and heirloom flora, served with

Looking for the perfect pumpkin spice or autumnal drink? Here is your guide to the best coffee shops and bars serving special fall beverages in Madison.

What to Drink in Madison this Autumn

The Best Fall Drinks To Try in Madison

Jade Iseri-Ramos

📖 Wisconsin Book Fest Fall Celebration

Wisconsin Book Festival’s 25th Fall Celebration

! All year long the festival brings authors to Madison (

), but every fall they bring dozens of authors to town for the four-day event. The whole celebration is free and a select few author events include a free book for attendees.

 is holding a T-shirt giveaway this fall if you visit three of the participating art museums. Lucky for us, both Madison Museum of Contemporary Art and the Chazen are on the list, so with one short road trip, that shirt could be yours! If you want to make a vacation out of it, the website has several preplanned road trips.

Badger Homecoming is this week! We laid out all you need to know about homecoming and tailgating on the 

. The UW-Madison football team’s big home games this month are on Saturday, Oct. 3 and on Oct. 24. But there are also other Badgers sports teams worth cheering for this month!

 is ranked No. 6 in NCAA Division I this year, and for the last decade, the team has consistently been one of the best in the nation. Their home games always draw a big crowd to the Field House where they have four games this month.

 soccer teams have had strong starts to their seasons and both have a handful of home games in October.

 has two tours that uncover the ghost stories of our city. From haunted theaters to campus ghost stories, things can get a little intense! Plus, Madison Ghost Walks is hosting our City Cast Madison Neighbors on a tour. 

and join us on a ghost walk later this month!

Obviously, the month ends with Halloween. This year, the holiday lands on a Saturday which means things are probably going to get a little wild on “Halloweekend.” A tamer option for the kids is 

Downtown Madison’s family Halloween night

 on Wednesday, Oct. 28. There will be hayrides around the Capitol, crafts, and trick-or-treating at participating businesses.

For the adults, the Bur Oak and Atwood Music Hall are hosting 

 with two nights of cover-band shows and costume contests. And if you’re a child at heart, the Madison Children’s Museum is hosting 

Plan your perfect October 2026 in Madison! Check out the 25th Wisconsin Book Festival, cheer on the Badgers, tour haunted spots, and find top Halloween events.

What to Do in Madison in October 2026: Book Fest, Badgers & Halloween

What To Do in Madison in October 2026

On Sept. 25, Madison opened its first new public library in 26 years. And 

 looks pretty different from the nine other Madison Public Library branches that came before.

Filling the “library desert” on Madison’s far east side

, city leaders say the Imagination Center reflects what libraries have become in cities – not just places to study and check out books but community meeting spaces, children’s activity zones, and more. Take a virtual tour of the Imagination Center and let your own imagination get fired up. [City of Madison, 🔒WSJ]

As the name suggests, the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park is the first Madison public library built inside a public park. It’s Madison’s 10th public library, and cost $18 million to build, $5.5 million of that came from state grants and $4.5 million raised by the Madison Public Library Foundation.

The design of the library takes full advantage of the natural setting, with green floors and glass walls that blend in with the environment outside. The ceilings are high, allowing in lots of natural light to read by.

The Imagination Center is also the first Madison public library to have an outdoor park pavilion that takes up half of the 17,500 square feet of the facility.

The pavilion includes a large multipurpose gathering room with retractable walls that can divide the space in two. The space is envisioned to be a much-needed community hub, where residents can meet, host seminars, even have movie nights. The meeting rooms aren’t yet open, but residents can start reserving space in November for 2027 gatherings.

One of the most striking outdoor features of the Imagination Center is 

a new piece of public artwork, “The Passage of Being,”

 designed by artist and Wisconsin native Nate Page, that was unveiled Friday.

When the two-sided, 16-foot-high sculpture is viewed from the library, it is covered in layers of colors drawn from the flags of prominent immigrant communities on Madison’s northeast side. But look at it from the outside, and it’s a giant reflective surface that captures what’s happening in the park. [City of Madison]

the Imagination Center isn’t wasting any time serving the community

. The very first multi-age storytime is scheduled for Sept. 29, there’s a stop motion animation workshop on Sept. 30, and a resource fair is scheduled for Oct. 1 for northeast side residents to learn about all the organizations serving their community. [Madison Public Library]

Explore Madison's new Imagination Center at Reindahl Park—the city's first public library in 26 years. Take a virtual tour of this vibrant community hub.

Your Guide to Madison’s Imagination Center Library

Browse the Imagination Center, Madison’s Newest Library

Everything to know about Madison neighborhoods: Where to go, eat, shop, drink, and more.

Madison Neighborhood Guides

Neighborhood Guides

We're trying something new at Madison Minutes! See if you can solve this crossword puzzle about people, places and things (especially lakes) you ought to know in Madison! 

Try The Madison Minutes Crossword Puzzle! 