Its makers are blacksmiths and hackers, woodworkers and robot engineers. For over a decade, the Milwaukee Makerspace has brought together these hobbyists as a kind of social club focused around making cool or useful things.
Since Tom Gralewicz founded the Makerspace in his garage in 2009, the volunteer-run collective has grown into a 16,000-square-foot building at 2555 S. Lenox St. Plans call for more expansion next year, with a second location – three times the size of the current Makerspace – in a former factory in St. Francis.
Inside the current Makerspace in Bay View, it seems you could find every gadget under the sun, with ancient traditions alongside modern methods of making. There’s a screen-printing area, an electronics area with plenty of dusty computer monitors, a wood shop and a metalworking area with anvils and tongs.
It’s one part garage and warehouse, one…
