Hidden 'Treasure Island:' Wisconsin demolition exposes shuttered store

BROWN DEER, Wis. - Take a look in any direction around the FOX6 TV station, and it is clear Brown Deer is growing. The village is amidst multiple major developments that will soon bring new apartments, shopping, and restaurants to Milwaukee's North Shore. No project is bigger than what's being called Riverside Landing.  

A hidden treasure

What we know

"All told, it’s going to be probably a four-year build-out," said Brown Deer's development director Nate Piotrowski. "It’s such a huge piece of land at really the gateway to Brown Deer."

 As crews demolish what was once here, something unexpected happened.

"I said to my husband, ‘Oh my God, I have to stop and get a picture of that,’" said Lynn Hunsicker.

"And I thought, I haven’t thought of that place in years," added Cynthia Taylor-Gray.

As an old facade is revealed by the construction of the development, memories have come flooding out.

"It never occurred to me the old Treasure Island roof would still be intact under there," said Karen Spinti.

Treasure Island revealed

Dig deeper

Discount store Treasure Island opened in the early 1960s. First in Appleton, and then in the exploding suburbs around Milwaukee.

"They had everything from hardware to underwear," explained Cynthia Taylor-Gray.  

Treasure Island won awards for its design. This picture was included in the August 1963 edition of Wisconsin Architect Magazine. Photos provided by Wollin Studios

Taylor-Gray said despite not being in one in decades, her memory has been jogged.

"It felt like acres, just acres of retail merchandise," added Karen Spinti.

Sprinti recalled getting dither when she dove into the clothes as a child.

"I remember having to go to the bathroom urgently and not being able to find my mom," said Spinti.

For Lynn Hunsicker, her senses have returned.

"I really remember the smell when you first walked in because it had popcorn and hot dogs," recalled Hunsicker.

It's all coming back, as the store's old look is revealed again.

But for all the clothes and tools and food for sale, there was nothing more recognizable than what was on top.

"Shop under the squiggly roof," said Hunsicker with a smile.

Designing The Squiggly Roof

Designing the Squiggly Roof

The squiggly roof isn't just bringing back memories for shoppers.

"Frustrating for an 8-year-old, let me tell you. I spent a lot of time in the book section," said architect Jim Shields.

Shields' memory is different than most. His parents didn't just drag him to the retailer, his dad's employer designed it.

The Milwaukee architecture firm led by Jordan Miller and George Waltz, where Shields' dad worked as a structural engineer, had a number of high profile projects. 

Key players

From Milwaukee's airport terminal to the downtown post office, it was the firm's decision to go with an untraditional wavy roof for a retailer that may go down as their biggest hit.

"It’s called folded plate concrete. Normally, concrete is envisioned as a flat slab, or a plate. But in this circumstance, they could fold it up and down. And that gave it long-span capability," explained Shields.

Branded as the squiggly roof, the design allowed Treasure Island's massive stores to have fewer beams leading to a wide open floor space. The shape is so unmistakable, the roof was seen in nearly every ad.

"All under the squiggly roof. That was their trademark," said Merissa Howard with the Dakalb History Center near Atlanta, Georgia.

Howard said that Milwaukee design was soon being exported to her neck of the woods.

"They were absolutely massive. They were over 200,000 square feet, which to put into perspective, is bigger than a Costco," said Howard.

Known as the Treasury in some states, by the late 1970s, the retailer started to struggle through a recession.

"They were too big. There's too much competition," said Howard.

By the 1980s, Treasure Island's run was over. The stores closed, and new retailers moved in. Those famous squiggly roofs went away. 

They've been there all along

Dig deeper

But if you look close enough you'll realize those roofs never actually disappeared. Have you ever been behind a former Treasure Island location?  It's worth a peek.

"They had a roof put over the top of it to keep it from leaking. So it was really hidden away," said Jim Shields.

Shields said most of the locations weren't destroyed, they were simply retrofitted. The squiggly roofs were hidden under new flat roofs placed on top.

From Appleton to West Allis and Brookfield, a peek behind the buildings revealed the squiggly roofs have been there all along.

New future for Brown Deer

Local perspective

"It’s full circle. It definitely is," said Piotrowski.

A new retailer is set to break ground on the site; one that also got it's start in the 1960s.

"I think the new Target will be successful," said Piotrowski.

Out with the old, and in with the new. But those memories aren't as easy to get rid of.