Milwaukee VA to rededicate recently refurbished Lake Wheeler Pavilion
PRESS RELEASE
June 20, 2025
Milwaukee, WI - MILWAUKEE — The Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center will rededicate the Lake Wheeler Pavilion on the Milwaukee VA grounds at 11:30 a.m. during the annual VA Friends and Family Picnic on Sunday, June 22.
The pavilion was recently refurbished and restored by US Vet general contracting and reopened to the use of Veterans and VA staff thanks to a more than $200,000 donation from the trust of the late Paul F. Hugo and the help of the Milwaukee Preservation Alliance. Hugo’s trust provided for a charitable gift “to be used solely for the renovation and preservation of historic buildings on the Milwaukee VAMC campus.”
The picnic will be preceded by a Catholic Mass at 8:30 a.m. and a Protestant service at 10 a.m. with the picnic to follow at Lake Wheeler Pavilion, which sits just north of the main medical center.
Originally opened in 1987, Lake Wheeler Pavilion has served as a healing space for Veterans as well as a gathering place for VA staff and events. The recently completed project restored the original red cedar in the pavilion, replaced the roof, and installed new fascia boards and gutters.
Media – if you are interested in covering this event, please contact Public Affairs at 414-382-5363 or email VHAMIWPublicAffairs@va.gov.
Media contacts
Joseph Trovato, Public Affairs Officer
Phone: