Fonzie the Immortal

What was once a dream will become a reality.

A bronze Fonz is coming to downtown Milwaukee.

Expect to see Fonzie statue by Labor Day

It's now official: the bronze statue of the Fonz will be added to downtown Milwaukee's landscape later this year. The $85,000 needed to create the life-size statue of "Happy Days" TV show character Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli has been raised, according to an announcement today by Visit Milwaukee, the group leading that effort.

The sculpture, which is planned for the plaza south of E. Wisconsin Ave. and west of N. Water St., near the Chase Plaza office tower, will likely be unveiled around Labor Day.

Plans for the statue were first reported in September, prompting some local art gallery owners to criticize the project as kitsch. Backers said the statue isn't meant to be art, but rather a fun addition to downtown's attractions.

The likelihood of the proposal making the leap from drawing board to reality increased in November, when Visit Milwaukee announced it had raised two-thirds of the funds, and had hired Lake Mills artist Gerald Sawyer to create the statue.

Is this a step back for Milwaukee?

No. A statue of Fonzie is of no consequence compared to the scourge of violent crime in the city and the dismal performance of so many of the students in its public school system.

Will this statue cement Milwaukee's image as a home of "mediocre public art," as gallery owners and critics fear?

No. I agree with the backers of the statue that it's not meant to be "art" in that snooty sense. Lighten up. Relax. It's fun. Kitsch is cool.

Will Fonzie bring in tourists?

I doubt that people will choose to visit Milwaukee because of the statue. Tourists may want to take photos with the bronze Fonz, but I don't think that the statue, in and of itself, will be a significant draw. Fonzie fans aren't like Trekkies.

In sum, I don't think the statue is some sort of disaster when it comes to efforts to elevate Milwaukee in terms of public art.

Milwaukee is a big place. It's not as if Fonzie will tower over the city. It's not going to be some dominant force sucking the lifeblood from all of Milwaukee. I don't think City Hall will start using an image of it on its letterhead.

It is what it is. One statue. Like it or not.

Henry Winkler, who played Fonzie in the show, was in town to mark the occasion. He spoke with reporters in front of the Culver's restaurant in the Shops of Grand Avenue.

"I can only say that I'm proud of Milwaukee," Winkler said. "I'm proud of how it's grown. I'm proud to be an honorary citizen, and I'm overwhelmed that I'm going to bring my family here, and there will be a statue of a character that I love and that gave me the world."

Henry Winkler is so gracious, a class act.

Even the statue's critics have to admit that.