Jack White Finishes What Milwaukee Venue Started

Rock stars. They’re known for chugging beers, scoffing at rules, trashing hotel rooms, and general shirtlessness. But they have some equally awesome qualities that don’t grab headlines in the same way.

Take Jack White. Earlier this week, he donated $20,000 to cover an unexpected cost overrun on a construction project at Milwaukee’s Cactus Club. His connection to the multi-disciplinary performance space goes back to 1999 when his former band, the White Stripes, opened for the Mistreaters there.

The project to increase accessibility to the 140-year-old building goes back to 2021, when the club began a self-funded initiative to build a ramp to the front door of the venue. Due to an archaic law, they would have been subject to an annual fine for having the ramp connect with the city sidewalk. They worked with their alderwoman to change the law, preventing recurring fees for ADA-compliant ramps alongside the public walkway.

After that, the club ramped up its fundraising efforts. Through initiatives such as workshops and community events, they managed to collect the $100,000 necessary for the project.

But then there was a plot twist. In May, like some old crank who hates rock-n-roll in ’80s movies, the City of Milwaukee informed the club that something called a curb-corner bump-out was now necessary to make the ramp compliant with local ordinances, which added another $20,000 to the cost of the project.

White had already contributed to the cause with a special fundraising performance at the club in October of last year during his “No Name” tour. But after the call for donations to cover the bump-out project went out on Sunday via social media, he made his surprise contribution the next day.

His donation pushed them past their fundraising goal. Now, those additional funds will be put toward future accessibility improvements.

Of course, it took many more rad people than just Jack White to bring the plan to fruition. And the Cactus Club shouted out some of those key contributors publicly on Instagram.

But let’s all hold our lighters in the air in honor of Jack White and his commitment to the unsung cool things rock stars do. Thanks to him, live music in Wisconsin is getting a little more accessible for everybody.