When Eugene Orlandini was a kid, he had a knack for restoring things. “It used to drive my mom nuts, because I would take things apart to see how they work,” he says. “I found my first color TV in the trash, and I figured out what was wrong, fixed it, and then I had my own TV when I was like 12.”
Eugene, now 55, would feel at home in a workshop fixing everyday items. Instead, he spends his days in an airy Walker’s Point studio surrounded by beautiful plaster sculptures, sconces and columns straight out of a European villa. He doesn’t describe himself as an artist, but the evidence of his craft is all around him. Everything from the old floorboards to the CD-spinning stereo has a light coating of dust from the day’s work.
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The fingerprints of Orlandini Studios, a plaster creation and restorations business, can be found all around the city. In the last 80 years, its staff have worked in the Eagles Ballroom, Pabst Theater, Plaza Hotel, Oriental Theatre, Marcus Performing Arts Center, Wisconsin Historical Society and Milwaukee Central Library. They’ve also been in houses ranging from Lake Drive mansions to neighborhood ranches.
Eugene’s a third-generation plaster craftsman. The business was passed down to him by his uncle Julian Orlandini, who was trained by his Italian-born father (Eugene’s grandfather), Matthew Orlandini. Matthew immigrated to New Jersey, where he picked up the trade before eventually landing in Milwaukee.
He opened his first studio in 1936 and relocated to Walker’s Point in the ’60s. He passed the technique down to Julian, who passed it down to Eugene, who currently runs the studio with help from his brother Irvin and occasionally his niece Anya.
The work is a mix of restoration, new construction and décor. Eugene still uses the same techniques his grandpa mastered nearly a century ago: water, plaster and sisal fiber for strength. The molds are made from traditional hide glue, which can be melted down to be reused. When he can, Eugene uses vintage molds that have lasted decades.
“After three generations, the basement’s getting full,” Eugene says.
A job at the Avalon Theater stands out to Eugene as a favorite. He had been going to the “atmospheric theater” since he was a kid, and as an adult he had spent years pitching his restoration services to the owners. In 2014, after the theater came into new ownership, Eugene finally got to put in the work.
“[The theater] was patched with duct tape and painted over with black paint,” Eugene says. “It was very satisfying when it was all done. … I got to make that place whole again.”
See for Yourself
Orlandini Studios (633 W. Virginia St., 414-272-3657) offers free tours by appointment on weekdays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. While touring around, watch for:
- The comedy and tragedy theater mask molds that were used for a Pabst Theater job
- A copy of the intricate ceiling work used in the Villa Terrace
- The photo of founder Matthew Orlandini hanging on the wall
