Paramount Plaza
Paramount Plaza, Grafton, WI
Paramount Plaza is the landmark urban plaza in historic Grafton, Wisconsin. The plaza celebrates the Village’s strong tie to the African-American jazz and blues recording industry from the 1920s and 1930s when Paramount Records recorded in Grafton. The plaza honors artists that recorded in Grafton with the Paramount Plaza Walk of Fame. The walk consists of 44 black granite “piano keys” in a field of white concrete. Beginning with six original inductees at the plaza’s opening, the Village has inscribed additional keys annually with artists’ names that recorded for Paramount Records.
In addition to the Paramount Plaza Walk of Fame, the plaza included a multilevel granite water feature with a sculpture of three musicians, a shaded performance area, a year-round music system, stone walls, custom fencing, and themed paving throughout the site. Continuous strings of LED lights hidden in cap stones wash the stone walls and fountain walls with blue light.