Milwaukee City Hall - Milwaukee, WI
N 43° 02.516 W 087° 54.600
16T E 425877 N 4765873
The Milwaukee City Hall was built in 1894. It is located at 200 E. Wells St in Milwaukee, WI. It was designed by architectural firm Henry C. Koch & Company.
Waymark Code: WM5E1A
Location: Wisconsin, United States
Date Posted: 12/25/2008
Views: 13
The City of Milwaukee web site contains the Historic Preservation Report (
visit link) which tells the following:
"The Milwaukee City Hall is an asymmetrical, wedge-shaped building that is eight stories high. Its non-uniform dimensions attest to the irregular site with the front façade at the base of the tower measuring 57 feet, the rear façade at 112 feet, the east façade at 315 feet and the west façade at 327 feet. The central portion of the building is covered with a steeply pitched, truncated gable slate roof with a central skylight. Perpendicular to this is a steeply pitched, hipped roof also of slate that covers the rear pavilion. At the center of this roof is a cupola that rests on a small square base. The front tower, that dominates the building, terminates in a spire that rises 350 feet from its base. Both the spire and rear cupola are clad with copper.
Below grade, City Hall rests on a foundation of Wauwatosa limestone and a 20-foot band of gray granite that projects a few feet above grade. From this point to the string course of the third floor windowsills, the walls are surfaced with light tan, ashlar Berea sandstone. The remaining wall surfaces and tower are faced with St. Louis pressed brick. Originally pink in color, it has weathered to a light maroon. Pale rose terra-cotta and carved sandstone are used extensively as decorative trim in the banding, spandrels, capitals and gables throughout the entire building. A full cornice of scrolled modillions wraps all of the building.
All facades and exterior features of City Hall contribute to the building’s architectural significance. The tower is the dominant architectural feature. At its base are three massive Syrian arches that form a groin vault and define the main entry. The arch surrounds and vault ribs are trimmed with carved sandstone in a variety of beaded and roped patterns. The spandrels and banding of the upper levels are terra cotta in the form of foliated designs with cartouches, grotesques and open Gothic tracery. The upper reaches of the tower are an arcaded belfry and above that on each elevation is a Flemish gable with a clock face.
The east and west facades of the main block and the rear pavilion are rhythmically broken by a springing arched arcade. Starting from the front, the pattern is 5-3-5-3. On both facades, at the first three bays are entries that are flanked by highly polished gray; granite columns with carved sandstone capitals of grotesques surrounded by foliated patterns. Above the entries are terra cotta spandrels decorated with cherubs holding shields and cartouches. The gables that surmount these sections are an elaborate Flemish design with exuberant detailing. This detailing is also found on the Flemish gables on the rear pavilion. The remainder of the main block and rear pavilion is enhanced by spandrels and pilaster capitals of terra cotta. The seventh floor windows are defined by brick columns and the eighth floor windows by a series of smaller Flemish gabled dormers. The rear façade is extremely elaborate. It possesses the same design treatment as the other facades, but the spandrels present the most intricate terra cotta work on the building. On the second and third floors, the Common Council Chamber stained glass windows are visible from the exterior."