Historic Architecture

International

Allen-Bradley Clock Tower

This local landmark (now the headquarters of Rockwell Automation) holds the record for the largest four-faced clock in the Western Hemisphere. The glowing clock faces shine down over Milwaukee’s once heavily Polish south side, earning it the nickname “The Polish Moon.”

Renaissance

Basilica of St. Josaphat

The crown jewel of churches in Milwaukee, this became the third church in the United States honored with the title of “basilica” in 1929 and is still the largest church in the city. Self-guided tours are available all week, or stop by after Mass on Sunday for a formal tour.

Prairie School

Frank Lloyd Wright Houses

Six of 13 known American System-Built Homes by Wisconsin-native Frank Lloyd Wright line West Burnham Street. Guided interior tours of the Model B1 are available two Saturdays each month, and architecture buffs should note that one of the other homes is available as a vacation rental.

Renaissance

Iron Block Building

Built in 1861, the Iron Block is a landmark of special architectural significance. It belongs to a vanishing breed of American structures with façades entirely composed of cast iron.

Victorian

Mackie Building

Also known as the Chamber of Commerce, the building is a Victorian landmark built in 1879 to house what was once the world’s largest grain exchange. The Italian Renaissance-style space is rich with frescoes, stained glass, columns, arches, and carvings. Gargoyles guard each corner of the bell tower atop the building.

Flemish Renaissance Revival

Milwaukee City Hall

Milwaukee City Hall is a National Historic Landmark and an excellent example of classic Flemish Renaissance architecture. Upon its completion in 1895, City Hall was the second tallest building in America, exceeded only by the Philadelphia City Hall. Inside, an expansive atrium rises up eight stories. The bell tower stands 353 feet, inhabited by a 22,500-pound bell named Solomon Juneau, after Milwaukee’s first mayor.

Neo-renaissance

Milwaukee Public Library

First opened in 1898, this imposing structure is a combination of French and Italian Renaissance styles, built of Bedford limestone and featuring a hand-carved limestone staircase. The library also has 33,000 square feet of green roof.

French Second Empire

Mitchell Building

Sister to the Mackie Building, this is one of the country’s finest examples of French Second Empire architecture, a style based upon Parisian buildings designed during the reign of Napoleon. It was built in 1876 by the man who also built the Mackie Building, Alexander Mitchell, a banker and railroad and lumber businessman.

Museum

North Point Lighthouse

Established in 1855, the North Point Lighthouse is an architectural and historic treasure. Located on a high bluff in Lake Park, one of Milwaukee’s oldest public parks, the lighthouse remained operational until its deactivation in 1994. It stands 74 feet high, and its keeper’s quarters and lighthouse are open for touring.

Flemish Renaissance Revival

Pabst Mansion

Once home of beer baron Captain Frederick Pabst and his family, this mansion is the epitome of Gilded Age splendor. The house has been lovingly restored to its original grandeur and features fine period furniture and architectural details. It’s an especially enchanting sight fully decked out for a Victorian Christmas.

Baroque

The Pabst Theater

This splendid theater was built in the tradition of the grand European opera houses in 1895 by brewing magnate Captain Frederick Pabst. One of the oldest continuously operating theaters in the U.S., the Pabst features an opulent Baroque interior, including an Austrian crystal chandelier, a staircase crafted from white Italian Carrara marble, and a proscenium arch — highlighted in gold leaf — framing the stage.

Romanesque Revival

The Pfister Hotel

Built in 1893 in the style of the grand hotels of Europe, this historic hotel is truly a Milwaukee icon. Featuring Romanesque Revival design, the hotel is also home to the world’s largest hotel collection of Victorian art and continues to support the arts through its Artist- in-Residence program.

Gothic

St. Joan of Arc Chapel

Believed to be the oldest medieval structure in the Western Hemisphere dedicated to its original purpose, this chapel stood for more than 500 years as part of a French estate and was moved to the U.S. stone- by-stone in the 1920s and to the Marquette University campus in the 1960s. Legend has it that Joan of Arc prayed before the early Gothic altar and kissed the stone where she stood, and that stone has forever remained colder than those that surround it.

Beaux-Arts

Ten Chimneys

The home of late Broadway legends Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt, this 60-acre estate is less than an hour outside the city and remains virtually unchanged since they first applied their theatrical style and assembled the beautiful historic furnishings and diverse collections on view today.

Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne Style architecture

City of Cedarburg

It’s only a 20-minute drive north of Milwaukee to the picturesque, riverside village of Cedarburg. Cedarburg’s downtown historic district is lined with buildings from the 1800s and is home to 70 specialty shops, galleries, restaurants, coffee houses, and two restored inns. Spend the day exploring all the shopping options and be sure to check out Cedar Creek Settlement, a restored flour mill with three floors of shops.

Moorish Revival

Tripoli Shrine

An architectural replica of India’s Taj Mahal with an ornate interior, including stunning mosaics and original art and furniture, this landmark was built in 1928 and remains the home of Milwaukee’s Shriners International.

Romanesque Revival

Turner Hall

Built in 1883, Turner Hall (Turnverein Milwaukee) is a National Historic Landmark and the last vestige of 19th century German Milwaukee that is still devoted to its original purpose. In addition to the ongoing gymnastics program, the Turner Hall ballroom is a popular concert venue.

Renaissance

Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum

Built in the style of an Italian villa, this museum and its stunning Renaissance Garden overlook Lake Michigan. Inside you’ll find a collection of fine decorative arts, including wrought-iron masterpieces by Cyril Colnik. While you’re in the area, stop by the Charles Allis Art Museum, located inside a beautiful Tudor home

Art Deco

Wisconsin Gas Building

The 20-story Wisconsin Gas Building is Wisconsin’s finest Art Deco skyscraper and is considered a masterpiece of form, distinctive for its cascading masses, jazzy brick patterns, and terracotta friezes. Atop the building is a 21-foot tall plastic weather flame. This famous flame is lit up at night with LED lighting, and forecasts the weather: blue – no change, red – hot, gold – cold, blinking - precipitation.