Milwaukee City Hall
The Milwaukee City Hall has been a city landmark since its completion in 1895. The design is the result of a nationwide contest, resulting in eleven applicants with the plans of Henry C. Koch and Company being chosen. The building cost just over $1 million to construct.
The Flemish Renaissance inspired building required eight million bricks, weighs approximately 41,000 tons, has more than 47,000 sq. feet of mosaic and marble flooring, and features approximately 107,000 sq. feet of office and meeting space. The building was one of the first to feature an extensive open atrium, of 20 by 70 feet, rising eight stories in the building's center. During the Great Depression, seven people jumped to their deaths, and an eighth died of a stroke after one of the jumpers nearly missed him. Afterwards, in 1935, protective wiring was placed around the center rails of the floors to prevent accidents and suicides and remained in place until Mayor John O. Norquist took office in 1988. The building measures 393 feet from the base of the bell tower to the top of the flagpole, making it Milwaukee's sixth largest. The flagpole measures 40 feet in length.
The Bell Tower features a 22,500 pound bell, named "Solomon Juneau" after Milwaukee's first mayor, and was fabricated from melted copper and tin from old church and firehouse bells around the City. It was hoisted to the tower in 1896, first chiming on New Year's Eve. The 18-foot clock was believed to be the world's third largest when it was fabricated.
The Milwaukee City Hall is FREE and open to the public during normal business hours.
The Flemish Renaissance inspired building required eight million bricks, weighs approximately 41,000 tons, has more than 47,000 sq. feet of mosaic and marble flooring, and features approximately 107,000 sq. feet of office and meeting space. The building was one of the first to feature an extensive open atrium, of 20 by 70 feet, rising eight stories in the building's center. During the Great Depression, seven people jumped to their deaths, and an eighth died of a stroke after one of the jumpers nearly missed him. Afterwards, in 1935, protective wiring was placed around the center rails of the floors to prevent accidents and suicides and remained in place until Mayor John O. Norquist took office in 1988. The building measures 393 feet from the base of the bell tower to the top of the flagpole, making it Milwaukee's sixth largest. The flagpole measures 40 feet in length.
The Bell Tower features a 22,500 pound bell, named "Solomon Juneau" after Milwaukee's first mayor, and was fabricated from melted copper and tin from old church and firehouse bells around the City. It was hoisted to the tower in 1896, first chiming on New Year's Eve. The 18-foot clock was believed to be the world's third largest when it was fabricated.
The Milwaukee City Hall is FREE and open to the public during normal business hours.