List of tallest buildings in Milwaukee facts for kids
The city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is home to 118 high-rise buildings or skyscrapers, 53 of which stand at 200 ft (61 m) or taller. The majority of the city's tallest buildings are located north of the Interstate 794, south of Juneau Avenue, east of Interstate 43, and west of Lincoln Memorial Drive. There are additional high-rises extending northward along Lake Michigan. The tallest building in Milwaukee, and Wisconsin, is the 42-story, 601 ft (183 m) tall U.S. Bank Center, which was completed in 1973. The second-tallest is the 32-story, 550 ft (170 m) tall Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons building, completed in 2017.
The history of skyscrapers in Milwaukee began with the Pabst Building. Completed in 1891, and standing 235 ft (72 m) tall, it was Milwaukee's first skyscraper, and the tallest building in the city until the Milwaukee City Hall was completed four years later. The Pabst Building was demolished in 1981. For nearly eighty years, from 1895 to 1973, City Hall dominated the skyline, and was at the time of its completion, the tallest habitable building in the United States. A significant building boom occurred in the 1960s, resulting in eleven of the top sixteen tallest buildings of the time having been built in that decade, and then between 1985 and 1991, six of the eight tallest buildings of the time were constructed. But a third significant building boom in the twenty-first century includes the construction of the Moderne, a skyscraper with luxury condominiums, the 833 East Michigan office building, the Potawatomi Casino Hotel, the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons, the 25-story, 335 ft tall BMO Harris Financial Center, and the 34-story, 387 ft tall 7Seventy7 Residential tower, all built since 2012. Future under-construction or approved skyscrapers include the 44-story, 537 ft tall Couture, a mixed-use tower with high-end residential apartments and retail space, the mass timber Ascent MKE, and the resurrected 27-story, 301 ft tall Goll Mansion Apartment Tower, resulting in ten of the sixteen tallest buildings in the city having been constructed since 2005. Another six high-rises have been proposed since the beginning of 2017.
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Tallest buildings
This list ranks the fifty tallest Milwaukee skyscrapers based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. The "Year" column indicates the year of completion.
Rank | Name | Image | Height ft / m |
Floors | Year | Notes | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | U.S. Bank Center | 601 / 183.0 | 42 | 1973 | Tallest building in the state; previously called the First Wisconsin Center (1973–92) and the Firstar Center (1992–2002). The building won a Distinguished Building Award from the Chicago Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1974. | ||
2 | Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons | 550 / 167.6 | 32 | 2017 | Largest building in Wisconsin by square footage, and the second-tallest in the state. The tower was completed in August 2017. | ||
3 | 100 East Wisconsin | 549 / 167.3 | 37 | 1989 | Designed as a postmodern version of old German vernacular architecture and built on the site of the former 14-story Pabst skyscraper, this was the second tallest building in the state for 28 years. | ||
4 | University Club Tower | 446 / 135.9 | 36 | 2007 | Tallest building constructed in the 21st century, until the Northwestern Mutual Tower. | ||
5 | Associated Bank River Center | 426 / 129.8 | 28 | 1988 | Second-tallest building in Milwaukee at the time it was completed. In 2016 Associated Bank, (largest Wisconsin based bank) Purchased the building for 60.5 million dollars. | ||
6 | 411 East Wisconsin Center | 408 / 124.4 | 30 | 1985 | Constructed with 1,200 eight-ton, pre-cast concrete panels in a modern architectural style. Riverview Realty Partners purchased the building in 2014. The new owners have tried to make this a Green Building. The building boasts a 5-story high lobby. | ||
7 | Northwestern Mutual North Tower | 395 / 120.4 | 19 | 1990 | The light blue pyramid at the top is lit at night. | ||
8 | 7Seventy7 | 387/118 | 34 | 2018 | The residential tower includes 310 apartments, parking, retail, and a public plaza. | ||
9 | Kilbourn Tower | 380 / 115.8 | 34 | 2005 | Luxury condominiums in Milwaukee. Example: In 2018 the entire 31st floor is a condominium which was priced at 1.8 million. | ||
10 | Milwaukee City Hall | 353 / 107.6 | 15 | 1895 | Tallest habitable building in the world for more than four years after completion (1895–99); tallest building in Milwaukee for nearly 80 years.
Was the tallest building in Milwaukee before being surpassed by U.S. Bank Center. |
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11 | The Moderne | 348 / 106.1 | 31 | 2012 | Tallest building in Wisconsin west of the Milwaukee River. | ||
12 | BMO Harris Financial Center | 335/102 | 25 | 2020 | The bank's new 360,000-square-foot, 25-story office tower was turned over to occupants in April 2020. Demolition began in November 2017 on the parking garage next to BMO Harris's current location at 770 N. Water St. | ||
13 | American Family Field | 330 / 100.548 | 4 | 2001 | Tallest Stadium in the MLB and Wisconsin. | ||
14 | The Potawatomi Casino Hotel | 307 / 93.6 | 21 | 2014 | With the 2019 expansion of a second tower, the hotel reached 500 rooms. | ||
15 | 1000 North Water Street | 296 / 90.2 | 16 | 1991 | The light pink facade and windows give it a unique appearance in Milwaukee's skyline. The building also in home to the Milwaukee field office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. | ||
16 | Yankee Hill Apartments 1 | 292.91 / 89.28 | 23 | 1987 | High end residential rental units in downtown Milwaukee. | ||
17 | Chase Tower | 288 / 87.8 | 22 | 1961 | Second-tallest building in Milwaukee at the time it was completed. Once the site of Marine Bank, it was known as Bank One Plaza before Bank One's merger with Chase. Contains 480,000 square feet of Class A office space and houses Milwaukee Public Radio. | ||
18 | Allen-Bradley Clock Tower | 283 / 86.3 | 17 | 1962 | The world's second-largest four-sided clock sits atop this tower. | ||
19 | Wisconsin Tower | 280 / 85.3 | 22 | 1930 | Second-tallest building in Milwaukee at the time of its completion in 1930. The 22 story Art-Deco tower was converted into 74 condominiums in 2006. | ||
20 | St. Johns on the lake - North Tower | 280 / 85.3 | 22 | 2020 | The new building was opened in March 2020 and includes 79 independent living units, 16 catered living units, a lecture hall/performance space and two levels of below-grade parking. | ||
21 | BMO Harris Bank Building | 277 / 84.4 | 21 | 1969 | Former headquarters of M&I Bank, the largest bank based in Wisconsin. | ||
22 | Bay View Terrace | 275 / 83.8 | 25 | 1964 | Tallest building on Milwaukee's south side. The north and south facades have no windows, save for the balcony doors. | ||
23 | Hilton Milwaukee City Center | 274 / 83.5 | 25 | 1927 | The antenna on top makes the total height of the building 630 feet (192m), and this hotel is the largest in Milwaukee when measured by the number of rooms (729). | ||
24 | Diamond Tower | 267.44 / 81.5 | 21 | 1982 | Contains 113 condos. | ||
25 | St. Johns on the Lake - South Tower | 267.44 / 81.5 | 21 | 2011 | |||
26 | Regency House | 265 / 80.8 | 27 | 1969 | High Rise in "East Town" neighborhood. In 1974 the apartments were sold as condominiums. | ||
27 | Juneau Village | 264 / 80.5 | 27 | 1965 | The building is owned by Lore Hauck. Rent starts at $600 for a one bedroom. | ||
28 | The BreakWater | 260 / 79.2 | 21 | 2009 | |||
29 | 833 East Michigan | 258 / 78.7 | 17 | 2016 | |||
30 | 633 Building | 252 / 76.8 | 20 | 1962 | In 2017 a real estate developer (J. Jeffers & Co.) purchased the building. | ||
31 | Wisconsin Gas Building | 250 / 76.2 | 20 | 1930 | The light on top turns either red, blue, or gold depending on the weather forecast for the following day. | ||
32 | The Pfister Hotel | 250 / 76.2 | 21 | 1965 | Hotel dates back to the late 19th century. Visitors have claimed it is haunted. The tower was added to the hotel in 1965. | ||
33 | Basilica of St. Josaphat | 250 / 76.2 | 1 | 1897 | The Basilica of St. Josaphat is the tallest church in Milwaukee. The dome on this church is the world's sixth largest. | ||
34 | Locust Court Apartments | 250 / 76.2 | 24 | 1969 | In 2019 the Milwaukee Housing Authority is considering tearing the building down to make way for a mixed income development. | ||
35 | Arlington Court Apartments | 250 / 76.2 | 24 | 1969 | This high rise is managed by the Milwaukee Housing Authority (230 one bedroom apartments). In order to live in this building a tenant must be 50 years old or older, or be an adult with a Disability. | ||
36 | Landmark on the Lake | 248 / 75.6 | 27 | 1991 | The building is 248 feet tall from the Prospect Avenue entrance; the building is 350 feet tall at the rear. There are 275 condominium units in the 27 floor high rise. | ||
37 | Cathedral Place | 244 / 74.4 | 19 | 2004 | A mixed-use tower where the 27 residential units are on the lower floors, and the 200,000 square feet of office space is on the upper floors. The building won a Distinguished Building Award from the Chicago Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 2005. | ||
38 | UW-Milwaukee's Sandburg Residence Hall, North Tower | 243 / 74.1 | 27 | 1971 | The North Tower's height reaches 482 feet (147 m) with the antenna. | ||
39 | Riverview Apartments | 242/ 73.8 (Est.) | 19 | 1964 | This building is owned and managed by The Milwaukee Public Housing Authority. It is considered low income housing, and rent can be as low as $50. | ||
40 | Yankee Hill Apartments 2 | 242 / 73.8 | 23 | 1987 | |||
41 | The Potawatomi Casino Hotel Tower II | 242 / 73.8 | 19 | 2019 | Addition of 119 rooms and suites to bring the hotel total to 500 rooms. | ||
42 | Hyatt Regency | 229.24 / 69.87 | 18 | 1980 | |||
43 | 250 Plaza | 229.24 / 69.87 | 18 | 1973 | Klug & Smith Co designed the 14 story office building on the site. The 19-story Contemporary-style tower was designed by Perkins & Will | ||
44 | Straz Tower | 229.24 / 69.87 | 18 | 1954 | Formerly the YMCA Building. This building is on the Marquette University Campus. | ||
45 | Cudahy Tower | 224/ 68 | 16 | 1928 | |||
46 | Park Lafayette North Tower | 221/ 67.3 | 20 | 2009 | |||
47 | Park Lafayette South Tower | 221/ 67.3 | 20 | 2009 | |||
48 | Catholic Financial Life Building | 220/ 67.1 | 18 | 1970 | |||
49 | Prospect Tower | 217/ 66.1 | 23 | 1964 | |||
50 | City Center at 735 | 216/ 65.8 | 16 | 1914 | |||
51 | AT&T Building | 213 / 64.9 | 19 | 1924 | |||
52 | Wells Building | 212/ 64.6 | 15 | 1901 | |||
53 | 310W (formerly Reuss Federal Plaza) | 210/ 64.0 | 14 | 1983 | |||
54 | Edgewater Terrace | 203.76/ 62.1 | 17 | 1967 | There are 74 residential condominiums in the tower— 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units. |
Tallest under construction, approved, and proposed
This lists buildings that are under construction, approved, or proposed in Milwaukee.
Timeline of tallest buildings
Name | Image | Height feet / m |
Floors | Year | Status | Notes | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pabst Building | 235 / 71.6 | 14 | 1891 | Demolished | The Pabst Building was 14 stories, tall constructed in a neo-gothic style. Great detailing and a granite arch at the entrance. This building was Milwaukee's first skyscraper: at the time the Pabst was the tallest building in Milwaukee. The building was demolished in 1981, 100 East Wisconsin was constructed on this site eight years later. | ||
Milwaukee City Hall | 353 / 107.6 | 15 | 1895 | Completed | Dominated the Milwaukee skyline for nearly eighty years and was the tallest habitable building in the world at completion. Will drop out of the top ten tallest buildings in Milwaukee once the Couture is completed. | ||
U.S. Bank Center | 601 / 183.2 | 42 | 1973 | Completed | Tallest building in Wisconsin since its completion. An square block was cleared to make way for The First Wisconsin building. |
Tallest demolished
This table lists buildings in Milwaukee that were demolished and at one time stood at least 200 feet (61 m) in height.
- General
- Specific
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Edificios más altos de Milwaukee para niños