List of tallest buildings in Milwaukee facts for kids

Milwaukee skyline, 2024

Welcome to Milwaukee, Wisconsin! This city is home to many tall buildings, also known as skyscrapers. There are 119 high-rise buildings here, and 55 of them are taller than 200 ft (61 m). Most of these super tall buildings are found in the downtown area.

The very tallest building in Milwaukee, and in all of Wisconsin, is the U.S. Bank Center. It has 42 floors and stands 601 ft (183 m) tall. It was finished in 1973. The second tallest is the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons, which has 32 floors and is 550 ft (170 m) tall. This one was completed more recently, in 2017.

The story of skyscrapers in Milwaukee began with the Pabst Building. It was built in 1891 and was 235 ft (72 m) tall. This was Milwaukee's first skyscraper! It was the tallest building in the city until the Milwaukee City Hall was finished four years later. Sadly, the Pabst Building was taken down in 1981.

For almost 80 years, from 1895 to 1973, City Hall was the tallest building in Milwaukee. When it was first built, it was even the tallest building in the United States that people could live or work in!

Milwaukee has had several times when many tall buildings were built. A big building boom happened in the 1960s. Then, between 1985 and 1991, six of the eight tallest buildings at that time were constructed. More recently, since 2012, many new and exciting skyscrapers have been built. These include the Moderne (with fancy apartments), the 833 East Michigan office building, the Potawatomi Casino Hotel, the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons, the BMO Financial Center, and the 7Seventy7 Residential tower. Also, the unique wooden skyscraper Ascent MKE, The Couture, and the 333 North Water apartment tower are all new additions.

Even more tall buildings are being built or planned right now! These include the Goll Mansion Apartment Tower and The Edison. This means that nine of the sixteen tallest buildings in the city have been built since 2005.

Milwaukee's Tallest Buildings

This list shows the fifty tallest skyscrapers in Milwaukee. We measure their height from the ground to the very top, including spires and cool architectural parts. We don't count antenna masts. The "Year" column tells you when the building was finished.

Rank	Name	Image	Height ft / m	Floors	Year	Notes
1	U.S. Bank Center		601 ft (183 m)	42	1973	This is the tallest building in Wisconsin. It used to have different names like First Wisconsin Center and Firstar Center.
2	Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons		550 ft (170 m)	32	2017	This is the largest building in Wisconsin by how much space it has inside. It's the second tallest in the state.
3	100 East Wisconsin		549 ft (167 m)	37	1989	This building looks like an old German style, but with a modern twist. It was the second tallest building in Wisconsin for 28 years.
4	The Couture		537 ft (164 m)	44	2024	This is the tallest building in Wisconsin that people live in.
5	University Club Tower		446 ft (136 m)	36	2007	This was the tallest building built in the 2000s, until the Northwestern Mutual Tower came along.
6	Associated Bank River Center		426 ft (130 m)	28	1988	When it was finished, it was the second tallest building in Milwaukee.
7	411 East Wisconsin Center		408 ft (124 m)	30	1985	This building has a huge, five-story lobby!
8	Northwestern Mutual North Tower		395 ft (120 m)	19	1990	The blue pyramid at the top of this building lights up at night.
9	7Seventy7	7Seventy7 Building	387 ft (118 m)	34	2018	This building has 310 apartments, parking, shops, and a public area.
10	Kilbourn Tower		380 ft (120 m)	34	2005	This tower has very fancy apartments. For example, in 2018, one whole floor was an apartment priced at $1.8 million.
11	Milwaukee City Hall		353 ft (108 m)	15	1895	This building was the tallest in the world that people could live or work in for over four years! It was the tallest in Milwaukee for almost 80 years.
12	The Moderne		348 ft (106 m)	31	2012	This is the tallest building in Wisconsin that is west of the Milwaukee River.
13	333 North Water		342 ft (104 m)	31	2024	This apartment building has some of the highest rents in Milwaukee.
14	BMO Financial Center	New BMO Tower 790 N Water St, Milwaukee, WI 53202	335 ft (102 m)	25	2020	This is a large office tower for the BMO bank.
15	American Family Field		330 ft (100 m)	4	2001	This is the tallest stadium in Major League Baseball (MLB) and in Wisconsin. It used to be called Miller Park.
16	The Potawatomi Casino Hotel		307 ft (94 m)	21	2014	With an expansion in 2019, this hotel now has 500 rooms.
17	1000 North Water Street		296 ft (90 m)	16	1991	This building stands out with its light pink outside and windows.
18	Chase Tower		288 ft (88 m)	22	1961	This was the second tallest building in Milwaukee when it was finished.
19	Ascent MKE		284 ft (87 m)	25	2022	This 25-story building is the world's tallest structure made mostly from wood!
20	Allen-Bradley Clock Tower		283 ft (86 m)	17	1962	The clock on top of this tower is the second largest four-sided clock in the world.
21	Wisconsin Tower		280 ft (85 m)	22	1930	This Art-Deco style tower was turned into 74 apartments in 2006.
22	St. Johns on the Lake - North Tower		280 ft (85 m)	22	2020	This new building has 79 independent living units and a lecture hall.
23	BMO Harris Bank Building		277 ft (84 m)	21	1969	This used to be the main office for M&I Bank, which was the biggest bank in Wisconsin.
24	Bay View Terrace		275 ft (84 m)	25	1964	This is the tallest building on Milwaukee's south side.
25	Hilton Milwaukee City Center		274 ft (84 m)	25	1927	This hotel is the largest in Milwaukee by the number of rooms (729).
26	Diamond Tower		267.4 ft (81.5 m)	21	1982	This building contains 113 apartments.
27	St. Johns on the Lake - South Tower	Saint Johns on the lake 1840 N Prospect Ave Milwaukee WI 53202	267.4 ft (81.5 m)	21	2011
28	Regency House		265 ft (81 m)	27	1969	These apartments were sold as condominiums in 1974.
29	Juneau Village		264 ft (80 m)	27	1965
30	Yankee Hill Apartments 1		261 ft (80 m)	23	1987	These are high-end apartments in downtown Milwaukee.
31	The BreakWater		260 ft (79 m)	21	2009
32	833 East Michigan		258 ft (79 m)	17	2016
33	633 Building		252 ft (77 m)	20	1964	A 40-foot sign for Miller Brewing Company is on top of this tower.
34	Wisconsin Gas Building		250 ft (76 m)	20	1930	The light on top of this building changes color to show the next day's weather forecast!
35	The Pfister Hotel		250 ft (76 m)	21	1965	This hotel is very old, dating back to the late 1800s. Some visitors have said it's haunted!
36	Basilica of St. Josaphat		250 ft (76 m)	1	1897	This is the tallest church in Milwaukee. Its dome is the sixth largest in the world.
37	Locust Court Apartments		250 ft (76 m)	24	1969
38	Arlington Court Apartments		250 ft (76 m)	24	1969	To live here, you need to be 50 years old or older, or an adult with a disability.
39	Landmark on the Lake		248 ft (76 m)	27	1991	This building has 275 apartments.
40	Cathedral Place		244 ft (74 m)	19	2004	This building has both apartments and office spaces.
41	UW-Milwaukee's Sandburg Residence Hall, North Tower		243 ft (74 m)	27	1971	With its antenna, this tower reaches 482 feet (147 m) tall.
42	Riverview Apartments	Riverview Apartments 1300 E Kane Pl, Milwaukee, WI 53202	242 ft (74 m)	19	1964	This building offers low-income housing, with rent as low as $50.
43	Yankee Hill Apartments 2		242 ft (74 m)	23	1987
44	The Potawatomi Casino Hotel Tower II		242 ft (74 m)	19	2019	This tower added 119 more rooms to the hotel, bringing the total to 500 rooms.
45	Hyatt Regency		229.24 ft (69.87 m)	18	1980
46	Two-Fifty	250 Plazza 250 E WISCONSIN AVE Milwaukee WI 53202	229.24 ft (69.87 m)	18	1973
47	Straz Tower	Stratz building 915 W Wisconsin Ave Milwaukee WI 53233	229.24 ft (69.87 m)	18	1954	This building used to be the YMCA and is now part of Marquette University.
48	Cudahy Tower		224 ft (68 m)	16	1928
49	Park Lafayette North Tower	Park Lafayette North Tower 1918 E Lafayette Place Milwaukee WI 53202	221 ft (67 m)	20	2009
50	Park Lafayette South Tower	Park Lafayette South Tower 1918 E Lafayette Place Milwaukee WI 53202	221 ft (67 m)	20	2009
51	Catholic Financial Life Building		220 ft (67 m)	18	1970
52	Prospect Tower (Milwaukee)	Prospect Tower 1626 N Prospect Ave Milwaukee WI 53202	217 ft (66 m)	23	1964
53	City Center at 735	City Center 735 N Water St, Milwaukee, WI 53202	216 ft (66 m)	16	1914
54	AT&T Building		213 ft (65 m)	19	1924
55	Wells Building	Wells Building 324 E Wisconsin Ave Milwaukee WI 53202	212 ft (65 m)	15	1901
56	310W (formerly Reuss Federal Plaza)	310W, aka Reuss Federal Plaza 310 W Wisconsin Ave Milwaukee WI 53203	210 ft (64 m)	14	1983
57	Edgewater Terrace	Edgewater Terrace 1707 N Prospect Ave Milwaukee WI 53202	203 ft (62 m)	17	1967	This tower has 74 apartments.

Future Tall Buildings

This section lists buildings that are currently being built, have been approved, or are planned for Milwaukee.

Timeline of Milwaukee's Tallest Buildings

This table shows which building was the tallest in Milwaukee over time.

Name	Image	Height	Floors	Year	Status	Notes
Pabst Building		235 ft (72 m)	14	1891	Demolished	This was Milwaukee's first skyscraper. It was taken down in 1981, and the 100 East Wisconsin building was built in its place.
Milwaukee City Hall		353 ft (108 m)	15	1895	Completed	City Hall was the tallest building in Milwaukee for almost 80 years. It was also the tallest building in the world that people could live or work in when it was finished.
U.S. Bank Center		601 ft (183 m)	42	1973	Completed	This has been the tallest building in Wisconsin since it was finished.

Tall Buildings That Were Taken Down

This table lists buildings in Milwaukee that were once at least 200 feet (61 m) tall but have since been demolished.

Name	Image	Height ft (m)	Floors	Completed in	Destroyed in	Notes
Northwestern Mutual Place		283 ft (86 m)	16	1979	2014	This building was taken down and replaced by the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons.
Pabst Building		235 ft (72 m)	14	1891	1981
Lake Front Depot		234 ft (71 m)		1889	1968

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Edificios más altos de Milwaukee para niños