Milwaukee County Courthouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Milwaukee County Courthouse
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Milwaukee County Courthouse
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| Location | 901 N. 9th St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
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| Architect | Albert R. Ross |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| MPS | County Courthouses of Wisconsin TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 82000687 |
| Added to NRHP | March 9, 1982 |
The Milwaukee County Courthouse is a tall building in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It's where important county government work happens. This building was finished in 1931. It is the third courthouse built in the city. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's a very important historic site.
The two courthouses before this one were located in an area that is now Cathedral Square Park. This park is on the east side of the Milwaukee River.
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What Does the Courthouse Look Like?
The Milwaukee County Courthouse stands on top of a hill. It is about 174 feet (54 meters) tall and has eleven floors. The building's style is called Neo-Classical Revival. This style looks back to ancient Greek and Roman buildings.
The design was chosen in a competition across the country. Architect Albert Randolph Ross from New York City won. The building is made from Bedford limestone. It has fancy details and sculptures. You can see stone owls and lion heads on the building.
One expert said the Milwaukee County Courthouse is "the most monumental of all Neoclassical courthouses in the state." This means it's one of the grandest buildings of its kind in Wisconsin.
Even though it's grand, a famous architect named Frank Lloyd Wright once called it a "million dollar rockpile." This was his way of saying he didn't like its style.
Public Spaces Around the Courthouse
The Milwaukee County Courthouse is part of a larger public area. This area includes the nearby Milwaukee Public Museum and the Central Library. Many other government buildings are also close by.
Next to the courthouse on its east side is a terraced park called MacArthur Square. It was named on September 17, 1945, for General Douglas MacArthur. He went to high school in Milwaukee. A parking garage was built under the square in 1967.
At the bottom of the building, you'll find the India-America Friendship Park. There is also a statue honoring Mahatma Gandhi there. North 9th Street goes through a tunnel between the courthouse and the parking garage.
Just north of the courthouse are the Milwaukee County Safety Building and Jail. On the south side is Clas Park. This park is named after Alfred Clas, a local architect. The Kilbourn Tunnel runs underneath the courthouse area. This tunnel connects to I-43.
The Old Courthouse Annex
The Milwaukee County Courthouse Annex was a five-story parking garage. It also had some offices. It was built in the 1960s. This building stretched over three lanes of Interstate 43 (I-43).
On the north side of the Annex was a large mural called "Whale Commuters." It was painted by artist Robert Wyland. He is famous for painting large murals of whales. The mural was given to the county in 1997.
The Annex was taken down in 2006. This happened as part of a big project to rebuild the highway interchange. The last part of the building came down on May 23, 2006.
When Wyland heard his mural would be destroyed, he was upset. He said it went against his rights as an artist. However, the contract he signed allowed Milwaukee County to remove or demolish the mural.
Wyland later offered to paint a new mural on the Milwaukee Public Museum. But the museum said no. They felt whales didn't fit with Milwaukee, as it's not on the ocean.
Before the Annex was fully demolished, a small part of the "Whale Commuters" mural was saved. This piece showed an adult and baby dolphin. It was moved to the entrance of the Kilbourn Tunnel in 2007.
Images for kids
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The Milwaukee County Courthouse Annex, before it was taken down.
