City Hall Tower

Title

City Hall Tower

Artist

Susan McMenamin

Medium

Photograph

Description

City Hall Tower. The tower of the Milwaukee City Hall. Designed in the Flemish Renaissance style, this was one of the tallest buildings in the world at the end of the 19th Century. The plans of Henry C. Koch and Company were chosen. The building which cost just over $1 million to construct was completed in 1895. The City Hall remained the tallest building in Milwaukee for 78 years, until the completion of the U.S. Bank Center in 1973. Inside the building is a 20 by 70 foot open well. The flagpole rises 40 feet above the bell tower roof. The upper part of the tower was rebuilt after a damaging fire in October 1929. It occupies the entire trapezoidal block bounded by Kilbourn Avenue, Wells, Water, and Market Streets. The 22,500 pound bell named "Solomon Juneau" after Milwaukee's first mayor, was fabricated from melted copper and tin from old church and firehouse bells around the City, and was hoisted to the tower in 1896, first chiming on New Year's Eve. City Hall's 18-foot clock was believed to be the world's third largest when it was fabricated. 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 1988.

Uploaded

November 16th, 2015

Statistics

Viewed 555 Times  -  Last Visitor from Fairfield, CT on 04/26/2024 at 11:41 PM

Colors

Embed

Sales Sheet