Federal Building (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Encyclopedia
The U.S. Courthouse & Federal Office Building, Milwaukee, Wisconsin is a post office
, Federal office
, and courthouse
building located at Milwaukee
in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. It is a courthouse for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
.
The massive granite edifice is a city landmark within the historic district known as Juneautown and the first ward organized from land owned by Solomon Juneau, Milwaukee's founder and first mayor. The building is surrounded by notable and contemporaneous historic buildings, including the Milwaukee Club (1883), The Pfister Hotel
(1893), and the Northwestern National Insurance Building (1906). The Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse's imposing Richardsonian Romanesque
architecture presented a break from the classical style that dominated Government buildings for most of the 19th century. Designed by Willoughby J. Edbrooke
, Supervising Architect
of the U.S. Treasury Department, the style was popularized by renowned architect Henry Hobson Richardson
, whose use of the Romanesque Revival began to penetrate the Midwest during the 1880s. Edbrooke's predecessor, James G. Hill
, supervising architect during the late nineteenth century, was the first federal architect to abandon classical forms. Under Hill's influence, federal structures often featured lofty towers that were visible from long distances during the period when few buildings rose above ten stories.
From 1929-32, construction of a large addition extended the building southward. The addition was raised to seven stories eight years later. In 1989 -96, GSA completed a major renovation and restoration project, which restored the historic interiors to their original brilliance while incorporating modern office needs.
In 1972, the building was designated a Milwaukee City Landmark, and in 1973, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
.
and a high pyramidal roof.
The facade is broken into recesses and projections, creating a dynamic composition punctuated by an arcaded entrance on the first level and Roman arches over the second- and third-story fenestration. Massive stone forms are relieved with fine decoration. The first story provides the greatest display of Romanesque ornament, featuring highly carved moldings and decorative stonework surrounding the main entrance. The building's corners are rounded by tall pinnacles with alternating bands of smooth and textured stone and are capped by conical roofs with layered trim. The upper-story walls are smooth, accented with thin, textured stringcourses, rising to gabled dormers that incorporate Romanesque leaf ornament, gargoyles, and finials.
Like the facade, the east and west elevations are ornamented and symmetrically balanced, prominently featuring a projecting gable with a variety of arched fenestration. The 1929-32 addition to the south adds a massive eight-story block at the rear of the original structure. Although its walls are clad in granite and include arched fenestration to match the original building, the extension is distinguished by its flat roof, flattened elevations, and reduced ornamentation.
Interior spaces on the first through fifth floors are arranged about a vast central atrium
capped by an iron-and-glass skylight. The illuminated space was originally an open light well and is now used for many public events. Within the atrium's large volume, columns, marble wainscoting, oak crown molding, stenciled designs, and plaster ceiling moldings have been restored to their original finishes and colors. Although the first story's original ceiling was removed to open the room to the light well above, its steel structural members were retained to recall the room's original configuration as the postal workspace. The building's corridors, stair halls, and lobbies are adorned with multicolored marble mosaics, oak paneling, and decorative plaster ceilings. The interiors of the 1929-32 addition match the materials and colors used in 1899, harmonizing with the original interior design.
The two-story historic U.S. District Courtroom, located on the third floor, is richly detailed with carved oak paneling and trim on the walls and ceiling. Historic paint finishes have been carefully conserved to their original hue. Fine Romanesque detailing embellishes the arches over the doors, windows, and the judge's bench. Centered between the two doorways is the room's original ladies' balcony, entirely finished in oak.
A massive seven-year restoration project begun in 1989 revived the building to its original condition. The work involved extensive materials research to determine original paint colors and decorative patterns for the walls and ceilings, including the original hand-painted-and-stenciled designs in a trompe-l'œil effect (an artistic illusion of realism). Interior finishes and fixtures were restored, while the exterior stone and brickwork was conserved and repaired. Renovations created more comfortable work spaces and energy-efficient HVAC systems. Through the effort of many collaborators, the building remains one of the most venerable displays of architecture in the Milwaukee area.
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, Federal office
Office
An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
, and courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
building located at Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. It is a courthouse for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin serves the residents of twenty-eight counties from its two courthouses...
.
Building history
When Milwaukee's Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse was constructed in 1892-99, it epitomized the revolutionized mail handling that had followed the introduction of postal stamps in 1847. By the end of the 19th century, added postal services included registered mail, street letter boxes, and free mail delivery. When an existing, 1859 post office became inadequate for the postal service's growing needs, Congress was persuaded to fund a new, larger building in 1889. It included multiple federal agencies under one roof—housing the U.S. Postal Service, Courts and Customs Service. Today, the District Courts are the only original tenant remaining in the building.The massive granite edifice is a city landmark within the historic district known as Juneautown and the first ward organized from land owned by Solomon Juneau, Milwaukee's founder and first mayor. The building is surrounded by notable and contemporaneous historic buildings, including the Milwaukee Club (1883), The Pfister Hotel
The Pfister Hotel
The Pfister Hotel is a hotel in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was owned by Guido Pfister and his son Charles Pfister and opened in 1893 at the cost of over 1 million dollars. Designed by architect Henry C. Koch, it had features uncommon in its time like fireproofing, electricity, and thermostat...
(1893), and the Northwestern National Insurance Building (1906). The Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse's imposing Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...
architecture presented a break from the classical style that dominated Government buildings for most of the 19th century. Designed by Willoughby J. Edbrooke
Willoughby J. Edbrooke
Willoughby James Edbrooke was an American architect and a bureaucrat who remained faithful to a Richardsonian Romanesque style into the era of Beaux-Arts architecture in the United States, supported by commissions from conservative federal and state governments that were spurred by his stint in...
, Supervising Architect
Office of the Supervising Architect
The Office of the Supervising Architect was an agency of the United States Treasury Department that designed federal government buildings from 1852 to 1939....
of the U.S. Treasury Department, the style was popularized by renowned architect Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson was a prominent American architect who designed buildings in Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and other cities. The style he popularized is named for him: Richardsonian Romanesque...
, whose use of the Romanesque Revival began to penetrate the Midwest during the 1880s. Edbrooke's predecessor, James G. Hill
James G. Hill
James G. Hill was an American architect who, during the period 1876 to 1883, headed the Office of the Supervising Architect of the United States Department of the Treasury, which oversaw major Federal buildings....
, supervising architect during the late nineteenth century, was the first federal architect to abandon classical forms. Under Hill's influence, federal structures often featured lofty towers that were visible from long distances during the period when few buildings rose above ten stories.
From 1929-32, construction of a large addition extended the building southward. The addition was raised to seven stories eight years later. In 1989 -96, GSA completed a major renovation and restoration project, which restored the historic interiors to their original brilliance while incorporating modern office needs.
In 1972, the building was designated a Milwaukee City Landmark, and in 1973, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Architecture
Milwaukee's Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse is a five-story structure, sturdy and picturesque, handsomely detailed, and admirably maintained. Filling the entire city block bound by Michigan, Jackson, and Jefferson Streets, with its facade facing Wisconsin Avenue on the north, the building is an excellent example of Romanesque Revival architecture, featuring a robust display of stone massing and heavy Roman arches. Walls of dark- and light-gray Mount Waldo granite rise to a steeply pitched hipped roof pierced by a variety of gabled projections. A soaring tower framed by pinnacles rises from the center of the facade, terminating in an arcaded belfryBell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
and a high pyramidal roof.
The facade is broken into recesses and projections, creating a dynamic composition punctuated by an arcaded entrance on the first level and Roman arches over the second- and third-story fenestration. Massive stone forms are relieved with fine decoration. The first story provides the greatest display of Romanesque ornament, featuring highly carved moldings and decorative stonework surrounding the main entrance. The building's corners are rounded by tall pinnacles with alternating bands of smooth and textured stone and are capped by conical roofs with layered trim. The upper-story walls are smooth, accented with thin, textured stringcourses, rising to gabled dormers that incorporate Romanesque leaf ornament, gargoyles, and finials.
Like the facade, the east and west elevations are ornamented and symmetrically balanced, prominently featuring a projecting gable with a variety of arched fenestration. The 1929-32 addition to the south adds a massive eight-story block at the rear of the original structure. Although its walls are clad in granite and include arched fenestration to match the original building, the extension is distinguished by its flat roof, flattened elevations, and reduced ornamentation.
Interior spaces on the first through fifth floors are arranged about a vast central atrium
Atrium (architecture)
In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
capped by an iron-and-glass skylight. The illuminated space was originally an open light well and is now used for many public events. Within the atrium's large volume, columns, marble wainscoting, oak crown molding, stenciled designs, and plaster ceiling moldings have been restored to their original finishes and colors. Although the first story's original ceiling was removed to open the room to the light well above, its steel structural members were retained to recall the room's original configuration as the postal workspace. The building's corridors, stair halls, and lobbies are adorned with multicolored marble mosaics, oak paneling, and decorative plaster ceilings. The interiors of the 1929-32 addition match the materials and colors used in 1899, harmonizing with the original interior design.
The two-story historic U.S. District Courtroom, located on the third floor, is richly detailed with carved oak paneling and trim on the walls and ceiling. Historic paint finishes have been carefully conserved to their original hue. Fine Romanesque detailing embellishes the arches over the doors, windows, and the judge's bench. Centered between the two doorways is the room's original ladies' balcony, entirely finished in oak.
A massive seven-year restoration project begun in 1989 revived the building to its original condition. The work involved extensive materials research to determine original paint colors and decorative patterns for the walls and ceilings, including the original hand-painted-and-stenciled designs in a trompe-l'œil effect (an artistic illusion of realism). Interior finishes and fixtures were restored, while the exterior stone and brickwork was conserved and repaired. Renovations created more comfortable work spaces and energy-efficient HVAC systems. Through the effort of many collaborators, the building remains one of the most venerable displays of architecture in the Milwaukee area.
Significant events
- 1892-99 The U.S. Post Office, Courthouse, and Custom House is constructed.
- 1929-32 An addition to the south substantially increases the building's size. 1940 Two floors are added above the south addition.
- 1972 The building is designated a Milwaukee City Landmark.
- 1973 The building is listed in the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. - 1989-96 The building is extensively restored and renovated.
Building facts
- Architect: Willoughby J. Edbrooke
- Construction Dates: 1892-1899; 1932; 1940
- Landmark Status: Milwaukee City Landmark; listed in the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
- Location: 517 East Wisconsin Avenue
- Architectural Style: Romanesque Revival
- Primary Materials: Pale gray Mount Waldo granite
- Prominent Features: Tower; atrium; Romanesque detailing; oak-paneled courtroom