Milwaukee RiverWalk Architecture

Milwaukee's RiverWalk is a great way to see a variety of architecture in a short amount of time while in Milwaukee.  You may remember that when I was in the Third Ward recently I was sorry I didn't have time to take a stroll along the Milwaukee River.  I picked a Sunday to drop in to town to see some more buildings and as a bonus the street parking was free and the traffic was light.  I didn't walk the whole 3 miles of the RiverWalk, the buildings kept luring me off the path and I zigzagged back and forth across the river.  There are 16 bridges along the river in town, each one different, and even the lift style isn't the same.  One of these days I'll come back for the bridges alone.

But we're supposed to be talking about architecture, not bridges, right?  Let's start with The Steinmeyer Building which was constructed as a grocery store and warehouse in 1883 and is one of the many examples of Romanesque architecture in Milwaukee, evoking that medieval European feeling.  Loved the lamp!

Another Romanesque beauty is Turner Hall, which I chose to shoot as a reflection in the building across the street.  Sweet shot!

The Milwaukee County Historical Society is also on the river, but closed on Sunday so I didn't get to peek inside.  The outside was still fun to look at, especially the old jeweler's clock. Sidewalk clocks were used at the Turn of the Century to help pedestrians and businesses sync their time pieces during the course of a day.  These large clocks came under attack by one of Milwaukee’s youngest mayors, Sherman Becker, when he issued an ordinance declaring them an obstruction to sidewalk traffic.  When the new law was ignored by the public, Becker and a group of firemen destroyed all of the sidewalk clocks on Grand Avenue by knocking them over.  This blatant destruction, along with most non-functional clocks being removed by the 1950′s made sidewalk clocks a rare gem of Milwaukee.  I always wondered what the story was with the big clocks, now I know and you do too!

On the other side of the river stands the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Building, whose Art Moderne style emphasizes flat surfaces.  Nothing flat about it, in my opinion, raised detail and curves abound!

 The limestone used is quarried in the Mankato, Minnesota area and is especially weather resistant as it is of a higher density.  I noticed it had a different hue to it than the creamy limestone you usually see around here.

Just to show I can mix things up a little, here's the building at 1000 North Water Street, also along the RiverWalk.

Think that's fun? Check out The Milwaukee Building.  It's a cool place to "hang".

One more and I'll let you walk it for yourself when you come to town.  The Milwaukee Repertory Theater ("The Rep") is in a power plant-converted location and houses the 720-seat Quadracci Powerhouse Theater, the 218-seat Stiemke Theater, and the 118-seat Stackner Cabaret. I thought it was cool because the plaque on the building said it was the location where pulverized coal was first burned continuously successfully. Power plant trivia kind of interests us, ya know, being a ComEd family.

What's that tower looming behind The Rep?? City Hall, we'll talk about it another day, I promise!