The three year restoration of the Milwaukee City Hall is finished, with the rededication ceremony scheduled for tonight. The building was built in 1892 - 1895 in the Flemish Renaissance Revival style, the same style used in the 1895 Frederick Pabst mansion. The buildings are certainly distinctive; if you were a regular viewer of Laverne & Shirley, you may remember the face of the City Hall tower from the opening credits.
Be sure to click through the slide show, as there are pictures included from the original construction as well as the restoration. Beware, however, if you are afraid of heights; many of the restoration pictures are taken at dizzying heights.
Something I didn't know: at the time it was completed, it was the third tallest building in America.
There is one aspect of the original I miss, however; the soft green verdigris covering the roof of the bell tower. The restoration company did use copper, so in time the coloring will return. The also recently restored Basilica of St. Josaphat just south of downtown reinstalled copper on the dome (one of the largest copper domes in the world); that, too will eventually age to the beloved green.
No comments:
Post a Comment