901 N. 9th St.
Milwaukee, WI 53233
(414) 278-4564
The Milwaukee County Courthouse is a high-rise municipal building located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Completed in 1931, it is the third county courthouse built in the city and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.The two previous courthouses were located at what is now Cathedral Square Park on the east side of the Milwaukee River.DescriptionSituated on the crown of a hill, it is 176 feet tall and has eleven floors. The Neo-Classical Revival style of the building was the result of a nationwide design competition, in which architect Albert Randolph Ross with the New York City firm of McKim, Mead, and White was selected out of 33 entries from across the country. It was constructed using Bedford limestone and features architectural details and sculptural decorations with a Beaux-Arts influence, such as a flat roofline, stone owls and lion heads. Masonry was provided by Andres Stone and Marble Company, owner Edgar Andres whose family also helped construct the Library and a local bank which is now the home for the Milwaukee Historical Society.While heralded as one of the grandest courthouses in the United States, it was once called a "million dollar rockpile" by famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.