424 E WISCONSIN AVE

424 E WISCONSIN AVE

Milwaukee

Milwaukee

1890

1965, 1893

1984

lodging-hotel

Romanesque Revival

Brick

Henry C. Koch,Rasch, Schroeder, Spransy - 1965

No

A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. See HABS form. Excellent example of a Richardsonian Romanesque style hotel in nearly original condition. The only example of a grand hotel extant in Milwaukee. The Romanesque Revival Pfister Hotel stood at the pinnacle of elegance and comfort when it opened in 1893, and remains one of the city's finest hostelries. It is one of the country’s most impressive, surviving, Victorian-era hotels. Local building materials, not readily available in other parts of the country, make this sizable edifice distinctive. Since its construction, the Pfister's exterior has changed very little, except for the large parking garage and tower wing added in 1965 at the rear (north) side of the building. Walking through the lobby and down the hallways to their luxurious rooms, patrons pass by the hotel’s extensive collection of Victorian-era oil paintings. Tower and parking garage in 1965. Parking garage with 6 floors and 300 cars. "Now the oldest hotel on Wisconsin Avenue, the Pfister is the work of yet another distinguished local architectural firm. Late Victorian tastes are evident in its Richardsonian exterior and are echoed in the lobby's furnishings, high gold-leafed ceilings, and potted palms. A gift of T. A. Chapman, the bronze lions guarding the stairway in the lobby were once so familiar a sight at the front entrance that they were dubbed Dick and Harry by Milwaukeeans. Like the recent addition to Northwestern National, the new wing of the Pfister is thoroughly modern in design yet harmonizes with the forms of the late 19th-century structure." Pagel, Mary Ellen & Virginia Palmer for the University of Wisconsin Extension Division, Guides to Historic Milwaukee: Juneautown Walking Tour, 1965.

Milw. Landmark Nomination. Hotel Pfister Souvenier. Buildings of Wisconsin manuscript. Pagel, Mary Ellen & Virginia Palmer for the University of Wisconsin Extension Division, Guides to Historic Milwaukee: Juneautown Walking Tour, 1965.

East Side Commercial Historic District

Sep 23, 1986

Jan 01, 1989

Yes