The Top 15 Tallest Buildings Are Signatures of the Milwaukee Skyline

Each major city with skyscrapers in the United States has a stunning skyline that highlights the most impressive structures. Milwaukee, Wisconsin is no stranger to this — it has over 100 skyscraper buildings and high rises reaching far over 200 feet tall. These iconic buildings make the Milwaukee skyline what it is today.

Keep reading to discover the tallest buildings on the Milwaukee skyline, when the building was built, and what the buildings are used for now.

U.S. Bank Center

At 601 feet high, the U.S. Bank Center is the state of Wisconsin and Milwaukee’s tallest building. It’s an impressive 42 floors high and was built in 1973. Not only is it a record-breaker, it’s an award-holder. In 1974, the Chicago Chapter of the American Institute of Architects presented the U.S. Bank Center with a Distinguished Building Award. 

Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons

Built in 2017, the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons is Wisconsin’s largest building by area and second-tallest building in the state. It stands at an impressive 550 feet high with 32 floors. This took the place of the old East Tower, which was demolished in 2013.

100 East Wisconsin

Also known as the Faison building, this postmodern skyscraper in downtown Milwaukee is 549 feet high. 100 East Wisconsin was completed in a quick two years of construction between 1987 and 1989. The building hoped to preserve the German-American architecture and historical style of the surrounding area, adding to Milwaukee’s architectural diversity. Despite being used as office space, some Milwaukians wonder if the building would provide acceptable residential space.

University Club Tower

Right now, the University Club Tower is the tallest residential tower in Milwaukee. However, there’s a planned build that might dethrone the University Club. University Club itself is a massive, gorgeous structure 446 feet tall. Before the Northwest Mutual Tower overtook its spot, the University Club Tower was the tallest building constructed in the 21st century,

Associated Bank River Center

When it was completed in 1988, it was the second-tallest building in Milwaukee. Today, Associated Bank River Center has 28 floors, stands 426 feet tall, and was recently purchased for over $60 million. 

411 East Wisconsin Center

In 1985, the East Wisconsin Center completed the construction of a building with over 1,000 eight-ton precast concrete panels. It stands a whopping 408 feet tall. Designed in a modern architectural style, it has a five-story-high lobby. In 2014, the building changed owners to Riverview Realty Partners — and since then, they have attempted to create a Green lobby.

Northwestern Mutual North Tower

When you mention the iconic Milwaukee skyline, you can’t forget the blue pyramid on the top of the Northwestern Mutual North Tower. Built in 1990, the massive structure stands just under 400 feet tall and features an expansive space to do commercial business.

7Seventy7

Milwaukee’s 7Seventy7 residential high-rise, completed in 2018, feels like a city within a city. It has its own plaza, parking, and retail spaces, among other amenities. At 34 feet of space, it stretches an impressive 387 feet into the sky.

Kilbourn Tower

The Kilbourn apartments and condominiums have stunning vistas out of their windows thanks to the building’s 380-foot high reach. The luxury residential areas within are so in demand, that the entire thirty-first floor, a single condominium, was put on the market for nearly $2 million. It was completed in 2005.

Milwaukee City Hall

Not many city halls rank as one of the tallest buildings in their respective cities and states, but Milwaukee’s does! At 353 feet and 15 stories high, Milwaukee’s city hall ranked as the city’s tallest building and tallest inhabitable building until newer buildings upset its place on the podium. Despite being built in 1895, the hall withstands the passage of time well. 

The Moderne

At 348 feet tall, the Moderne is a 30-story residential building in Wisconsin that claims the title of the tallest building in the state west of the Milwaukee River. It was finished in 2012 and has several different shops, restaurants, and more on the bottom floor.

BMO Financial Center

Finished in 2020, the BMO Financial Center began letting tenants occupy the space in April of the same year. With 25 floors spanning 335 feet in height, the new Financial Center has ample room for businesses to thrive.

American Family Field

Milwaukee’s home base for the Brewers, a Major League Baseball (MLB) team, is one of Milwaukee’s and Wisconsin’s tallest buildings at 330 feet high. It’s also the tallest stadium in the MLB.

The Potawatomi Casino Hotel

At just over 300 feet (307 to be exact), the Potawatomi Casino hotel ranks as a large indoor wonderland of poker, slots, restaurants, gambling games, and more. And, with the second tower added in 2019 just five years after the casino was completed, the building has over 500 rooms for guests to enjoy.

1000 North Water Street

Standing at 296 feet tall, this building has the rose-colored glint of the 1990s — its creation decade. Not only does that pink color add to the Milwaukee skyline; it houses the Milwaukee branch office for the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms).

Reach for the Sky, Milwaukee!

In Milwaukee, over a dozen buildings exist that stand over 300 feet tall! Despite this impressive feat, engineers and city planners never stop innovating. As such, a new tallest residential building and fourth-tallest building in the state will hit the market between 2023 and 2024 in downtown Milwaukee: the Couture. The Couture is a high-rise residential building with over 300 luxury apartments and 44 floors.