The Milwaukee City Hall Exterior Restoration was a complex $65.9-million project of dismantling and reassembling a National Historic Landmark. The building’s exterior envelope – brick, terra cotta, stone, copper, and slate – had all been severely compromised by Milwaukee’s harsh climate and the lack of regular and appropriate maintenance for more than a century. The challenge was to discover how and where water had worked its way into the building, the long-term damage to the surface and structure over time, and what measures needed to be taken to effectively stabilize the structure and re-create the precise look and feel of the original design.
As a result of four years of analysis, design and planning and three years of physical restoration, the project partners were able bring this century-old masterpiece back to its original appearance, blending new replacement materials with existing.