Milwaukee City Hall was finished in 1895 and was the city's tallest building until 1973. Henry C. Koch designed it in the Flemish Renaissance Revival style, based on city halls in Germany and on local buildings. It became a National Historic Landmark in 2005.
It stands on 2,584 white pine piles driven into marshy ground. The main block rises eight stories, and the tower reaches 350 feet, with clock faces flanked by four beer stein turrets. A fire in October 1929 damaged the upper tower, which was rebuilt.
The tower holds a 22,500-pound bell named for Solomon Juneau, Milwaukee's first mayor, which was hoisted up in 1896. The tower's lighted marquee appeared in the opening of the TV show Laverne & Shirley, and it was removed in 1988.