History
The Schroeder Hotel opened in 1928. It was developed and owned by hotel magnate Walter Schroeder and designed by Holabird & Roche. [2] Its exterior is in the simplified neo-classical style, while its interiors are Art Deco, with extensive use of hardwoods and intricate decorative metal detailing. [3] The 25-story building has a height of 274 feet (84 meters), with an antenna added in 1953 extending its total height to 677 feet (206 meters). [4]
Schroeder sold the hotel in 1964 to Towne Realty. In April 1965, Sheraton Hotels assumed management of the hotel, [5] renaming it the Sheraton-Schroeder Hotel. [6] Sheraton renovated the hotel at a cost of $2 million and purchased the hotel outright from Towne Realty in January 1967. [7] [8] Sheraton sold the hotel in 1972 to local businessman Ben Marcus, who renovated it and reopened it in 1973 [9] as the Marc Plaza Hotel. [10] In 1995, the Marcus Corporation brought in Hilton Hotels to manage the property, and it was renamed the Hilton Milwaukee City Center. A 13-floor addition, designed by Kahler Slater Architects and built by Mortenson, was constructed in 2000, [11] along with an adjoining indoor waterpark called Paradise Landing, which closed in 2013. [12]
The Hilton was scheduled to serve as the headquarters hotel for the 2020 Democratic National Convention, [13] before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a temporary closure, along with major changes to the DNC to a remote format. [14]
In March 2020, the hotel closed due to COVID-19 pandemic. [15] In June 2020, Marc Corporation permanently laid off 79 workers at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center [16] In December 2024, the hotel was renamed Hilton Milwaukee, as part of a $40 million renovation. [17]
Hilton Milwaukee is a member of Historic Hotels of America, an official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. [18]
In December 2024, a $40 million renovation of the historic 554-room main tower began. [19] The 175-room west wing, added in 2000, was not renovated. It will reopen as The Marc Hotel in January 2026, a separate, adjoining limited-service hotel, with its own newly constructed entrance on North 6th Street. [20] Renovation plans also call for the removal of the 400-foot antenna on the roof. [21] The removal requires complicated scheduling for the helicopters needed to lift the steel structure off the hotel and no date has been announced. [22]
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