When Milwaukee's City Hall was completed in 1893, it was a point of pride for Milwaukeeans; a symbol of the growing city's importance.

At the time, the nation's third-tallest structure -- and the world's largest inhabitable building, from top-to-bottom -- behind the U.S. Capitol and Philadelphia's then-unfinished City Hall, stood watch over the city, which was coming into its own as one of the nation's leading shipping centers.

As time passed, however, City Hall -- made famous by television's "Laverne & Shirley" and used as a symbol by a number of civic organizations -- had fallen into disrepair. Its powerful bell was silenced by fears vibrations would cause structural damage.

Thursday night, as a fierce winter storm approached the city, hundreds gathered at the corner of Water and Wells Streets to watch City Hall officially reopened in its original glory. The clock, painted over decades ago to cover up a soot buildup, was returned to its original translucent design and illuminated. And the bell, silent for three years and rung only on special occasions prior to that, rang out over the city once again.

"City government has never looked brighter," quipped Mayor Tom Barrett.

The festivities capped off a three-year renovation that cost $70 million. It was a unique project, performed by a trio of area firms. Engberg Anderson, based in the Third Ward, handled the architectural work, working of Henry Koch's original designs.

J.P. Cullen Construction led the rebuilding duties, painstakingly removing nearly every brick from the building's south tower and repairing years of neglect, wear and tear. Such a project wasn't new for the firm, which also did the $100 million facelift of the Capitol in Madison -- but nonetheless provided some on-the-fly adjustments.

"With historic renovations, you never really know what you're going to get into until you get in there," said J.P. Cullen's Craig Eide. "You have to take it apart to figure out how to fix it. We had drawings of what we thought it was, when you actually get out there, you have to take it completely apart to know what's really there.

"Even though there's repeating elements, each and every one was different. Everything is handmade and unique on the job."

Even with the complex nature of the project, Cullen was able to get the job done on time and, more importantly, on budget. The team was so efficient that it was able to complete a number of tasks originally intended to be done only if there was extra money available at the project's end.

Some of those jobs included the complete removal and replacement of the upper slate, installation of new copper on the north tower and rebuilding the dormers. The construction team also repaired some patches of old steel discovered during the project.

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Posted by mkelover on Dec. 19, 2008 at 8:29 a.m. (report)

Great story on the unique history of the building, truly it's a masterpiece. I still can't get over the fact that city government decided to spend 75 million to renovate it while claiming poverty in all other aspects of running a city.