Transit Center Tower Demolition
Five-story clock tower knocked down to make way for 44-floor apartment tower.
Downtown Transit Center Demolition. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
Crews from Veit and J.H. Findorff & Son braved the freezing temperatures as the sun rose Saturday morning to complete a milestone in redeveloping Milwaukee’s lakefront. A small team worked with blowtorches and excavators to knock off the five-story clock tower at the Downtown Transit Center.
Our photos capture the process, including the tower crashing to the ground and wall of dust rising up. Unlike a recent knockdown on N. Farwell Ave. that was described by some as a “mini earthquake,” the transit center’s obliteration went off without a hitch.
The now-demolished clock tower was designed in-part as an homage to the iconic Chicago & North Western Lakefront Railway Depot. That building, a far more attractive and high-usage transit facility, was located roughly a block north. Opened in 1890, it was demolished in 1968. Its demolition helped launch a movement towards historic preservation in Milwaukee.
Construction of the $122 million The Couture, a proposed 44-story, 302-unit apartment tower, is expected to begin as soon as demolition is completed. Developer Barrett Lo Visionary Development acquired the roughly two-acre site from the county in August for $500,000, but as part of the deal is also required to pay the demolition costs as well as incorporating a streetcar and bus rapid transit stop in the base of the building. A significant public access component, which will connect O’Donnell Park and Downtown to the lakefront and a new, yet-to-be-completed park will be incorporated into the building with a series of bridges. Design of the tower and new park are both being led by Milwaukee-firm Rinka Chung Architecture. The city is involved in financing a portion of the development, particularly the streetcar component, with a tax-incremental financing district.
The streetcar’s lakefront line and proposed east-west bus-rapid transit line are expected to begin operating through The Couture in 2019 at the earliest.
For more on the project see our coverage from December 30th “Goodbye Downtown Transit Center” or our August article “The Couture is Finally Happening,” which includes photos of the inside of the transit center.
More about the Couture
- The Couture Names First Retail Tenant - Sophie Bolich - Jun 6th, 2025
- Streetcar Begins Daily Service To The Couture, BRT Will Soon Follow - Jeramey Jannene - Apr 11th, 2024
- Friday Photos: See The View From The Couture’s Upper Levels - Jeramey Jannene - Mar 8th, 2024
- The Couture Shows Off First Apartments - Jeramey Jannene - Jan 24th, 2024
- Transportation: Streetcar Extension Opens Sunday - Jeramey Jannene - Oct 28th, 2023
- Lakefront Streetcar Extension Opens October 29 - Jeramey Jannene - Aug 22nd, 2023
- Eyes on Milwaukee: See Inside The Couture’s Rise - Jeramey Jannene - Mar 9th, 2023
- Transportation: Congress Extends Streetcar Grant - Jeramey Jannene - Mar 16th, 2022
- Eyes on Milwaukee: The Couture Starts Massive Concrete Pour - Jeramey Jannene - Mar 16th, 2022
- City Hall: Council Could End Fight Over Couture Provision - Jeramey Jannene - Feb 22nd, 2022
Read more about Couture here
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Thanks Jeramy for braving the chilly weather to capture the demolition of the transit center clock tower. Can you share with your readers the type of camera and lens you used to take the images? You did an excellent job of photographing the steps involved in the demolition of the clock tower and must have spent a lot of time on site.
I wish the developer and architect of the apartment high rise and adjacent park will include a clock tower and art installation with photo images of the former Northwestern Railroad Depot in their design to at least in someway preserve the history of the site and educate younger folks about the importance of historic preservation. Perhaps they can partner with a local university art department on this aspect of the development. As the City of Milwaukee reviews plans it should work to insure this happens.
Years ago when I visited Tokyo, Japan I viewed art installations that included photographs of what the Ginza looked like prior to World War II bombing raids. It really helped to orient me on my afternoon stroll down the Ginza and gave me an appreciation for the loss of historic architecture and human life.
Liked the the dramatic photos of the Transit Center and Clock Tower’s demolition.
Am disappointed, however, that there was no mention or photo of the major donor for the Clock Tower’s construction, the late Harry Franke. Mr. Franke was well known and is remembered still in Milwaukee for his leadership, poetry, and generosity. A quick Web search shows a Greater Milwaukee Foundation photo of Mr. Franke standing next to the Clock Tower twenty-five years ago.
@Rail Fan – A Canon Digital Rebel XTI with a Tamron 18-200 lens. Nothing super fancy.
@Bob – That’s on a different building, the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum. Located slightly to the north (and nearer the exact site of the depot).
Thank you for the correction. I learned last night of my mistake and was returning here to correct and apologize.