City Rejects Massive Billboard for Downtown Tower
Proposal would 'blow up the zoning code' says area alderman.
Wisconsin Tower west facade. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
Downtown won’t be getting a Times Square feel anytime soon.
The Board of Zoning Appeals (BOZA) rejected a 1,750-square-foot electronic billboard that would have faced west on W. Wisconsin Avenue.
Washington, DC-based company Capitol Outdoor had struck a deal with the condominium owners of the 22-story Wisconsin Tower, 606 W. Wisconsin Ave., to install the billboard near the top of the tower.
But the Department of City Development and area Alderman Robert Bauman opposed the plan.
“Regardless if this is an electronic or static sign, it is way, way too big in terms of what is permitted or should be permitted by code,” said Department of City Development representative Ed Richardson on May 1 when the board voted.
“The scale of this billboard is way outside of what is permitted,” said Bauman. “If you grant this special use, you essentially blow up the zoning code with billboards, because we’ll never be able to deny anything.”
After a lengthy February BOZA hearing, the plan was modified to turn the billboard off from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. and reduce its message rotation from eight seconds, the city minimum, to 15 seconds.
“Cutting down the operating hours is meaningless to me,” said Bauman.
Attorney Brian Randall of Amundsen Davis represented Capitol Outdoor. Several condo owners in the Wisconsin Tower, which was built in 1929 and redeveloped in 2005, supported the proposal, which would have provided an income stream for the condo association.
The west side of the building is a blank wall that was covered in advertisements for several decades. Historic images show that large billboards once adorned the wall, and several nearby, but were removed in more recent decades.
“The sign is smaller than the previous sign that was up there for decades,” said Randall.
Randall said Capitol Outdoor was being sensitive to the community in proposing the billboard, which a filing indicates would have cost $600,000.
“We exceed the code requirement of an eight-second rotation with a 15-second rotation,” he said. “We also enhance traffic and pedestrian safety with public service alerts, like traffic alerts or weather conditions or ‘this convention is in town.'”
He disputed Bauman’s argument that approving the sign would nullify the city’s billboard restrictions.
“This building is unique,” said Randall.
BOZA members disagreed.
“I am concerned that the precedent that is set when we consider the economic benefit of the sign,” said board member Jennifer Current. “Just looking within two or three blocks of this building, you can see that the condition of the western facade being blank is not really unique in any way.”
“This is a challenge, this is a big challenge,” said BOZA chair Eric Lowenberg.
Member Lindsey St. Arnold Bell said it was a difficult issue. “The building can accommodate a sign that is of a permitted size,” she said. But St. Arnold Bell said the issue was the size.
“I think the lighting study was very clear, it wasn’t going to have a detrimental impact on adjacent properties,” said Lowenberg in making a statement that a billboard could work at the location. “I don’t think the special use is problematic.”
The board voted unanimously that a sign was appropriate for the location, but not at that size. The standard limit is 300 square feet.
Where are the next biggest billboards Downtown? Randall said they’re a block east at the Baird Center. The convention center, according to the BOZA filing, has electronic signs of 975 and 560 square feet in size. But they’re actually outlit by two others. The curved electronic display sign at the base of The Couture, which extends into the covered transit concourse, is 1,280 square feet. The curved digital sign on the northwest corner of the Milwaukee Bucks‘ 5th Street Parking Structure is 1,250 square feet.
What’s the back story with the Wisconsin Tower? It was initially an Art Deco office building known as the Mariner Tower. A radio tower was included on the top, which also lends itself to the story for which the building is best known. WQFM operated out of the building’s 21st floor for decades. In 1982, DJ Tim U’ren, the “Rock ‘N’ Roll Animal,” spent 14 days on a narrow ledge outside the station in an attempt to lure The Who to Milwaukee for a concert. The stunt worked. The Who played today’s UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena later that year.
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Political Contributions Tracker
Displaying political contributions between people mentioned in this story. Learn more.
- March 22, 2017 - Robert Bauman received $250 from Brian Randall
- May 12, 2016 - Robert Bauman received $150 from Brian Randall
- February 14, 2016 - Robert Bauman received $250 from Brian Randall
- March 12, 2015 - Robert Bauman received $136 from Brian Randall
- August 27, 2014 - Robert Bauman received $250 from Brian Randall
Could you provide the BOZA vote total of for and against the proposition ?
Four to zero.
I’ve always thought the ugly bare west side of that building would be a great place for a huge mural. There should be an artist competition for the best mural idea.
I’m glad of this decision and note this is one instance in which I totally agree with Alder Bauman.
This is out of code and absolutely bad precedent. Capital Outdoor kept trying to frame this as “activating” the area, but in 2025 it would be totally out of place. The “historic images” with big electric signs harken back to a day when this was all over the place – visual pollution. More Pottersville than Bedford Falls. 😉
tmaloney6: I agree completely. This would be a great place for the right mural. While it wouldn’t serve the wants of the building’s HOA which wants income, it is almost a once in a lifetime opportunity that could result in something iconic to Milwaukee. Think the Richard Haas huge trompe l’oeil reflection/illusion on the side of the Grand Theater/Milwaukee Symphony Center!
https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2020/05/06/eyes-on-milwaukee-symphony-center-to-get-new-sign-this-weekend/nggallery/image/mural-above-lobby-structure/
I wondered why the west wall of that building is largely windowless. The most believable story I found was that there was supposed to be a twin tower to the west, which would have its east wall largely windowless. Apparently the depression and WW2 killed the plans for the second tower.
Several years ago, I was a guest at one of the condos in the 606 building. At the time, the top floors were still undergoing conversion. My host took me to the former WQFM offices/studios on the top floor were one could still see artifacts from that era.
As I travel extensively overseas, I see the impact that these large paintings running the length and/or width of buildings in the city. Their beauty and their message is powerful and memorable. I’d like to see our city do the same–not with advertising billboards–but with murals that deliver a message that resonates with our community and all that live here. Please reconsider how and why you should take advantage of these opportunities. I’d be happy to show you some of the photos I captured on my phone. I know I will never forget the impact these images had on me.
Following up on the large mural for the west side of the tower, the mayor is all for growing the city and inclusivity. How about a large mural that shows how Milwaukee can grow by welcoming everyone to our city: black, brown, caucasian, gay, straight, all religions and all ethnicities. Capture Milwaukee as America’s growing melting pot through an art mural.