We Energies- Public Service Building

Known then as The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Co., its electric trains rolled through the first floor after the building was completed in 1905.

A neoclassical gem with matched Italian marble walls and a second-floor art deco-inspired auditorium, the building played an important role in changing Milwaukee with trains, buses, electricity, natural gas, steam heat and even appliance sales, serving as the utility’s headquarters the entire time.

You can still see much of the Public Service Building’s neoclassical detail from the outside, as well as the replica green doors where rail cars used to enter and exit the building. The clock above the main entrance is flanked by carved medallions showing the progression of the company’s transportation history. Inside, the stained glass depiction of a buzzing beehive above the lobby doors was meant to symbolize the building’s activity.

Thanks to the We Energies Foundation for sponsoring and supporting Doors Open Milwaukee!