Hilton Milwaukee

History

The Schroeder Hotel opened in 1928. It was developed and owned by hotel magnate Walter Schroeder and designed by Holabird & Roche. 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. The 25-story building has a height of 274 ft, with an antenna added in 1953 extending its total height to 677 ft.

Schroeder sold the hotel in 1964 to Towne Realty. In April 1965, Sheraton Hotels assumed management of the hotel, renaming it the Sheraton-Schroeder Hotel. Sheraton renovated the hotel at a cost of $2 million and purchased the hotel outright from Towne Realty in January 1967. Sheraton sold the hotel in 1972 to local businessman Ben Marcus, who renovated it and reopened it in 1973 as the Marc Plaza Hotel. 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, along with an adjoining indoor waterpark called Paradise Landing, which closed in 2013.

The Hilton was scheduled to serve as the headquarters hotel for the 2020 Democratic National Convention, before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a temporary closure, along with major changes to the DNC to a remote format.

In March 2020, the hotel closed due to COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020, Marc Corporation permanently laid off 79 workers at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center In December 2024, the hotel was renamed Hilton Milwaukee, as part of a $40 million renovation.

Hilton Milwaukee is a member of Historic Hotels of America, an official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

In December 2024, a $42 million renovation of the historic 554-room main tower began. It was completed in January 2026. The 175-room west wing, added in 2000, was not renovated. In January 2026, it became The Marc Hotel, a separate, adjoining limited-service hotel, with its own newly constructed entrance on North 6th Street.

Renovation plans also called for the removal of the 400-foot antenna on the roof, but that has been postponed, because removal requires complicated scheduling for the helicopters needed to lift the steel structure off the hotel. As a result, no date has been announced.

References

References

1. https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/hilton-milwaukee
2. (March 4, 2014). "Urban spelunking: Schroeder Hotel/Hilton City Center". OnMilwaukee.
3. "Discover Hilton Milwaukee City Center".
4. https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/hilton-rooftop-antenna
5. https://www.nytimes.com/1965/04/07/archives/news-of-realty-office-leasing-up-sharp-gain-reported-in-city-in.html
6. "Sheraton Corporation of America, 1965 Annual Report".
7. (4 January 1967). "NEWS OF REALTY: BUILDING PLANNED; 34-Story Structure to Rise at 110 E. 59th Street (Published 1967)".
8. "Sheraton Corporation of America, 1967 Annual Report".
9. "Ben D. Marcus, Founder of the Marcus Corporation, Philanthropist, Dies at 89".
10. (April 20, 2017). "What's in a name? For Koss, a verse or two". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
11. "Hilton Milwaukee City Center". EMPORIS.
12. "Hilton closing Paradise Landing waterpark".
13. (October 9, 2019). "Hilton Milwaukee City Center to Serve as Democratic National Convention Headquarters Hotel In 2020". Associated Press.
14. (March 24, 2020). "Marcus to close Hilton, St. Kate, but will leave The Pfister open during coronavirus pandemic". Milwaukee Business Journal.
15. (March 24, 2020). "Marcus to close Hilton, St. Kate, but will leave The Pfister open during coronavius pandemic". Milwaukee Business Journal.
16. (June 29, 2020). "Marcus Corp. To Lay Off More Than 400 In Milwaukee, Elsewhere". Wisconsin Public Radio.
17. "Hilton Milwaukee Announces the Most Extensive Renovation in Marcus Hotels & Resorts History".
18. "Hilton Milwaukee City Center". Historic Hotels of America.
19. https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/hilton-milwaukee
20. https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/hilton-renovation-complete
21. "West Wing of Hilton Milwaukee will reopen as the Marc Hotel in early 2026".
22. https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/hilton-rooftop-antenna
23. https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/hilton-milwaukee-renovation