Seventy-four entries, including one from Frank Lloyd Wright, competed in 1893 to design the Central Library, the monumental headquarters of the Milwaukee Public Library System. Designated a Milwaukee Landmark in 1969, this building remains one of Milwaukee’s most monumental public structures. Today the Central Library occupies almost the entire building, with three exceptions: the headquarters for the Milwaukee County Federated Library System, the Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library, and Audio & Braille Literacy Enhancement.
Turn and look up at a building born of a national competition held in 1893 to find a home for both the public library and the public museum. Seventy-four entries were received, including one from Frank Lloyd Wright, and the winning design by Ferry & Clas of Milwaukee called for a block‑long, Neo‑Renaissance structure blending French and Italian Renaissance details. Notice the south façade’s colonnade over a base, which may have been inspired by the east front of the Louvre in Paris.
The whole plan was laid out in a U‑shape to give a common entrance for library and museum while keeping their spaces separate. Notice the south façade's colonnade, echoing the Louvre, and the U‑shaped plan linking library and museum.