A Brief History

The Milwaukee Hilton, formerly the Schroeder Hotel and Marc Plaza Hotel, was the dream of Milwaukee's hotel and insurance magnate, Walter Schroeder (1878-1967). Built at a cost of $7 million in 1927, the property was constructed as Wisconsin's tallest and biggest hotel, towering over the city of Milwaukee at 265 feet. When originally completed, the hotel had 811 guest rooms and opened its doors for business in 1928.

Designed by one of Americas most successful and innovative architectural firms, Holabird and Roche, the property features Art Deco styling, a cavernous marble lobby and elegant ballroom. The exterior of the building's first five floors is faced with limestone and contains Art Deco carvings and lush floral designs. A bronze plaque on the Wisconsin Avenue side of the building reminds guests and passers by that the property was once the site of a Potowatomi Indian village at the foot of a steep bluff.

The hotel was acquired by Towne Realty Inc. In 1964, for a reported price of about $6.25 million and sold six months later to the Sheraton organization which, in turn, renamed the property the Sheraton Schroeder Hotel.

In 1972, Ben and Steve Marcus purchased the hotel which had become a costly venture for its owners in the post-war decades. They renamed the property the Marc Plaza Hotel and launched an $8 million renovation project from 1972-1975. Every room was enlarged, thus reducing the number of guest rooms from 811 to 500. A parking structure was added in 1975.

A little more than 20 years after its first extensive renovation, The Marcus Corporation announced in October 1994, that it would shut down the Marc Plaza Hotel's operation for six months for an extensive multi million dollar renovation/restoration project. The ambitious project, which commenced in December 1994, restored the entire hotel to its original 1920s classic grandeur while its infrastructure and amenities were enhanced to state-of-the-art levels.

On April 21, 1995, the property became a franchise of the Hilton Hotels Corporation and was renamed the Milwaukee Hilton. Now guests will benefit from the luxury chain's worldwide sales force, reservation system and frequent stay programs. In addition, as Milwaukee's convention headquarters hotel of choice, the Hilton is planning to add 250 guest rooms and a skywalk. The new skywalk will link the hotel to the future 270,000-square-foot Wisconsin Center, an expansion of the 132,000-square-foot MECCA convention center.

Today, as part of the Hilton Hotels Corporation, the Milwaukee Hilton stands as a proud part of the Milwaukee skyline, welcoming visitors just as it did back in 1928.

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