It holds the largest collection of Victorian art in any hotel in the world.
The Pfister opened in downtown Milwaukee in 1893, built by Guido Pfister and his son Charles at a cost of over a million dollars, which is roughly 35.8 million in today's terms. Henry C. Koch designed it in Romanesque Revival style, and it arrived with features that were uncommon at the time: fireproofing, electricity and thermostat controls.
The materials are local and legible from the pavement. The first two floors are rock-faced Wauwatosa limestone; the third through eighth are cream brick.
The hospitality magnate Ben Marcus bought it in 1962, renovated it, and added a 23-storey tower behind the original building without compromising the historic structure itself. It is still owned by the Marcus Corporation. It has held the AAA Four Diamond award since 1978, belongs to Historic Hotels of America, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the East Side Commercial Historic District. The 1986 National Register nomination states plainly what it is: the last nineteenth century grand hotel remaining in downtown Milwaukee.
The art is the thing that makes it worth walking into whether or not you are staying. The hotel runs guided art tours of the collection and keeps a display case of its own history, alongside afternoon tea, live music and a spa.
Its odder claim to fame is a sporting one. Members of the Los Angeles Dodgers do not stay here when they are in Milwaukee to play the Brewers, because of the legend that the hotel is haunted, and some MLB players have said they had paranormal experiences in the building. The Victorian paintings are the better reason to go.
Other places on the map within a couple of hours.
