The
Milwaukee City Hall interior is dominated by an open well,
20 feet by 70 feet, that rises from the first floor Rotunda
to a massive glass skylight eight stories above the floor.
Its 19th Century engineering was intended to illuminate the
open well with ambient daylight. The opened skylight was for
cooling, allowing summer's heat to rise from the building.
Walls, ceilings, balconies and decorative grillwork have recently
been restored. The Rotunda is the public square of City Hall,
a frequent venue for speakers, news conferences, visitors
and exhibits. Each day in late December, thousands of people
stand in line in the Rotunda, waiting to pay their property
taxes. It's a Milwaukee tradition.
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