Watertower (Tom Fruin) Walker's Point

A multicoloured water tank sits on the roof of a former warehouse in Milwaukee's Walker's Point, and it is there because of a glimpse from a car in Brooklyn. Brooklyn artist Tom Fruin made Watertower for the headquarters of Coakley Brothers at 400 S. 5th Street. According to Urban Milwaukee in 2017, the company's president spotted one of his smaller water towers on a Brooklyn rooftop and commissioned a version for the Milwaukee building, where the base of an old water tower had remained as a reminder of the neighbourhood's industrial past. Fruin called the piece “a gift to the city.” The sculpture is built of Plexiglass and welded steel. TMJ4 gave its size as 20 feet tall and 15,000 pounds; Urban Milwaukee described it as roughly 20 feet by 20 feet, with a powder-coated steel frame. Shepherd Express said it was the largest of Fruin's water towers. It was lifted onto the seven-storey building on 21 September 2017, as part of a $6 million renovation, and WISN reported that it would glow with LED lighting at night. Shepherd Express wrote in October 2017 that it was visible from the freeway to the west and the Hoan Bridge to the east, especially at night when lit from within. The building has its own history. Coakley Brothers says it was built in 1920 and has been the company's headquarters since 1995; Urban Milwaukee reported in 2017 that the complex dates to as early as 1911. The company's website describes the sculpture as the building's “iconic rooftop water tower sculpture,” created “as a symbol of light and hope for our community.” The building is a working headquarters with a furniture showroom, so the sculpture is best enjoyed from the surrounding streets.