Pfister Hotel Enters Second Stage of Historic $20 Million Renovation

Milwaukee’s Pfister Hotel is entering the second stage of a $20 million renovation that began in the summer of 2023 meant to elevate guest experience while respecting the building’s long history, according to President of Marcus Hotels & Resorts Michael Evans.

After completing the renovation of the restrooms and the seventh floor meeting and event spaces, this next phase plans to renovate the guest rooms in the Pfister’s historic tower. 

“Our guests have enthusiastically welcomed the first phase of our renovations, and we are seeing increased bookings for weddings, galas, business meetings and more,” said Evans. ”As we enter this second phase, we look forward to seeing our historic rooms transformed into new luxurious havens befitting today’s traveler, while maintaining The Pfister Hotel’s classic charm.”

Each room will feature new furnishings reminiscent of the late 1800s including desks with wood fluting, couches, chairs, and fringed ottomans. The end tables, nightstands and credenzas will accentuate the room with marble, wood and leather.

The renovated bathrooms will include modern lighting, tile showers, marble countertops and Wisconsin-based Kohler Co. bathroom fixtures. 

“With these renovations, we are blending our celebrated history and traditions with contemporary refinements, fresh aesthetics and enhanced amenities that will result in The Pfister’s continuation as a Milwaukee and national icon for generations to come,” said Evans.

To pay homage to the Pfister’s history in Milwaukee, each bathroom will feature a specially created watercolor of the Wisconsin state flower, an abstract pen sketch of a woman from the Victorian era, and an antique-style mirror.

The restyled closets will have custom wallcoverings of iconic images of Milwaukee and its skyline to match the new tapestries of historic Milwaukee buildings above the bed.

The guest suites will have a new wet bar area with marble countertops and custom wooden cabinets for entertaining. Each bar will be adorned with a custom wallcovering of native plants found along the shoreline of Lake Michigan, as well as a special framed art piece featuring the exterior of the historic hotel.

“For over a century, The Pfister has been our city’s enduring mainstay, holding as much of Milwaukee’s history as its own,” said Brandon Drusch, managing director of The Pfister Hotel.

All guest rooms will also get updated heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems as well as new amenities including Nespresso machines, steamers and motion sensor lighting.

The guest room corridors will be decorated with new molding, custom wood features and original valets or servidores on every guest room door, and custom wallcoverings featuring views from the shoreline of Lake Michigan.

“Every step we are taking in this renovation honors the sense of refined excellence that defines this award-winning historic hotel,” said Evans.

The next phases of the renovation will update the lobby, first floor public spaces, Pfister Cafe, the Rouge Ballroom and Pfister’s iconic domed ceiling while keeping its award-winning fresco artwork. All phases of this renovation are expected to be completed by spring of 2024.

Honoring the Pfister Story

During his career at the Pfister Hotel, former Manager and President of the Pfister Hotel Ray Smith Jr. donated three scrapbooks to the Milwaukee Public Library. From these scrapbooks, the library created a digital collection featuring newspaper articles, historic photos and promotional material dating back to 1921.

According to the collection, the Pfister story begins with Guido Pfister, a leather tanner who immigrated from Germany. Guido arrived in Buffalo, NY and later settled down in Milwaukee to start his own tanning company.

Guido Pfister Tanning Co. would become one of the largest tanneries in the Midwest. His success would drive him to explore other avenues, and purchase a piece of land for the hotel of his dreams.

Unfortunately, Guido passed away in 1889 before his dream could be realized. His son Charles Pfister, along with several other local moguls, organized the Milwaukee Hotel Company on November 12th, 1889.

Many of their first investors were prominent Milwaukee figures like Thomas A. Chapman, E. H. Brodhead. Rudolph Nunnemacher, Frederick Vogel Junior and B. K. Miller.

Architects Henry C. Koch and Herman J. Esser of H. C. Koch and Company were hired to design the building in their romanesque revival style known for pronounced round arches and towers, squat columns, decorative wall carvings, and the extensive use of masonry. 

C. B. Roberts and Brothers were contracted to construct the building with “Cream City” brick, limestone from Wauwatosa and Indiana, and terra cotta for the trim. The Pfister was estimated to cost nearly $1 million to build.

While the Pfister was being built, Chapman traveled to Italy, and sent back two bronze lions to stand at the entrance of the Pfister Hotel. The bronze lions were nicknamed “Dick” and “Harry.”

The Pfister opened in 1893, and was deemed the “Grand Hotel of the West” due to its many amenities including fireproofing, hydraulic elevators, individual thermostat controls in every room and other advanced electronics designed by the Archer & Pancoast Manufacturing Company of New York.

Before his death on November 12th 1927, Charles Pfister entrusted the hotel to Ray Smith, who began as a bellhop in 1896 and was promoted to manager in 1911. 

Smith began a $75,000 renovation with one of the original architects Herman J. Esser to replace the original hydraulic elevators with electric ones and move the bronze lions into the lobby where they still stand today.

In 1944, Ray Smith entrusted the hotel to his two sons, Ray Smith Jr. and Lawrence J. Smith. Ray Smith Sr. passed away in 1954.

Ben Marcus purchased the Pfister at auction in 1962, and began another renovation. Marcus would replace the lobby ceiling with a gold one, and add the iconic 23-floor tower with a pool, banquet facilities, two restaurants, and a parking garage.

In 1988, the hotel celebrated its 100th anniversary, and replaced the gold lobby ceiling with the beautiful fresco painting still visible today. The hotel also displays the largest Victorian art collection of any other hotel in the world, originally collected by Guido and Charles Pfister. 

The Pfister has hosted seven US Presidents including William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama. Other famous guests include Elvis and the Rolling Stones.

Today, the Pfister has been recognized by AAA as a Four Diamond property for over 45 consecutive years. It has also joined two distinguished hotel organizations, Historic Hotels of America, and Preferred Hotels & Resorts.