As you walk north on 9th Street, the imposing building on your left if the Milwaukee County Courthouse.

The Milwaukee County Courthouse was completed in 1931 and is on on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the third county courthouse built in Milwaukee, with the previous two located in what is now Cathedral Square Park. (See our East Town Self-Guided Walking Tour for more information.)

Located on a hilltop, the courthouse is 174 feet (54m) tall with eleven floors and a commanding view of the city. The building's architect was Albert Randolph Ross of the New York firm of McKim, Mead and White, and it was designed in the Neo-Classical Revival style. Constructed using Bedford limestone,it features architectural details and sculptural decorations with a Beaux-Arts influence.


On your right you'll see a set of stairs. Take the stairs up to the park along the east side of the County Courthouse, called MacArthur Square. It was dedicated on September 17, 1945 to General Douglas MacArthur, who attended West Division High School, now Milwaukee High School of the Arts, in Milwaukee. A parking garage was built underneath the park in 1967, which cuts into the side of the hill. Unfortunately, MacArthur Square is not the most interesting public space, so there's not much reason to spend time here.


From MacArthur Square, take another set of stairs up to the courthouse. This area is called India-America Friendship Park, and it contains an 8-foot, 8-inch statue of Mahatma Gahndi, famed proponent of peace and nonviolent activism. The statue was unveiled on October 5, 2002, and the park was named India-America Friendship Park in 2003.

When done in the park areas, retrace your steps back down to 9th Street.


Continue walking north on 9th Street, through a tunnel underneath the courthouse's parking garage.