Allen-Bradley Clock Tower Is The Largest Clock Tower In The U.S. And You Can Find It Right Here In Milwaukee
The Allen-Bradley Clock Tower in Milwaukee is the largest four-faced clock tower in the United States with a rich history and cultural significance.
If you've been on the south side of Milwaukee, you've seen the clock that towers over the city, letting us know the time and temperature. This clock tower is not only the largest in the states, it has some pretty interesting history. Sit back and follow along as we learn about the Allen-Bradley Clock Tower!
The Allen-Bradley Clock Tower has stood tall above Milwaukee since 1962.
This lighted clock stands 280 feet above our city streets, and it's 40-feet diameter faces are impossible to miss. At the time of its completion, it was the largest four-faced clock in the world.
In the early 2000s, our title of "largest clock tower in the world" was taken.
Saudi Arabia's Great Mosque of Mecca has a clock tower that is more than three times bigger than ours. Alas, we're still the largest clock tower in the states.
The clock tower is beautiful, but it's also important to the growth of jobs in Milwaukee.
When Rockwell bought Allen-Bradley in 1985 for more than 1.6 billion dollars, it was the largest acquisition in the history of our state.
Allen-Bradley has quite the history with Milwaukee.
Allen-Bradley is a brand name of the company Rockwell Automation, who owns the building. Rockwell moved their headquarters to Milwaukee in 2002, which brought many Milwaukeeans new opportunities and jobs.
This led to exponential job growth, and made the south side an industrial park that has continued growing.
Its location has a lot of cultural history, too. In the past, the clock tower was called "The Polish Moon" due to being in a neighborhood with many Polish immigrants. Today, it's more likely to be referred to as "The Mexican Moon" since the south side is inhabited by a larger Hispanic population, although both ethnicities are still present.
No matter what, it will always lead you home.
It's said that mariners on Lake Michigan use it to navigate direction, and we, too, can look to it to find our way.
There you have it... the history of the largest clock tower in the United States! If you're a Milwaukeean, what's your Allen-Bradley story? Did your grandparents work there? Share your story with us in the comments below!
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