The Wisconsin Gas Light Building with the Flame on Top
When the flame is red, it’s warm weather ahead!
When the flame is gold, watch out for cold!
When the flame is blue, there’s no change in view!
When there’s a flickering flame, expect snow or rain!
The Wisconsin Gas building was constructed in 1930 as the headquarters of the Milwaukee Gas Light Company. The utility converted coal into natural gas, and sold it across the city for lighting, cooking and heat.
Everything about the 20-story Art Deco tower was designed with intention – even its shape. It goes from wider at the bottom to narrower at the top – reflecting the shape of a gas flame. A pamphlet on the building points out that the architects, Eschweiler and Eschweiler, placed granite bricks at the base of the structure that progressively lightened to cream-colored bricks at the top to “convey a sense of height and majesty.” The design also casts dramatic shadows on the building – when there is sun during the day and lighting at night.
Through the years the light has been updated. The original was an actual gas flame. In 1956 it was updated to neon and today shines with LED lights. Besides predicting the weather, with the update of the light, it can now reflect such things as a Milwaukee Bucks win or the American Flag.
The flame, shaped as a natural gas flame, is 21 feet tall, weighs four tons and serves as a weather beacon. It also works as a navigation point for Lake Michigan water vessels.
Every evening between 5 and 7:30 PM, depending on the season and how early it gets dark, a building engineer turns on the flame. But first, he checks the weather to determine what color the flame should be: red, blue, gold or flickering. It is a unique design and the flame is the only one of its kind in the country.
