21 Jan survivor: one of milwaukee’s finest art deco style terra cotta storefronts hanging on

for almost three decades, i’ve driven past this small polychromatic art deco terra cotta storefront, always expecting it to disappear before my next visit. thankfully, it still stands and remains largely intact.

the two-story hugo miller-designed wile building (1923, rebuilt 1928) is located at 1211-13 west vliet street, milwaukee, wisc.

the glazed polychromed terra cotta was fabricated by the northwestern terra cotta company, chicago, il.

images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bld. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2026.