Documented artwork / rooftop water-tower sculpture
The Coakley Brothers Watertower
Credit as documented: Tom Fruin
Tom Fruin’s Coakley Brothers Watertower places a multicolored water-tower form above the company’s headquarters at 400 South 5th Street in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood. Coakley commissioned the work during its building renovation, planning to reuse an existing rooftop tower base. Peggy Coakley had encountered a related Fruin sculpture in Brooklyn and sought a version for Milwaukee. The artist lists the resulting installation in September 2017; the company’s later account confirms it was raised that fall. Its elevated position turns a formerly industrial rooftop feature into a neighborhood landmark. This is the Milwaukee commission, distinct from Fruin’s 2012 Watertower in Brooklyn.
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At a glance
- Year / version
- 2017
- Materials
- steel
- Documented setting
- outdoor
- Dimensions
- Not documented
- Dimensions apply to
- Not documented
- Availability
- Unconfirmed
Places & versions
Installation history
Historical presentations. A past installation does not establish the current location or suitability for a new site.
Fall 2017 per owner; September 2017 per artist
Coakley Brothers headquarters, 400 South 5th Street, Walker’s Point, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Materials and construction
The 2017 commissioner-authored release proposed salvaged plexiglass, plastic and steel, with sunlight illuminating its panels by day and electric lighting at night. The current owner’s visit page instead calls it steel and stained glass. Steel is retained as supported material; the conflicting glazing descriptions remain unresolved rather than combined into an as-built specification.
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Sources
- coakleybrothers.com ↗ · Checked 2026-10-17
- coakleybrothers.com ↗ · Checked 2026-10-17
- urbanmilwaukee.com ↗ · Checked 2026-10-17
- www.tomfruin.com ↗ · Checked 2026-10-17