Ambassador Hotel

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When the stylish Art Deco Ambassador Hotel opened in 1928, the area at 23rd Street and Wisconsin Avenue was a prestigious neighborhood that housed many of Milwaukee’s wealthiest families. The land on which the hotel was built was the site of a mansion owned by Amos Appleton Smith, attorney for Captain Frederick Pabst. Now, giddy, cash-rich Americans were living it up in the Jazz Age, where bathtub gin, the Charleston, and talking pictures were all the rage. The Ambassador’s guests walked on marble floors alongside ornate nickel sconces and decorative plasterwork on the way to their rooms. But a year into the Ambassador’s tenure, Wall Street’s historic stock market crash and the subsequent Great Depression changed lifestyles while taking a significant bite out of the hotel ledger’s profit column. 

Following World War II, the Ambassador prevailed, and several world-famous personalities visited the hotel over the years. The flamboyant pianist Liberace moonlighted in the lounge, playing under the alias Walter Busterkeys so as not to jeopardize his engagement at the Plankinton Hotel’s Red Room. Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy delivered a rousing campaign speech at the United Chemical Workers convention in October 1960. And the Beatles came to the hotel after their 1964 show at the Arena, presumably for dinner. But in the 1980s, prostitution and sales of illegal substances contributed to the neighborhood’s decline. The closings of the nearby Tower and State movie theaters encouraged retailers to relocate their businesses elsewhere. Within the hotel, utilitarian carpeting, a drop-ceiling in the lobby and other changes eventually concealed much of the Ambassador’s former beauty. In 1987, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer murdered his first victim in one of the rooms and spirited the body from the premises in a suitcase.

The Ambassador’s downward spiral was halted in 1995 when Marquette alumnus Richard Wiegand purchased the hotel and began to renovate the property. Wiegand’s investment swelled to $15 million dollars as the Art Deco treasures from the Twenties began to reappear. Professional wrestler Chris Curtis lived at the hotel for several years during the restoration. “My rent was $800 a month at that point,” Curtis said. “Some of my neighbors were Marquette students and young professional people.”

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Art Deco, Modern Convenience

Assistant General Manager Amy Schneider has been at the Ambassador for nearly 20 years, having joined the staff during the renovations. She’s also the hotel’s unofficial historian. “This is our 95th anniversary,” she said. “We’ve accomplished so much in terms of bringing back the original Art Deco stylings that made the hotel so special when it opened.” Schneider said the ongoing renovation of rooms and whirlpool suites extends to draperies, carpeting, décor, furnishings, and in-room TV screens with AppleTV. “Guests can also enjoy the lounge, a coffee shop, and fine dining,” she said. Currently the hotel serves a wide variety of travelers that include Marquette University visitors, patrons of the Rave nightclub, the Eagles Ballroom, the Pabst Mansion, and other area attractions such as American Family Field and the Potawatomi Casino. Recently the Ambassador announced an affiliation with the Trademark Collection by Wyndham. “The partnership allows millions of guests who follow Wyndham exposure to our hotel,” she said. “We’re now marketing to the world.”

Schneider also said that owner Wiegand is working in conjunction with Near West Side Partners and other groups to improve nearby buildings and apartments. “There’s definitely a vision for the neighborhood,” she said. It’s not just about the hotel anymore. It’s about all of us, the restaurants, businesses, and residents working together to achieve that vision.” 

One thing is for certain. The landmark orange neon sign atop the eight-story building will remain a beacon in the night, welcoming myriad world travelers to register at the Ambassador Hotel.