Sheboygan's U.S. Bank Tower sold, renamed Lakeview Tower
The clock atop Sheboygan's tallest office building has been dark since 2023
SHEBOYGAN — U.S. Bank sold its Downtown Sheboygan skyscraper and its new owner isn’t answering questions about the iconic clock that’s been dark for years.
U.S. Bank sold the 89,781-square-foot stone and steel tower in October 2021 for $1,309,500 to Milwaukee-based real estate developer HKS Holdings. After three years of ownership, HKS Holdings sold the tower to Jim R. Bertram, owner of Bertram Communications, for $1,160,000. Bertram Communications plans to relocate to the Lakeview Tower from Random Lake but it is unclear when.
U.S. Bank confirmed to WKTS News on Wednesday they no longer own the building and questions about the clock atop the tower should be directed to Bertram. "We are currently a tenant and not responsible for building maintenance, which includes operation of the clock," said Caitlin Hurley, a spokesperson for U.S. Bank when asked if the bank has a naming rights agreement in place. Bertram did not respond to WKTS when asked for comment on the status of the clock. He established Bertram Communications in 2005 after recognizing the need for increased internet access in rural Sheboygan County.
Security First National Bank was founded as the German Bank in 1856, three years after Sheboygan received its charter as a city and only eight years after Wisconsin become a state. Before being acquired by U.S. Bank, the history of the bank and Sheboygan had been closely interwoven. The tower opened for business in 1923 as Security National Bank.
In 1967, black opaque glass was installed which gave its present-day windowless appearance. The tower was considered by city and state planners as the south anchor to the proposed redevelopment of Downtown Sheboygan. Two proposals, one in the 1960s and the other in 1970s, called for an enclosed shopping center. Both failed along with Plaza 8 which was later renamed Harbor Centre Downtown.
Current tenants of the Lakeview Tower include; U.S. Bank, HSA Bank, MassMutual, Bertram & Bertram Law Office and the Sheboygan Public Education Foundation. At one time, the tower had over 50 tenants in 1975 including a restaurant on the top floor and a Civic Room in the lower level. It was designed to seat 175 persons for use by church, social and community groups. It was equipped with a 10-foot by 10-foot movie screen and elevated stage along with kitchen facilities, all without charge.
A local landmark
The tower is the most iconic and recognized building in Sheboygan due to its size, soft glistening appearance and clock that sits on the roof. "It’s a landmark for sure," said a local commercial real estate advisor. The clock has not functioned since 2023 and remains dark as of today. Apparently, the issue may be the computer used to run the clock is long out of service. A person familiar with the operation of the tower says the computer is running on Windows 95 and it is believed that it will cost tens of thousands to fix as an outright replacement of the entire system would be needed.
In 1966, a new time and temperature sign was installed along with a beacon light. The revolving sign was 23 by 18 feet. Weather would damage the sign in 1973 and 1975, leading to the revolving sign being removed for good in 1977. It was replaced with a 19-foot tall sign which had 672 lightbulbs for the clock. The last time the clock was repaired was in 2008 when the lights were replaced with LEDs and the beacon was removed.
Top of the Tower
In addition to the clock that sits on the roof of the Lakeview Tower and a yellow tornado siren, the building’s seventh floor was home to restaurants and a law firm over the years. As of today, there is no public access to the Top of the Tower or the tower’s fourth floor.
In 1963, Gene Korman purchased the Sky Garden restaurant and renamed it and renamed Geno's Top of the First. In 1967, the restaurant was remodeled around the same time the tower received its current windowless look. In 1985, Bill Gottsacker and his wife opened CityStreets until the restaurant relocated to Riverfront Drive in 1990. Gottsacker teamed up with Lakeshore Technical College in 2012 to open the Culinary Institute that ended up closing in 2020.
In 1991, the law firm of Rohde, Dales, Melzer, Te Winkle & Glass moved to the top floor when the CityStreets restaurant relocated. The law office had been on the fourth floor before an extensive remodeling of the former restaurant space allowed the firm to move to the seventh floor. The law firm, now called Rohde Dales, relocated to its present location three away at 909 North 8th Street in 2018. Since then, the top floor has remained vacant.
Sheboygan’s tallest structures
In 1966, the Downtown Sheboygan tower was the city's tallest building, towering 115-feet above Downtown Sheboygan. One year later, WBAY-TV 2 of Green Bay erected a 300-foot translating tower on Weeden Creek Road near Gateway Drive, almost three times taller than the downtown building. The tower, located next to the former DMV Emissions Testing Center, was dismantled to make way for a Nemak warehouse.
In 1968, Wisconsin Power & Light completed a $46.8 million addition to the Edgewater Plant which included a 360-foot chimney. In 1975, the power company proposed a $218 million expansion that included a pair of 550-foot smokestacks that remain today on the city’s south side. Alliant Energy announced plans to close the power plant in 2022 but have since decided to transition to natural gas operations.
In 1970, the Eugene Wasserman Apartments opened at North Water Street and Center Avenue with 105 rooms. The eight-story building is owned by the Sheboygan Housing Authority and was the first project of the authority to provide low-income public housing in the area. In 1980, the Wisconsin Telephone Company began construction on a 155-foot microwave communications tower just northeast of the Security 1st National Bank tower and across the street from the John Michael Kohler Arts Center. In 2017, AT&T demolished the outdated tower. It provided long distance call service between Sheboygan and Waukesha.
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