Milwaukee City Wire

Wisconsin’s first registered black architect Alonzo Robinson was a trailblazer in the industry, and on Nov. 30 the Milwaukee Fire Department announced that its building, which was designed by Robinson, will be officially named after him.

According to Fox 6 Now, Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said that Robinson was intentionally not given the recognition he deserved during his lifetime because of the color of his skin. Robinson’s children were present at the ceremony to receive the document officially stating that the building was renamed.

“So Mrs. Robinson, Jean, Wayne, Kim and the rest of the Robinson family, please accept on behalf of the Milwaukee Fire Department our deepest apologizes for what was likely not a simple clerical oversight, but rather a visible and painful slight based not on Alonzo Robinson’s talent or expertise, but on the color of his skin," Lipski said.

According to docomomo-us.org, Robinson was born in North Carolina in 1923 and grew up in Delaware. He was drafted to serve in World War II and was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. When he returned from the war, he attended Howard University and earned his degree in 1951. In 1954 he moved to Milwaukee and began working as an architectural designer for the City Bureau of Bridges and Buildings. He became Wisconsin’s first black registered architect in 1956. 

He worked there for more than 10 years before switching to work in the private sector. Eventually he founded the first black-owned architecture firm in Wisconsin before returning to public service. From 1975 until his retirement in 1998 he worked for Milwaukee County.

Robinson designed a wide range of buildings, from churches to commercial complexes to private homes, but the majority of his work was for Milwaukee’s civic buildings. Robinson was the “designer in charge” of the Milwaukee Fire Department Administration Building, which was constructed between 1959 and 1961.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett tweeted his appreciation for Robinson’s work.

“Today we honor Alonzo Robinson, the first African American architect licensed by the State of Wisconsin and the City’s first Black registered municipal architect, by renaming the @MilFireDept’s Headquarters the Alonzo Robinson Milwaukee Fire Department Administration Building. Alongside the Robinson family, we recognize a pioneer who left a lasting mark on Milwaukee with this building and other public and private structures. Alonzo overcame barriers and achieved a professional standing that reflected his dedication and hard work in our community,” Barrett tweeted.