Common Council OKs renaming MFD HQ in honor of Alonzo Robinson

The Milwaukee Common Council voted unanimously on Tuesday, February 9, 2021 to rename the Milwaukee Fire Department (MFD) Headquarters at 7th and Wells in honor of Alonzo Robinson, Wisconsin’s first African American architect.

Robinson is the designer and architect of the MFD headquarters. But he is also known for designing other buildings in downtown Milwaukee including central-city churches, the Doyne Park shelter house, and a new sixth-floor courtroom in the Milwaukee County Courthouse.

Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said the fire department headquarters is well-made, with a late 50s early 60s design — all drafted by hand. It was expected to be renamed the “Alonzo Robinson Milwaukee Fire Department Administration Building.”