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A new focal point
Miron builds Wausau’s first skyscraper
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Wausau got its first skyscraper in 2007.
Miron Construction Co., Neenah, built the 10-story Dudley Tower in the city’s downtown for $22.5 million. The striking office building, with blue-tinted windows and a pyramid roof, encompasses 165,000 square feet with room for about 500 employees.
The 241-foot tower is billed as the tallest building in Wisconsin north of Madison or Milwaukee.
But the structure is more than just a tall building to the people at Miron: it’s also home.
The company moved its Wausau offices to the third and fourth floors of the tower.
“There’s a pride and joy when you’re building the building you’re going to live in,” said Guy Kiser, Miron’s project manager for the Dudley Tower. “You’re going to be seeing your work every day of the year.”
Now that he sees the tower every day, Kiser said there isn’t much he would change. A few noises in the building had to be quieted, and he said he’d choose some different colors in areas. But other than that, he said he is happy with the building.
“For the city of Wausau, it’s a good project,” Kiser said. “It’s definitely the focal point downtown. I think the city as a whole was due for a nice office building.”
Dick Dudley, a Wausau entrepreneur and philanthropist, owns Dudley Tower. Dudley dedicated the building to his four brothers: Jefferson James, Lauren Charles, Robert Lee and Richard Davis, who were U.S. Naval pilots. The brothers were once celebrated in the Chicago media during World War II as the “Flying Dudleys.”
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Project Essentials Project
name: Dudley Tower
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The lobby of the building featuresa 16-point Navy aviator compassused by pilots during the war. Ahall in the building also featuresbronze plaques commemoratingeach brother.
Construction on the tower took two years.
Kiser said one challenge of the project was working in Wausau’s downtown, which has limited space. Builders had to coordinate deliveries and use a tower crane that fit into tight spaces. The builders also had to keep as many city streets open as possible.
“The city of Wausau is really getting downtown cleaned up with some newer structures,” Kiser said. “With the new parking ramp, Riverside Center and Dudley Tower, there’s been a big change in the last four to five years.”
— Dustin Block