Ladybugs returning to downtown Milwaukee building with some TLC

MILWAUKEE - You may have noticed three iconic sculptures missing from the downtown Milwaukee skyline.

The ladybugs – that are normally latched to the side of a Water Street high rise – were taken down last month, and for good reason.

For the last six weeks, artist Paula Hare has spent most of her days giving three of Milwaukee's most famous critters a needed makeover.

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"They were all done freehand," Hare said. "So, they’re a little bit irregular."

The ladybugs are normally latched to the side of the 622 Water Street building. They were put up 25 years ago by the Burke family, who owns the property.

"They were kind of this pinky, salmony color because they had been up since 1999," Hare said.

Via Paula Hare

Kendall Polster, a friend of the family, helped take them down in early May. The welder has been working alongside Hare on the project.

"They liked something whimsical, whether it was art or decoration. It was kind of a thought when they put them up," Polster said. "We stripped them down to the bare fiberglass and then new paint thin enough that it’s still translucent."

It’s a process that has taken time and skill.

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"Three of them at once was an interesting challenge, but very, very fun," Hare said.

The ladybugs measure about 6.5 feet in diameter and 3 feet in depth.

"We wanted to make sure they had an artist’s touch to them," Hare said. "We really took them back to really close to their original condition and we’re excited about that."

They will be going back up soon, ahead of Milwaukee’s big summer in the spotlight. The three iconic ladybugs will return to the building by next week.

They will also have some new lighting within them, so they will glow again.