Local photographer highlights the history of Milwaukee buildings people 'love to hate' in new series (2025)

A Milwaukee-area photographer has stirred up good-hearted debate in social media comment sections with his new series of drone images.

Aaron Johnson, an art director, animator and photographer from Oak Creek, is the man behind a recently posted series of photos highlighting Milwaukee's "most commonly criticized landmarks" ― buildings in the city that people "love to hate."

Johnson's work can be found in the "Wisconsin in Pictures" Facebook group, in the r/milwaukee subreddit and on his LinkedIn page. So far, the series, which began in late March, has highlighted four buildings: 411 East Wisconsin Center, Reuss Federal Plaza, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Sandburg Residence Halls and the Pfister Hotel tower addition.

"I've always thought it's fascinating that people ― probably in every city but especially in Milwaukee ― have really strong opinions on architecture and buildings, even though most of us aren't architects and most of us will never have the means to build or design a giant building," Johnson said.

In recent years, Johnson became interested in drone photography both professionally and for fun. He said he tries to practice as much as possible by documenting landmarks and events in the Milwaukee area.

"Sometimes, I would receive the criticism that I'm always taking 'beauty shots' of Milwaukee ...," he said. "So, I thought, 'Here's a challenge, I'll go find these buildings that people find controversial, whether they think they're ugly or they love it or hate it."

People's strong opinions are on full display in Johnson's comment sections in the "Wisconsin in Pictures" group.

While some see the bright blue Reuss Federal Plaza at 310 W. Wisconsin Ave. as a "Blue Monstrosity" or the "Cookie Monster building," others say it's a welcome and colorful beacon in a sea of neutral-colored neighbors.

While Johnson says some argue that the UWM towers look out of place in the east-side neighborhood, commenters recounted good memories made in the dorms and said the buildings provide functional spaces for students.

"What's been really fascinating for me is hearing people's personal perspectives," Johnson said. "People commenting like 'Hey, my dad worked on that building,' or 'I know the person who did the plumbing in that building,' or 'I worked in that building for 20 years.'"

In his research, Johnson said he seeks to provide an unbiased history of each building and the potential reasons it was constructed as it was. He said he wants to point out "the positives and the negatives" by taking into account the opinions of social media users and his own friends and comment sections.

Which buildings does Johnson plan to photograph next?

Johnson said his photography schedule depends on the weather and what kind of free time he has to capture his subjects in the desired lighting. He's compiled a list of buildings he hopes to feature next, based on his research and commenter suggestions.

On Monday, he told the Journal Sentinel he planned to post about the Pfister Hotel's 1962 tower addition, which he'd already photographed. Johnson noted the juxtaposition between the "very mid-century, silo-looking" structure and the "distinct, 1800s architecture" style of the original hotel. He posted about the 13-story tower addition Wednesday morning.

Johnson said he does most of his research before going out to shoot so he can properly highlight what makes each building controversial. For example, the angle he uses in his photo of the UWM residence halls is meant to show how the dorms tower high above the surrounding residential area, creating a "stark contrast."

Soon, Johnson also plans to photograph the downtown Milwaukee Police Station.

"It's a very brutalistic building, but it's a perfect one, because a lot of people hate it, but I actually think that one's kind of cool because it's so stylized."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Photographer highlights Milwaukee's most controversial buildings