The annual holiday-themed display at BMO Bank, a tradition in Milwaukee for 50 years, has faded into history.
The tradition, which harkened back to the department store window displays of the past, included a collection of Steiff stuffed animals. It began in 1972 when the bank purchased 30 life-sized stuffed animals from FAO Schwartz in New York City. The collection grew to include more than 150 Steiff animals, which are rare collectors’ items originally made in Germany by Margarete Steiff, who hand-stitched the first tiny elephant and stuffed it with straw. The world-renowned Steiff Co. made the original teddy bear in 1903.
UPDATE: HERE’S WHERE THE BMO BANK STEIFF ANIMAL DISPLAY ENDED UP
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
“Recent changes to the lobby of BMO Tower in Milwaukee means that there is no longer space to house the holiday display,” BMO spokesman Jeff Roman said.
The bank’s treasured collection of animals had been displayed in elaborately designed vignettes. The whimsical arrangements have included pieces such as a fishing tugboat, a Victorian park, an igloo at the North Pole, a Yukon train, a snow queen palace, a candy factory, 1950s nostalgia featuring antique motorcycles, and a holiday town featuring we-known characters from various illustrated children’s books by Richard Scarry.
For years, the displays had been set up on the ground floor space in the building at 770-780 N. Water Street that served as the headquarters of Marshall & Isley Bank. Visitors were able to enter the building to view the displays.
The tradition continued after BMO Financial purchased Marshall & Isley, commonly known as M&I Bank, in a deal that closed in 2011. The deal led to the combining of M&I Bank and Harris Bank to form BMO Harris Bank. A rebranding in 2023 led to the dropping of the Harris name.
The beloved holiday display eventually expanded into the first-floor space of the 25-story BMO tower, which opened in April 2020 at 790 N. Water St. in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the display could only be viewed through the windows of the two neighboring buildings.
BMO didn’t erect the display last holiday season but made no formal announcement as to why or what the future held for the tradition.
Roman said BMO has shifted its holiday focus in Milwaukee to a “significant” five-year sponsorship, which began last year, of the Milwaukee Ballet’s holiday performance of The Nutcracker.
“As traditions evolve, our commitment to celebrating the holiday season in Milwaukee continues,” Roman said. “BMO is very proud to support the Milwaukee Ballet’s performance of The Nutcracker, which offers an opportunity to create new family traditions in Milwaukee.”
This marks the latest in the disappearance of long-standing Downtown holiday traditions. A symphony of mechanical bears that appeared at the Shops of Grand Avenue for 15 years performed for the final time in 2018 due the redevelopment of the space into offices and what would eventually become the 3rd St. Market Hall.
