This is the best preserved German-American theater in the United States, and is one of the most tangible reminders of the cultural role of Milwaukee, the "Deutsch Athen" (German Athens), as it was known to generations of German-Americans. Constructed in 1895, Pabst Theater has a conservative design, with strong Baroque or Italian Renaissance overtones, that is not emphatically German, but its exterior belies the fact that its technical aspects, such as acoustics, stage facilities, and fireproof construction, were advanced for its time.

Information provided by the National Register of Historic Places, a program of the National Park Service.