More than 50 Waukesha businesses, factories and historic buildings will throw open their doors to the public on October 10 and 11, giving visitors a rare look at everything from power transformer production lines to a century-old building that once churned out Jiffy-Jell. The free, citywide open house is called Waukesha Unlocked, and it doubles as a centerpiece of the city's 130th anniversary celebrations this year.
According to the City of Waukesha, the 2026 event offers behind-the-scenes access to more than 80 special experiences spread across the more than 50 host locations. Waukesha was officially incorporated as a city in February 1896, making this year's milestone the occasion the event is built around. General admission to most sites is free, though pre-registration is required for a handful of specialty tours with limited capacity or security restrictions, including the Clean Water Plant, the Water Booster Pumping Station, the Les Paul Bus Tour and the Springs Historic Bus Tour.
Heavy Industry Opens Its Doors
The manufacturing lineup reads like a who's-who of Waukesha's industrial base. Prolec GE Waukesha, which produces large power transformers capable of generating enough electricity to power roughly 12.6 million homes nationwide — five times the total number of households in Wisconsin — is among the participating sites. Husco International, a hydraulics manufacturer that employs approximately 450 people at its Waukesha facility making custom components for vehicles built by General Motors, Subaru and Volkswagen, will also host visitors, per the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. Husco traces its own roots in the city back to 1946, when it was founded as Hydraulic Unit Specialties Company.
Employee-owned manufacturer Wildeck, Inc., headquartered on East North Street, produces structural steel mezzanines, vertical material lifts and safety guarding products used in logistics and distribution centers nationwide. The company operates an automated six-axis robotic welding line and a powder-coat paint facility at its Waukesha plant, according to Wildeck. INNIO Waukesha Gas Engines rounds out the heavy-industry roster with roots in the city dating to 1906, having produced more than 31,000 stationary natural gas engines used in global power generation and oil-and-gas compression, per INNIO Group.
A Building With Its Own History
One of the more unusual stops is Aries Industries, a specialist in underground pipeline inspection and rehabilitation equipment that operates out of a Spanish Colonial-style building constructed in 1913 at 550 Elizabeth Street. That structure originally housed the Waukesha Pure Food Company, the original manufacturer of Jiffy-Jell, according to Aries Industries. Hoodline previously reported on industrial investment moves at both expansion wave hitting the county, which named Aries and INNIO among the companies growing their local footprints.
Not every host site is a factory floor. Sky High Marketing opened a new 50,000-square-foot corporate headquarters and production campus on a 12-acre parcel in the Waukesha Corporate Center in August 2024, expanding its in-house digital printing and embroidery capabilities, per ASI. The company's expansion reflects a broader pattern of commercial investment flowing into the city's corporate centers even as its legacy manufacturers continue operating.
An Industrial Identity Still Evolving
The event highlights a tension in how Waukesha's industrial story is unfolding. Legacy brands like INNIO Waukesha Engine maintain engineering operations locally even as physical assembly of certain product lines has shifted elsewhere in recent years, an evolution documented in company materials. That shift sits alongside continued local investment from companies like Wildeck, Husco and Sky High Marketing, underscoring that Waukesha's manufacturing identity is changing shape rather than disappearing.
Manufacturing remains Wisconsin's largest economic sector, generating $73.7 billion for the state economy, accounting for nearly 20% of the state's GDP, and employing roughly one in six workers statewide in 2026, Hoodline previously reported. Waukesha Unlocked's timing in October lines up with National Manufacturing Month, giving the open house added resonance beyond the city limits.
Beyond the Factory Floor
The 2026 event also brings back the Unlocking Waukesha's Sacred Spaces track, letting attendees complete self-guided tours of historic local churches using designated maps and brochures, according to the City of Waukesha. It's a recurring feature of the weekend that broadens the event's scope beyond industry into architecture and community history. Full dates, times and participating-site information are available online through the city.
Waukesha Unlocked joins a busy fall calendar for the city, which is also marking its 130th anniversary with events like the celebration Hoodline covered at the county museum, alongside other 2026 milestones such as the opening of a new manufacturing plant by KDV Label and the return of Waukesha's Oktoberfest at Frame Park. Together, the events paint a picture of a city leaning into both its industrial roots and its community traditions during its anniversary year.
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