Friday Photos
An 18th Century Building Made of Steel
Hammes' new downtown HQ is Jeffersonian-throwback with modern materials.
Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban Milwaukee
Hammes' new downtown HQ is Jeffersonian-throwback with modern materials. Back to the full article.
Photos - Page 2
I can understand why Mayor Barrett is keen on this building–jobs, increased property tax revenue (there’s no TIF, so that all tax moneys go directly to City coffers), and fill-in for empty Park East land, all of these being good things. That being said, I have to agree with Whitney Gould and Tom Bamberger: It’s a particularly ugly piece of kitsch, besmirched with the worst excesses of the fortunately out-of-fashion Post Modernist craze and the sleaziest facade features of suburban speculative commercial development–cf. Bayshore Town Center. It is an affront to the memory of Thomas Jefferson and lacks all the virtues of true classical architecture–dignified proportions, a standardized and restrained vocabulary of ornamentation, and appropriate materials. The steel frame is the best thing about the design. I realize that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but for me, it is an eyesore, at least as portrayed in the architect’s renderings.
Why is it weird to use steel? Sure wasn’t weird when they put up the Pabst Building in the 19th century.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pabst_Building
I guess you also take issue with the indoor toilets and electrical?
🤢
Well, looking at the photos, I’d say it’s a refreshing & beautiful looking building combining class & warmth!