Carpenter Tower vs Wisconsin Tower


Comparing the Carpenter Tower and the Wisconsin Tower is interesting because they both stand in Milwaukee, WI, and were completed in the same year, but they were designed by different architects.
This offers a unique glimpse at how rival designers approached projects in the same city during the same era.
Height & Size
The Wisconsin Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 279ft (85m) with 22 floors above ground, while the Carpenter Tower reaches 0ft (m) with 16 floors above ground.
Of course, each project may have faced different briefs or regulatory constraints, which we don't really know about and could also explain the outcome.
Architectural Style
Both the Carpenter Tower and the Wisconsin Tower were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Art Deco style.
At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So both A. Keymar & G.W. Mack and Weary & Alford Company followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.
Uses
Both the Carpenter Tower and the Wisconsin Tower are primarily residential towers, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.
However, both of them have shifted purpose since their completion. The Carpenter Tower evolved from commercial to residential, while the Wisconsin Tower moved from office to residential.
The Wisconsin Tower offers 74 residential units.
Structure & Facade
Both the Carpenter Tower and the Wisconsin Tower rely on a Frame structural system.
A frame structure uses a grid of columns and beams to carry the building's loads. This frees the walls from structural duties, allowing for flexible floor plans and larger windows.
They also employ the same type of facade, a Masonry facade.
A masonry facade gives the building a heavier, more traditional appearance. It often conceals a frame structure behind it, creating the look of solid walls without carrying the main loads.
Carpenter Tower | Wisconsin Tower | |
---|---|---|
A. Keymar & G.W. Mack | Architect | Weary & Alford Company |
1930 | Year Completed | 1930 |
Art Deco | Architectural Style | Art Deco |
Commercial | Original Use | Office |
Residential | Current Use | Residential |
16 | Floors Above Ground | 22 |
Frame | Structure Type | Frame |
Steel | Vertical Structure Material | Steel |
Concrete | Horizontal Structure Material | Concrete |
No | Facade Structural? | No |
WI | State | WI |
Milwaukee | City | Milwaukee |
1040 W Wisconsin Avenue | Address | 606 West Wisconsin Ave |