Carpenter Tower vs Wisconsin Tower

Carpenter Tower
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
m
Floors
16

Height & Size

Height
85m
Floors
22

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.

Style
Art Deco

Architectural Style

Style
Art Deco

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.

Main use
Residential

Uses

Main use
Residential

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
Frame
Facade
Masonry

Structure & Facade

Structure
Frame
Facade
Masonry

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