Wisconsin Gas Light Building vs Carpenter Tower

Wisconsin Gas Light Building
Carpenter Tower

Comparing the Wisconsin Gas Light Building and the Carpenter 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
76.2m
Floors
20

Height & Size

Height
m
Floors
16

The Wisconsin Gas Light Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 250ft (76.2m) with 20 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 Wisconsin Gas Light Building and the Carpenter 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 Eschweiler & Eschweiler and A. Keymar & G.W. Mack 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
Commercial

Uses

Main use
Residential

The Wisconsin Gas Light Building is primarily commercial, while the Carpenter Tower is primarily residential.

Originally, the Carpenter Tower was designed for commercial, but over time it was converted to residential. The Wisconsin Gas Light Building by contrast has maintained its original role.

The Wisconsin Gas Light Building also provides 213 parking spaces.

Structure
Frame
Facade
Masonry

Structure & Facade

Structure
Frame
Facade
Masonry

Both the Wisconsin Gas Light Building and the Carpenter 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.

Wisconsin Gas Light Building Carpenter Tower
Eschweiler & Eschweiler Architect A. Keymar & G.W. Mack
1930 Year Completed 1930
Art Deco Architectural Style Art Deco
Commercial Current Use Residential
20 Floors Above Ground 16
Frame Structure Type Frame
Steel Vertical Structure Material Steel
Concrete Horizontal Structure Material Concrete
No Facade Structural? No
WI State WI
Milwaukee City Milwaukee
626 East Wisconsin Avenue Address 1040 W Wisconsin Avenue