US Bank building, Milwaukee, 601 feet tall

http://www.december.com/places/mke/images/usbank.jpg

http://www.december.com/places/mke/images/fscs.jpg
http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/mke/1973a1.jpg

I like it. If you don't want it, I'll take it.

I like it. If you don't want it, I'll take it.

It's not the building itself we're debating, it's the setting.

the only negative i can say about that building is that damn ugly-ass logo on the top, otherwise it's a very handsome tower and it looks good in milwaukee's skyline. i am having a hard time seeing how it would be "out of place".

^ Agreed.

It probably would look better if it were built more centralized, but that's not a bad spot for it. Hey! At least you're getting them!

Agreed. Love the building but could do without the logo. However, it's (the logo) is better than the old green Firstar logo that was on it! I think that once the Kilbourn Tower and University Towers are completed, it will help fill in the skyline from the lakeside view.

It's a very nice tower, but it's location, and the rest of the buildings in the skyline do make it look a bit out of place. And having a box as a tallest isn't always the most flattering effect for a skyline.

I love the building

I think it's great Milwaukee has talls like this. I hope the city grows to become the fourth city of the Midwest.

whats 1st second and third?

Chicago
Detroit
St. Louis/Minneapolis?

1 Omaha 2 Des Moines 3 Helena?

I think your list makes sense....

1 Omaha 2 Des Moines 3 Helena?

I think your list makes sense....
Helena Montana is as midwestern as Milwaukee is southern. :)

Maybe just a little out of place, but it looks better in the sense that it gets the spotlight.

Helena Montana is as midwestern as Milwaukee is southern. :)

Haha I was just messin around....I guess its more....uhh...rocky?

It's not out of place. It's exactly where it is.

I think it looks fine.

its by itself it looks lonely :(

Anyone familiar with the Milwaukee skyline I'm sure will agree:

The building both anchors the skyline on the East, and its shape and facade provide a perfect complement to the city's buildings

http://www.math.wustl.edu/~brody/milwaukee/milwaukee.jpg

http://www.hoofers.org/scuba/Gallery/Milwaukee_9-02/images/006_Milwaukee%20Skyline.jpg

http://img69.exs.cx/img69/1273/carside10.jpg

Geez, US Bank has it's name on this building too? I knew they put their name on the library tower in Los Angeles, but I didn't know about this one.

It's kind of funny because US Bank is headquartered in Minneapolis and they never put their name on the US Bank tower here (now 225 S. 6th).

I think this tower is one of my favorite "boxes" from the 1950's-70's. And yeah, it does look a bit out of place in the Milwaukee skyline, but you can't expect every city to have a pyramid or dome shaped skyline.

It is a nice building. I agree ,it could do without the logo on top!!!!!

Geez, US Bank has it's name on this building too? I knew they put their name on the library tower in Los Angeles, but I didn't know about this one.

It's kind of funny because US Bank is headquartered in Minneapolis and they never put their name on the US Bank tower here (now 225 S. 6th).
they didn't put their name on their new tower either...

the white one

http://www.lileks.com/mpls/usbancor/fromlor.jpg

I think there may be a rule regarding signs on buildings of a certain height in Minneapolis as none of our tall buildings have signs (except Foshay but it would be protected because of it's historical status)

Minneapolis does have a rule against signage on a building over a certain height. I think it is 300 feet. Anything over 300 feet is prohibited from having a sign on top.
As for Milwaukee. I like the building. I just think it is in the wrong location. I think it might look better being more centraly located in dt. But because of the cities layout being next to Lake Michigan. It also can seem like it is properly placed too. It looks great from the lakefront.

I think Milwaukee now has laws against sinage on buildings over a certain height...but Firstar/USBank's sign was grandfathered in because it went up before the laws were put in place. Perhaps someone can clarify?

As for my feelings on the building, I believe Mystad put it best. And btw, I just wanna say that this is my new favorite thread...I've never seen so much USBank love before! I've liked this building for a long time, but most of the people I know HATE this tower.

And, for shits and giggles, a few more skyline shots from different angles than ones we have seen:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v132/suburbanmonkey50/Milwaukee/tn_P9110019cropped.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v132/suburbanmonkey50/pano.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v132/suburbanmonkey50/Milwaukee/tn_P9110070.jpg

I think Milwaukee now has laws against sinage on buildings over a certain height...but Firstar/USBank's sign was grandfathered in because it went up before the laws were put in place. Perhaps someone can clarify?


Milwaukee revised its sign ordinance a few years ago after some companies began installing such huge, back-lit billboard-like monstrosities onto various buildings Downtown (most notable are the Firstsar/US Bank and Wells Fargo) to prevent such things from happening again. I think the revised laws regulate the sign form (one-piece back-lit panel vs. individual letter assemblies, etc.) and the size of signs on tall buildings; but they may not necessarily prohibit signage on buildings of a certain height.

I like it alot and it seems to fit in fine to me. I would say its the city's signature tower.

I love this building. It's nice and clean and the facade is cool. I like the row of X-bracing or whatever it is.

I used to work in that building. Nice food court.

It`s in the right place, just the rest of downtown is out of place because they`re all away from this building and each other. Way too spread out are the downtown buildings.

This building is more suited for Chicago, Houston or Tulsa. Get a U-Haul and start movin' it.

:speech:

The city would be hard to reconize with out it.

No.

http://wilthe3rd.smugmug.com/photos/5930499-M.jpg

http://wilthe3rd.smugmug.com/photos/5930502-M.jpg

http://wilthe3rd.smugmug.com/photos/5930504-M.jpg

Can someone post a picture of the skyline with Kilbourn tower completed? I think it really shows a new balance to the skyline that makes the USBank's location perfect.

Taken by EastSider

http://img100.echo.cx/img100/3648/newsize7kt.jpg

When I made this thread several months ago, Kilbourn Tower was just beginning to rise. Now that it has topped out and the UTC tower is going up right next door, I have to admit it looks much better now that some towers that are relatively similar in height are adjacent to it. I still think it looks a little awkward, especially from the south, where it stands out like asore thumb, or at street level, where the buildings surrounding it are 10 stories or less.

Personally, I think the tower could have made the Milwaukee skyline great had it been more centrally located, somewhere along the river. I still can't shake the feeling I get whenever I look at it that it just looks a little bit lonely.

Way too spread out are the downtown buildings.

thank you, yoda :) :lol: :lol:

thank you, yoda :) :lol: :lol:

It is with you, the force is.

Taken by EastSider

http://img100.echo.cx/img100/3648/newsize7kt.jpg


wow. Excellent photo ES. Did I miss this in the Urban Photo Contest?

it could be worse and have the faison bldg your tallest

I work across the street from the US Bank Bldg and everyday I say to myself this building would look so much better if it were black like the rest of Fazlur Khan's buildings...John Hancock Center and Sears Tower. With that said; however, I wouldn't trade it. Milwaukee just needs more skyscapers to balance out its skyline.

I think the building in the future will do a good job of stretching the skyline. If it were built more centrally, then in the future we might have the same centralized skyline instead of a more stretched out skyline.

This building (originally the First Wisconsin, then Firstar) has stood the test of time for over 30 years. It is a handsome building - if you can ignore the US Bank logo at the top - and really identifies Milwaukee. Yes, it looks lonely, but the surrounding area is starting to improve. The view from the lake is pretty darn sweet now with the addition of Kilbourne Tower and the University Club Tower condos. Get that Lake Pointe Tower built at 550 feet or better, and the US Bank building won't look so "naked" anymore. But, as far as a building goes, it is a winner.

I love this tower and don't think it's out of place at all.
For years this was the only real tower in the skyline.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v132/suburbanmonkey50/pano.jpg

Holy crap this is an old thread...

I think times have changed and now that we've got a couple new skyscrapers built and another proposed just to the south of US Bank, the tower is hardly out of place. Here are a few more recent pictures:

http://static.flickr.com/115/262336015_6f3f816c86_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/89/261507720_65c317674d_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/114/260063905_ce60ce32b5_o.jpg

That building fits so perfectly now and before the new towers went up. I can't wait to see Milwaukee's lakefront in 5 more years. Hoping for a couple more highrises like UT and Kilbourne. If Lake Pointe was made that would be something!

That building fits so perfectly now and before the new towers went up. I can't wait to see Milwaukee's lakefront in 5 more years. Hoping for a couple more highrises like UT and Kilbourne. If Lake Pointe was made that would be something!

This is an old thread. It was made from an old discussion about how the "that building" looked out of place when it was first built and before all the new development.

I stated it looked out of place. The key word is "looked", that's past tense. I no longer consider the building being or looking out of place.

Oh and Mark, Damm fine photos! As always....

This building (originally the First Wisconsin, then Firstar) has stood the test of time for over 30 years. It is a handsome building - if you can ignore the US Bank logo at the top - and really identifies Milwaukee. Yes, it looks lonely, but the surrounding area is starting to improve. The view from the lake is pretty darn sweet now with the addition of Kilbourne Tower and the University Club Tower condos. Get that Lake Pointe Tower built at 550 feet or better, and the US Bank building won't look so "naked" anymore. But, as far as a building goes, it is a winner.

I agree 100%!!!

^ I also agree.

This is an old thread. It was made from an old discussion about how the "that building" looked out of place when it was first built and before all the new development.

I stated it looked out of place. The key word is "looked", that's past tense. I no longer consider the building being or looking out of place.

Oh and Mark, Damm fine photos! As always....

Yeah i understand past tence and that this is an old thread my thoughts were that a downtown may have a stand out building. Never looked out of place to me. Bro.:banana:

It looks like its leaning, is that a good thing? =(

It looks like its leaning, is that a good thing? =(

Haha, that's just a lens effect.

Oh okay, for a second I was a little freaked out, XP.

I have seen worse. Look at the Williams Tower in Houston. You want to talk out of place, this is one of the taller buildings in the US and it is not even in a downtown.

http://www.hickox.us/news.s2.jpg


http://www.texasexplorer.net/williamstower2.jpg

^^ wow.

I've always loved that building. It has this beautiful transparent presence similar to The Center in Hong Kong, looking almost as if it were carved right out of the sky in bas-relief.

that's extremely odd, beautiful building though