Every Building Tells a Story

Every Building Tells a Story. . , The adjacent Mitchell and Mackie Buildings were commissioned by local tycoon, Alexander Mitchell. The Mitchell Building (16 above), one of America's finest examples of French Second Empire architecture, was built in 1876 on the site of pioneer Solomon Juneau's second house. The Italian Renaissance Mackie Building (15 above), completed in 1879, once housed the world's largest grain exchange., The First National Bank Building at 735 N. Water St. (12 above) was designed by renowned architect Daniel Burnham. Built in 1914, the building's urns, pilasters, copper details and cornice give its top and bottom floors a classical appearance. The Iron Block Building (13 above) is the state's last building with a cast iron exterior. Built in 1861 in Venetian Renaissance style, it contains Milwaukee's oldest working elevator., The Chase Tower (14 above) was Milwaukee's first major glass-curtain-wall skyscraper. Built in 1961, the International Style structure resembles the United Nations Building in New York City, perhaps because both were designed by architects Harrison and Abramovitz., The ASQ Center (17 above) is a series of five buildings built for Gimbel's Department Store between 1902 and 1925. All four elevations exhibit a neoclassical style.