A "Milwaukee in Stone and Clay" Companion, Part 5: Plain and Fancy | Iron Block (1861)
This series complements my guidebook, Milwaukee in Stone and Clay: A Guide to the Cream City's Architectural Geology. Henceforth I'll just call it MSC.
The MSC section and page references for the building featured here: 5.11; pp. 74-76.
Looking southwestward at the alley-facing eastern elevation and its north-facing Wisconsin Avenue facade.
In Part 4 of this set I mentioned that the Iron Block, like so many other buildings, is an essay in flamboyant outward display and concealed cost-cutting. Here's one last image devoted to this landmark, and it makes that point. While the sides fronting two of Milwaukee's busier streets are decked out in magnificent cast-iron units shipped all the way from New York City, the less visible elevations are much more thriftily made of locally produced Cream City Brick.
For a rundown on the cast iron and its properties and sources, see Part 1. And for the discussion of the Cream City Brick and its unique geochemistry and geologic origins, see Part 4.
And then just do as I did when I took this shot: spend a moment admiring the front's Venetian Renaissance design and marveling at how well the pale-yellow, workaday brick harmonizes with the paint colors chosen as a coating for the cast iron.
This site and many others in Milwaukee County are discussed at greater length in Milwaukee in Stone and Clay (NIU Imprint of Cornell University Press).
The other photos and discussions in this series can be found in my "Milwaukee in Stone and Clay" Companion album. Also, while you're at it, check out my Architectural Geology of Milwaukee album, too. It contains quite a few photos and descriptions of Cream City sites highlighted in other series of mine.
A "Milwaukee in Stone and Clay" Companion, Part 5: Plain and Fancy | Iron Block (1861)
This series complements my guidebook, Milwaukee in Stone and Clay: A Guide to the Cream City's Architectural Geology. Henceforth I'll just call it MSC.
The MSC section and page references for the building featured here: 5.11; pp. 74-76.
Looking southwestward at the alley-facing eastern elevation and its north-facing Wisconsin Avenue facade.
In Part 4 of this set I mentioned that the Iron Block, like so many other buildings, is an essay in flamboyant outward display and concealed cost-cutting. Here's one last image devoted to this landmark, and it makes that point. While the sides fronting two of Milwaukee's busier streets are decked out in magnificent cast-iron units shipped all the way from New York City, the less visible elevations are much more thriftily made of locally produced Cream City Brick.
For a rundown on the cast iron and its properties and sources, see Part 1. And for the discussion of the Cream City Brick and its unique geochemistry and geologic origins, see Part 4.
And then just do as I did when I took this shot: spend a moment admiring the front's Venetian Renaissance design and marveling at how well the pale-yellow, workaday brick harmonizes with the paint colors chosen as a coating for the cast iron.
This site and many others in Milwaukee County are discussed at greater length in Milwaukee in Stone and Clay (NIU Imprint of Cornell University Press).
The other photos and discussions in this series can be found in my "Milwaukee in Stone and Clay" Companion album. Also, while you're at it, check out my Architectural Geology of Milwaukee album, too. It contains quite a few photos and descriptions of Cream City sites highlighted in other series of mine.