Iron Horse

Preservation is a reasonable thing to do. It's the old saying of, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Preservation is the act of stopping and asking, does this still work? Can we still use this? At heart, preservation is a rational, sensible idea. On the surface, the Iron Horse Hotel seems to celebrate this idea. This historic building has been preserved, and where it needed improvement it was modified in a contemporary yet complementary style.

It's the lightbulbs that started to get to me, though. Throughout the building there are these old-fashioned Edison style lightbulbs. These aren't the original bulbs, of course, they're manufactured by some company out west and sold to the Iron Horse for about $15 a pop. They're dim, they're expensive, and they're not very energy efficient. By all rational measures, they are indeed "broke." They don't fit into the idea of preserving what works and modernizing what doesn't. They are decoration. Worse, they are kitsch. They are a waste.

In the end, this isn't some grand monument to preservation. This is a hotel, and even if it is a particularly nice one, you can't expect a complete elimination of hotel tackiness.

Adaptive Reuse at the Iron Horse Hotel

Adaptive Reuse is a great term to describe the Iron Horse Hotel. I learned that term by Dr. Adams during our most recent class gathering and field trip. It is a term that is mainly important in the accomplishment of successful preservation. According to A Challenge for the Valuation by John A. Kilpatrick, Adaptive reuse is the process of adapting old structures for purposes other than those initially intended. When the original use of a structure changes or is no longer required, as with older buildings from the industrial revolution, architects have the opportunity to change the primary function of the structure, while retaining some of the existing architectural details that make the building unique.

The Iron Horse Hotel is unique in its embodiment of Americana. Through its decor we can see an embracive approach that submerges the visitor in history while maintaining an elegant and contemporary aesthetic feeling. With its many artifacts, the lobby at the Iron Horse Hotel has an impressive arrangement of collectible items which support the historic value that the location already provides. The hotel gladly mixes different applications of art and design meaning that they have put enough attention to enhance the visitor's experience. Such was my experience there.

Iron Horse Hotel

The original building was built for the Berger Bedding Company in 1907. The position of the railroad offered accessible shipping services. The hotel part was the factory, and the warehouse is now the restaurant Smyth. The bedding company only was in the building for 20 years when, in 1927, the building was bought for the Molitor Box Company. In 1955 it became cold storage until a development group bought the building at a really cheap price, because the area was not developed and the building was falling apart.

When designing the hotel they wanted to use as much of the old building as possible. The Hemlock and heart Pine posts and beams, exposed Cream City brick walls and fire doors are still very much intact. The building was one of the last factory’s to have a wood structure frame in Milwaukee. They stopped building with wood because of safety reasons.

The photo is of a table at the restaurant Smyth. I am using the photo for three reasons:

1. It is the only photo that I could that turned out OK.

2. I like the whole arrangement of the restaurant and the look of the type of table they picked out.

3. I do not know what it is made out of, (forgot to ask), but the half wall surrounding the table is very interesting with a cool texture look to it.

Overall the hotel does a great job of reusing parts from when the building was a factory. It ties everything together very well. I may have missed it, but I think having photos of the warehouse back in the day hanging up would bring everything home.

Photo I took on the way to the hotel.

Inviting Space

Preservation is about reusing what is existing and making a practical every day purpose. I am convinced that The Iron Horse hotel embodies that idea and is a prime example in the Milwaukee Area. On the tour I took several images and out of the several I took it was difficult to choose one. The Iron Horse doesn’t simply focus on preservation as a superficial what looks good on the outside idea, but carries preservation throughout the entire building. Thus this picture feel really embodies what the Iron Horse is.

First of all, in this unit we have been discussing the preservation of American buildings, and it goes without saying, that it’s necessary to be able to see the structure as a whole. I thought that an outside picture would be important for showing this. Furthermore as a Chicago industrial style building with its bright Red Brick it is important to share that characteristic. The theme is continued on the top with the company Logo spread across the roof using a heavy slab serif font and the heavy angular logo are prime examples of what the hotel is about. It is upscale but also caters to a heavier sort of crowed, the biker crowed. Finally, my favorite part of this image is the bright crossing triangles of the outside yard. They worked amazing as shades that were vibrant in the bright sunlight. In this photo I see them more as a representing shape. The hotel is a modern approach to preservation caring an old them of the building, a warehouse and sort of dirty factory, to a new hotel. I love the shapes it complements the red brick while pushing movement through the photo just as the hotel wants to suck you in and move you through its many displays and designs. And finally the triangles are very warm shapes, and with my positive experience on the tour I found it to be a very warm and inviting space. I definitely would love to go there again sometime.

Iron Horse Hotel - Blog #5

When I first entered the building, there is a very open area full of couches and 300 year-old timber beams that keep the building in place. The lighting is inviting and has an interesting place throughout the hotel. The bulbs are Edison bulbs that are pretty expensive considering we buy regular light bulbs for a couple dollars each. The building is one of the last wood frame buildings in the Milwaukee area. Once in the general lobby area, you can see a huge American flag that was made out of jeans and painted to help create a unique piece for decoration. Just above that and to the right there is a huge hole in the wall where the original elevator shaft use to sit. To the right, there are windows that help reflect the light from the entrance. These black tinted windows are the originals, crazy cool. Much of the furniture and other items are from local businesses.

I found it amazing when visiting one of their rooms that the bathroom had all Kohler products and a really nice shower head. Something you definitely do not see in most hotels. The wall painting inside the room is a great way to show local art work as well as have a more home feel towards the room.

To the left of the entrance stands a couple restaurant areas and a bar. There is also an outdoor seating area that has a lot of couches and tent-roofing. To the right, though, is a bar that invites you with the lighting and beautiful drafting chairs that are showcased for seating. This is the photo I have above. Outside lighting that brings someone into a bar is such a great way to invite people to an area that is usually dim and boring. The fact that they were able to create such a well built area made me think the rest of the hotel would be just as nice, if not nicer. Those expectations were met. The gears from the original elevators are used as table stands past the bar for people who may want a seat with their family or friends. The mirror in the bar was one that was broken originally until it was picked up by the Iron Horse and fixed up. It was originally from the Coakley Brothers company next door.

Iron Horse Hotel

I really enjoyed visiting The Iron Horse and not only hearing about how the different parts of the old warehouse were preserved but also seeing how they put so much thought into the entire building. Every part of the hotel was designed and I truly appreciate that.

This is a picture of the 30 year old beams that create the framework of the building. It is unique to have a structure still intact here in Milwaukee. They did an excellent job showing off their beauty and making them have a significant role in the Hotel's interior design.

I also enjoyed how they saved other things from the original structure and used them as decorations such as the mirrors on the back wall of the lobby and the different nik naks on the various tables.

The entire building had so much character, I only wish it was not so expensive to stay the night.

Iron Horse

I honestly don't think that we could have gone to a more magnificent building. Not only did they want to preserve it but also reuse some of it's features that are still there today.

To the right is a picture of the 300 year old Alpine Timber wooden beams that are basically the frame of the building. As you keep looking at more of the photos, the wooden beams can be seen everywhere throughout the building. The Iron Horse Hotel is one of the last wooden framed buildings left in Milwaukee. The Chicago Style building definitely holds its success through aesthetics: it's structurally simple, besides wood the next thing is steel, and they saved materials from other buildings to add to the feel of the hotel.

Being able to touch the beams and see other original elements through the building is simply amazing to me. Not only do the elements tie the feel and look of the hotel all together but it definitely shows character.

Preserving the Past and the Present

The Iron Horse Hotel’s transformation from an old mattress factory into a trendy, dim-lighted, evocative place showed the immense amount of thought put into design process. It’s a place for motorcycle enthusiasts, the well off business cliental, and even the average day Joe.

After the few seconds of observing the general layout of the building, I became well aware that the design of the hotel was not only preserving the building’s foundation and wooden beams, but also utilizing elements of the preexisting factory as well as maintaining both past and present elements of Milwaukee.

Besides the usage of gears and gadgets as functional pieces, the subtle details of worn looking furniture add to the theme that the space is untouched history. My favorite aspect of design was their attempt to preserve a historic snap shot of Milwaukee’s local residents through the use of murals. Supposedly someone mentioned that Milwaukee does not have beautiful women, which I have heard myself on numerous occasions. To correct that myth, each hotel room has a full wall mural of a gorgeous ‘Milwaukee’ girl. No professional models were used in the making. When the tour guide explained the meaning behind the breath-taking murals on the hotel walls it added to the essence of Milwaukee making a statement to the rest of the states of being of equal value.

It stood out to me right away because every hotel, whether it is old, new, expensive, or average, never uses permanent décor on their walls. Styles change, so when they do the hotel can take down their dated artwork and replace it with a new picture frame. The murals were the hotel’s way of preserving the present day culture and stylizing it in an old fashion way. It demonstrated their commitment to keep an element of modern day culture that could one day be considered another historic element.

I have lived a few blocks away from The Iron Horse Hotel for over 3 years now, and unfortunately dismissed it. Purely out of naivety I passed it off as just another overpriced spot for business men to spend the night. While I haven't had the need to stay there ever I feel like I have missed out. The short answer the Iron Horse was just well executed. It has a beauty and elegance that is balanced perfectly with rugged comfort. The fact that this building was adapted from its original use makes it even more of a succes. I have worked on building a new home and I have worked redoing and updating older areas of homes, i.e. kitchens and bathrooms. By far that later is much more work. My experience is only involved with small projects. For the Iron Horse hotel the extensive evaluation of the area, the building and the architecture must have been quite an undertaking.

The layout the bar and restaurants all the way down to the scraps sitting on the coffee tables it all flows together. You walk into the hotel and you can feel there is history in it. Part of that is because not only did adapt the building they saved materials and brought them back into the hotel and example being the concrete countertops. The look and feel of the Iron Horse isn't because it's true to a certain time period, but more the feeling of an era. It's jumbled up history which is much more true to life.

The Smyth's Main Entrance

This sliding door from the interior of The Iron Horse Hotel strongly embodies the rehabilitation of this building. The Iron Horse Hotel, is known for taking materials from the original state of the warehouse/factory and reusing them for aesthetic purposes in the interior design of the hotel. This sliding door was originally a safety measure used in case fire caught from the factory to the warehouse. They would just slide it shut in order to prevent it from spreading so quickly.

The Iron Horse now uses it for the main entrance into their restaurant, Smyth. Similarly it is the primary divide between the hotel and the restaurant. I believe this was a design aesthetic that not only incorporated original material but also was used as a symbol. That though the hotel and the restaurant are within the same building, they can reside as separate entities. Because of Smyth, local Milwaukee residents can also experience The Iron House without renting a room.

The Iron Horse's rehabilitation is a prime example of what rehabilitation should entail. Instead of merely preserving a place that could have possibly just of went unkept for years and years, the architects and designers really took into account that this space has the possibility to be used for something productive. Because the hotel supports the idea of taking old and making it new, it is clear that the sliding door sheds so much light to this notion. It is one of the first things that is seen while entering the front doors, and its bulky industrial look makes it stand out from many of the other structures within the waiting area. You can see that hotel prides itself in saving such an interesting piece of the building.

Iron Horse Site Visit

The site visit to the Iron Horse Hotel was really something amazing and a great opportunity to view the reuse of a historic building. Not only is the Iron Horse a reuse of a historic building, it does a very successful job of it. As our guide had mentioned the different and varying components of a hotel that all must come together are difficult let alone to do it successfully in a building that was in no way designed to be a hotel.

The picture I chose to showcase how the Iron

Horse Hotel embodies the successful reuse of a historic building is one taken in the main lobby of the iron horse hotel looking upwards and at the west wall towards the Smyth gourmet restaurant. I chose this picture because of the main aspect of the wooden beams used to support the structure. As our guide had said this type of architecture using wooden beams in no longer in use due to fire hazards realized by the Chicago fire. Rather than destroy or cover up the pillars and beams they are showcased, no only in the lobby but in every room on every floor. It shows not only the original structure of the building but also the old architecture and how reliant mankind was on materials provided by nature and not so much those created by man such as steel and other metals.

In the same way the wooden structure shows man's reliance on natural materials the Iron Horse also shows man's hard wood, specifically the cream brick that Milwaukee is known for. I think it was important and crucial for the Iron Horse to showcase the cream city brick but also to try and use as many materials from within Milwaukee as possible. This works with the preservation aspect because of the use local materials, just like local materials would have been used when the original building was built.

One final important aspect this photo showcases in the old elevator doorway around the center of the photo. This is a great feature for adaptive reuse. At first I thought of it as a pointless opening, maybe a doorway that was there that was not filled in to keep aesthetic similarities between the rest of the lobby and the balcony of the second floor that stretched around two other sides of the room. Then our guide mentioned how when bigger parties are present it is most often used as a place for the DJ to set up. I thought that this was an amazing idea, one that even had come later was a great execution of a space rather than trying to cover it up my mimicking the original cream city brick.

Soaking-up History

Constructed in 1907, The Iron Horse Hotel is an excellent example of adaptive reuse, history, architecture, and preservation. One of the first things that caught my attention upon entering the hotel was its flooring. It came across as welcoming and inviting, while having a story to tell. The floor is a reproduction of the original factory floor, and is constructed of end-grain lumber. This type of flooring is extremely durable, and was a common choice for many factories for this reason. It also absorbs more dirt, oils, and liquids than traditional hardwood floors, but this gives it a beautiful, worn appearance. I was amazed to see the difference in floor coloration when our guide lifted the carpet up to show us the color that the floor once was. This worn-in character gives the floor a rich patina, which is a prolonged exposure to dirt and wear, which gives it a heightened value of historic character (Murtagh 104). I see this darkening of pigmentation as the building’s continued absorption of history.

The National Trust describes adaptive use as “the process of converting a building to a use other than that for which is was designed” (Murtagh 99). This is exactly what The Iron Horse Hotel did when it transitioned from a warehouse and factory for the Berger Bedding Company to a storage facility, and finally to the beautiful hotel it has become today (theironhorsehotel.com). I think it is a huge benefit for the hotel to have reproduced the original flooring as part of its adaptive use. Not only for the fact that both bikers and business people can feel comfortable walking on them, but also because it lends a historically valuable aspect to the building’s overall architecture and heritage. By choosing to preserve the essence of this flooring through a historically accurate replacement, the hotel is able to showcase its past effectively. I also liked that the hotel’s designers chose to use primarily recycled materials for the floor and the overall aesthetic of the building. This gave me a sense of nostalgia, and made me want to travel back in time to see more of what the building once looked like. This overall appearance not only keeps the hotel’s look true to its original time, but also separates it from all other hotels.

Works Cited:

"History." The Iron Horse Hotel. The Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee, 2010. Web. 04 Oct. 2011. http://www.theironhorsehotel.com/our-story/history.html.

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Murtagh, William J. Keeping Time: the History and Theory of Preservation in America. 3rd ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley, 2006. Print.

Concepts and Identity Through Reuse

The image that I chose to depict what I feel is the single most defining element of the Iron Horse Hotel includes the pediments on the facade of the building. Though these are original, they have been adapted not only in multiple forms throughout the interior of the building, but also have been used to brand the identity of the building as a hotel. The shape of the ornamentation brings to mind a horse's head. The shapes also reveal what could be seen as the letters "I" and "H." When concepting was being done for the hotel, the surrounding environment was used for inspiration as well. Directly next to the Iron Horse Hotel are the railroad tracks for the old Soo line. When Native American Indians lived in the area, they referred to the train as the "Iron Horse." Not only did this tie in conceptually with the identity of the area, it also tied in directly to the defining aesthetic of the individual building. The hotel is situated across the street from the Harley Davidson Museum, another defining characteristic of Milwaukee. Half of the hotel's patrons are motorcycle riders/enthusiasts, so the idea was also put forth that the motorcycle can be viewed as the modern day "Iron Horse." This aesthetic is carried out in the interior on the form of actual brands on furniture, logos on multiple items, and coat and purse hangers throughout the entire hotel. If I took one image from this tour and saw how it was capitalized on, duplicated, and reused to the most benefit of the hotel, it was the Iron Horse itself. This is a prime example of taking an original object on a site and using it to accentuate the historicism and character of the site itself. Though this building is being reused as a hotel currently, with many new additions, I believe the "Iron Horse" is a respectful touch to the building's history. This feature encourages me, as a member of the community, to want to research more of the history of the area.

Character

char·ac·ter -[kar-ik-ter] noun

Character: the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing. ("Dictionary.com")

The Iron Horse has character that makes the building feel alive. The past is merged with the present perfectly in a way that creates a unique and cohesive environment for guests. The item that I chose to photograph that I feel is one detail that gives the building character is the table bases that were made from the original elevator shaft of the hotel. The repurposing of the elevator shaft to the table bases gives the furniture a dignified and yet rustic appearance, giving character to the hotel.

It was clear, the moment I stepped foot into the Iron Horse Hotel, that a lot of thought was put into the branding of the hotel. The extensive thought that has been put into the repurposing of the building is one of the main contributing factors as to why the operation is as successful as it is.

"Character." Dictionary.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Oct 2011. .

A Hidden Arch

When we first stopped at the Iron Horse we discussed the half arch on the exterior of the building, it seemed minimal at first but then it became reoccurring. The arch showed up in the Iron Horse logo and was throughout the building. It was incorporated into the coat racks, the floor rugs, branded onto wood barrels and the hotel dollies. The more I looked the more it became a presence. I found this to be the most interesting thing from our tour. They were not only preserving the integrity of the building with the cedar beams and brick, but they incorporated the Chicago brick style and headstone into there design. Although the interior seemed to be completely changed they took one of the smaller elements from the outside and incorporated it throughout. Although it might not necessarily play into preservation it was humbling to see it thought out in the process.

The Iron Horse was able to take a beautiful beat down building and turn it into a booming diverse business. In the three year conversion the integrity of the wooden structure was still intact and they achieved a vintage feel for the space.They incorporated the original arch from the exterior and emulated it throughout the space. The building may no longer represent the bedding factory that once took its place, but the business brings the left over parts into the limelight. I believe Dixon Development did a great job at reviving this building and succeed in preserving the integrity of the original structure.

Third Ward - Preserving Community

Out of the different cities and places I have visited, Milwaukee still stands out as a mediocre, relaxed, community driven getaway. This is seen in our Third Ward Community especially. Not too long ago was the Third Ward filled with trash, bums and vacant warehouses. Today, as a part of the historic district, the Third Ward offers a beautiful place for tourists, vacationers, friends and family to soak up some local community in the city.

My boss, friend, and real estate mogul, Robert Joseph explained to me just what the historic district regulates and decides. As a property owner in the Third Ward, Robert explained that he was not allowed to remove any of the old painted advertisements [i.e. "ghost signs"] on the sides of any of his properties. He also had to pay for local cleanup including trash removal, pet friendly sidewalks and landscaping. These were just a few things I knew of before reading the extensive catalog of requirements on Third Ward property owners.

After learning more, I further agree with many of the design guidelines in the catalog. Regulating things like storefronts, walkways and balconies in a manner that promotes community interaction uses preservation as a resource for economic stimulus. I can only hope that preservation becomes the new calculus of a sustainable economy: creating jobs without wasting resources. Personally, I think the Third Ward is promoting a proactive approach to preservation and urban renewal and has proven to change an area that once was decrepit and economically underwater for years into an area that is now considered elite and prestigious.

www.historicthirdward.org