The U.S. Bank Center

The U.S. Bank Center, the centerpiece of Milwaukee, the tallest structure in not only the city but also the state, is approaching its 50th birthday within a few years. This building, that can be viewed throughout all of Milwaukee, has structurally been significant to the cityscape as well as the introduction of new and unique architecture of the 1970's. Though, the building has not recently been praised, it has won awards and was built by one of the most famous architectural firms in the United States, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. This firm is currently working on the Freedom Tower in New York as well as built the largest building in the world in Dubai.

Because the class is all about the importance of preservation, I will be purposing the possible preservation of the U.S. Bank Center. The purpose of this is to see whether or not the center has the qualities looked for within Wisconsin's preservation standards. Most of what we preserve is old and historically supported, could a new generation of buildings begin to approach the National Registered listings? Could this be the start of preserving buildings that are architecturally significant to the time period that we live in today?

I chose to research this topic primarily because I despise the building, but mostly because I know nothing about it. It bothers me that the U.S. Bank signage is visible from almost the entire city. To me, because of its approaching birthday, I want to know if it is even an important thing to preserve. It dictates the cityscape of Milwaukee so much that the possibilities of it ruining future plans of our skyline could be ruined if the building is marked with a "do not alter" stamp of approval. It is important for me, in order to make judgements, to know exactly the history and the prospects that this building could provide for this city.