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Summary
Tenney Building
110 East Main Street, Madison, Dane County
Architect: Law, Law and Potter
Construction Date: 1930
Located on the Capitol Square directly across from Wisconsin’s State Capitol building, the 10-story-tall Tenney Building has been an important city of Madison landmark since the day it was first occupied in 1930 and it is one of Madison’s two finest Art Deco style high-rise office buildings.
The Tenney Building is a large L-plan building that occupies a parcel that makes up the south corner of the block upon which it sits, its two granite and limestone-clad principal facades face southeast onto E. Main Street and southwest onto S. Pinckney Street, and its first story is given over to commercial enterprises while its upper nine stories are given over to office space.
It was developed and partially owned by members of Madison’s historically prominent Tenney family and occupies the site of this family’s earlier, three-story-tall rectilinear plan, brick-clad, Italianate Style Tenney Block, which was built in 1877.
The family’s new, much larger Tenney Building was designed by Law, Law, and Potter, which in 1930 was Madison’s largest architectural firm, and it is an excellent example of the Art Deco style whose design has a pronounced vertical emphasis and features such typical Art Deco motifs as bands of geometric ornaments that are made out of both cut stone and terra cotta and highly decorative bronze lighting fixtures and grill work. In addition, the building’s lavishly decorated elevator lobby, which features boldly colored marble walls, a marble floor, polished bronze elevator doors, bronze lighting fixtures, and other polished bronze elements, is one of Madison’s finest Art Deco style interiors as well.
Property Details
| Criteria | Architecture/Engineering |
|---|---|
| Area Of Significance | Architecture |
| Period of Significance | 1930 |
| Architectural Style | Art Deco |
| Architect | Law, Law & Potter |
| Resource Type | Building |
| Historic Use | Business |
Resources Within The Property
| Contributing Buildings | 1 |
|---|---|
| Contributing Sites | 0 |
| Contributing Structures | 0 |
| Contributing Objects | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Buildings | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Sites | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Structures | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Objects | 0 |
Designations
| Historic Status | Listed in the State Register |
|---|---|
| National Historic Landmark Listing Date | Aug 18, 2017 |
| Historic Status | Listed in the National Register |
| National Historic Landmark Listing Date | Oct 26, 2017 |
State & National Registers of Historic Places
The State Register and National Register recognize buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that are significant in national, state, or local history. The State Historic Preservation Office in conjunction with the National Park Service maintains the list for Wisconsin and makes the data available to the public for research and education.
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Email UsAttribution
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110 E MAIN ST AKA 25-29 S PINCKNEY ST
107875
Located in Madison, Dane County
840 S NASH ST (COUNTY TRUNK HIGHWAY M)
73001
Located in Hortonville, Outagamie County
1138 E Memorial St
100011592
Located in Janesville, Rock County
Art Deco Roof Lights
June 30, 1974
Roof-edge lights on the Tenney Building at 110 East Main Street. The lights and building reflect an Art Deco design.
