Property Record
622 N Cass St
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Wil-Ten Company Office Building |
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| Other Name: | Juneau Square South |
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| Reference Number: | 113809 |
| Location (Address): | 622 N Cass St |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
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| Year Built: | 1966 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 198420152025 |
| Historic Use: | small office building |
| Architectural Style: | Miesian |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Edmund W. Kowalski |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | 2015: Consisting of two distinct parts, this Contemporary-style structure is immediately east of the First Wisconsin Center. The northern-most component faces E. Wisconsin Avenue. It claims the building's primary facade and is a nine-story tower. The exposure is comprised of the first floor with a centered entryway. To the right (west) of the entry are five panels, each with two, vertically placed windows. Those panels to the left (east) have been covered. Above is a slightly projecting level with nominally decorative concrete work and large, horizontally placed, four-light windows. The remainder of the building's height consists of alternating rows of panels and windows, all tied together by thirteen, narrow verticals that extend fort he projecting second floor to the cornice. The south half of the building, indeed that part that will adjacent tot he streetcar line, is tied to the tower by a one-story connection. This structural component rises three stories and employs the same window arrangement as the tower. Distinct to this component of the building is its entryway beneath a folded-plate roof that faces Michigan Street and is flanked by overhead garage doors. A column consisting of five rows of four-light windows rises above the entrance, to the right (east) and left (west) of which are large brick masses. Thereafter, to the right and left, are three levels of windows identical to those found elsewhere in the south wing and north tower. A one-story addition with mechanical equipment is located at the southwest corner of the building. This building was constructed in 1961-1962. It was designed by architect Edmund Kowalski for the Wil-Ten Company. 2025; The Miesian-style Wil-Ten Company Office Building was designed by Edmund W. Kowalski in 1961 and 1966 in two parts (Figure 12). The commercial office building consists of a nine-story tower (1966) at the north and a three-story building (1961) at the south, attached by a one-story hyphen at ground level. The tower fronts onto East Wisconsin Avenue. The first floor has a pair of centered storefront entries flanked by pebble dash panels and a ribbon of storefront glazing. A projecting second floor of nominally decorative concrete work and four-light windows wraps the west corner; the east corner portion of this feature was infilled. The tower body is clad in a pebble dash exterior that hosts alternating rows of metal ribbon windows and pebble panels, all tied together by thirteen narrow verticals that extend from the first floor to the cornice. Large swaths of brickwork are at the sides. The three-story building follows the material and construction of the tower, with brick bays and alternating pebble panels and metal ribbon windows. It varies from the tower in that it contains a one-story folded-plate roof along East Michigan Street that shades the two overhead garage doors and a projecting glass vestibule. The one-story hyphen connecting the two buildings consists of a flat roof ornamented with metal parapet coping and a storefront glazing system shaded by a folded-plate roof overhang. The exterior perimeter is selectively outlined with integrated brick planter beds. |
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| Bibliographic References: |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |