Architecture
Located on East Wisconsin Avenue in Downtown, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. Bank Center comprises a 42-story, 601-foot (183 m) office tower designed by Bruce Graham and James DeStefano of the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. The U.S. Bank Center covers an entire block, between North Cass and Van Buren Streets and East Michigan Street and East Wisconsin Avenue. The tower features a steel frame sheathed with a white aluminum and glass facade.
Structurally, U.S. Bank Center utilizes a belt truss system engineered by both Graham and Fazlur Khan. Using elements similar to those utilized in Khan's previous work, the BHP House in Melbourne, the three diagonal belt trusses provide for a dramatic contrast with the vertical facade in serving both aesthetic and structural purposes.
Its exterior was left unchanged from its completion in 1973, through the 1999 merger with Mercantile Bancorporation. At that time, Firstar announced signs would be attached to the top of the building. Critics argued the green advertising signage on all four sides of the building's top story in place of the original aluminum elements that were subsequently recycled, disrupted the look of the building's signature diagonal trusses. The signs were replaced with opaque, white ones by 2002 to reflect the merger with U.S. Bancorp.
Read more about this topic: U.S. Bank Center (Milwaukee)
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