The University Club Tower is a 36 story building with luxury condo units in downtown Milwaukee. The Tower is part of a string of residential high-rises overlooking Lake Michigan along North Prospect Avenue. The unit prices range between $1.2 and $2.5 million and have staggering views of Lake Michigan and the Milwaukee Art Museum. It was designed by Peter Ellis from S.O.M. , the building was finished earlier this summer 2007. The tower is one of the highest buildings in Wisconsin and the tallest residential building in the state. The building is adjacent to the Kilbourn Tower which is also residential and it was finished in the year 2005. Designed by the local firm La Dallman, the tower stands at 33 stories and sits just 10 feet north from the University Club Tower.Both buildings set a new standard of condo living in Milwaukee. In the last 10 years condos have been built at a fast pace around the downtown area. Just south of the University Tower are two of the oldest luxury living residential buildings around the area, The Regency, built in 1968 and The Cudahy Tower built in 1929. They are both very traditional buildings, built mostly of brick, granite and precast accents. There are buildings from each decade in the last 100 years along Prospect Avenue. The style and size varies dramatically, so there is diversity in terms of design.
The materials used on the University Club Tower are concrete, steel structure and curtain glass system. The concrete was “infused with ground quartz” so when sunlight hits it people see a glittery effect. The white color of the building relates to surrounding buildings like the Cudahy Tower and the Calatrava addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum. The building has a direct visual relationship with the museum as the floor plan’s radial shape to the south east directly overlooks the museum. There is a park across the street with picnic tables and several walkways that connect to the lakefront area. Residents are able to go down to the park and ride their bikes, walk their dogs or play "Frisbee".
Personally I think the University Club Tower blends well within its surroundings and the design works well considering its small footprint and its closeness to other buildings. It complements the Milwaukee skyline well with its prominent design. It also brings life to the area as more people move into the downtown area. I just think the price tag is way too high, unless you earn more than six figures or know someone who does you will never be able to experience life up there.
For the city of Milwaukee, the lakefront is almost like a place of worship. During summer days, especially on the weekends, people from all over the city drive, walk, ride, skate, and stroll the parks and trails along Lake Michigan. There are festivals and special events all summer through early Autumn particularly at the “Summerfest Grounds” by the lake. The downtown area pushes right up to the lakefront, but there are not that many “pedestrian friendly” connections to the lakefront. Calatrava’s addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum attempts to rectify this problem with a dominant pedestrian bridge. The Museum works itself as an axis from east to west connecting Wisconsin Ave. visually and physically. O’Donnell Park is just in between the museum and Wisconsin Ave., the park is essentially on top of a parking structure. Di Suvero’s sculpture “The Calling” is located on the park area and is also aligned with the east-west axis. The sculpture was built in 1982 and when the museum addition was finished in 2001 some patrons of the museum wanted the sculpture to be relocated elsewhere because it obstructed the view of the high profile museum. What they did not understand was that Calatrava designed his addition to directly visually relate with the sculpture. If you stand on Wisconsin Ave. looking towards the lake the sculpture and the museum are perfectly aligned, as if they are one.
