Iron Block Building, commercieel gebouw in de Verenigde Staten
The Iron Block Building is a five-story structure completed in 1860 featuring a rare cast iron facade designed to imitate ornate stonework. Its Italianate style includes arched windows, decorative columns, and ornamental details such as lion heads and grape vines that cover the exterior.
Built in 1860 and originally called the Excelsior Block, the cast iron panels were shipped from New York by boat to Milwaukee. It remains the last surviving cast iron facade building of its kind in Wisconsin and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
The building originally served as a commercial hub with shops at street level that drew people into downtown. A Masonic lodge occupied the top floor, making it an important gathering place for the community.
The building is located at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Water Street in downtown Milwaukee and is easily accessible on foot. Visitors can admire the restored exterior from the street, though the interior is typically not open to the public.
The building was clad in cast iron to mimic carved stone without requiring expensive stonecutters, making it an early example of mass production in architecture. Recent restoration work involved recasting decorative elements like lion heads and grape vines using local Milwaukee and Beloit foundries to match the original design.
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