CityCenter@735 is One of Several Masterpieces designed by Renowned Architect Daniel Burnham.

Dec 27, 2016

A founding father of the skyscraper and designer of the CityCenter @ 735, Daniel Burnham, is widely regarded as one of America’s greatest architects. In addition to CityCenter @ 735, Burnham’s works include the Flatiron Building (1902) in New York, Union Station (1907) in Washington D.C. and Chicago’s 10-story Montauk Building built in 1882, the world’s first building to be known as a skyscraper.

The current CityCenter building originally opened in April of 1914 and served as home to the First National Bank. The beautiful structure was instantly acclaimed and admired as the city’s first skyscraper and tallest office building, a record it held for nearly 16 years. Burnham used a neoclassical architectural style for many of his buildings, and the CityCenter @ 735 is no exception as cornices, fluted pilasters, stone urns, and bay leaf wreaths adorn the building’s façade.

Thanks to a major renovation that started about 12 years ago, the ornate building once again “glistens like new,” and has been transformed into a thriving urban office/retail space that is both Energy Star rated and LEED certified.

Burnham never lived to see his Milwaukee masterpiece completed, as he died overseas in Germany in 1912. He was eulogized by fellow architect Frank Lloyd Wright as “a great man who made masterful use of the methods and men of his time.” Burnham once said of his approach to architecture, “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.” We can certainly relate to that approach, and we’re proud to have a Daniel Burnham designed building in our portfolio.