Walk 1 – Building 2
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Button Block
500 North Water Street
Architects: Crane & Barkhausen 1892
The Button Block is an excellent example of a Richardsonian Romanesque office building with a heavily rusticated stone base. The seven-story building has an interior structure of steel columns and beams with a wood floor structure. The exterior walls of sandstone and brick are load-bearing.
The two-story base of red rock-faced sandstone is topped by five stories of red brick. A red granite column supports the corner turret. Red sandstone similar to that of the Button Block was used on the Milwaukee Club, built in 1884. It is likely that both buildings are of Lake Superior Sandstone. Sandstone trim between the stone base and the brick upper floors shows considerable deterioration.
Map Showing Source Location of Building Material