It seems you can’t swing a construction crane in Madison without hitting another construction crane, there’s so much development going on here. On the City Cast Madison podcast, we thought it would be a good time to stop and appreciate some of our favorite buildings in Madison, from the iconic to the quirky. And Madison Minutes readers stepped up and shared a few of their faves too!
120 N. Henry St.
The massive blue building with the smooth corners is a “canister of justice,” as Tone Madison once said. Or, as many have said, it looks like a gigantic Lego piece, a fun modernist building where serious things happen.
900 University Bay Drive
Frank Lloyd Wright designed his congregation’s church in 1946 to be an “aspirational” place, foregoing the usual steeple for a giant triangular prow that’s variously been described as a plow slicing through the prairie or two hands folded in prayer.
1 Langdon St.
Madison Minutes reader Susanne V. picked this apartment building, citing its “historic charm and its eclectic community of residents.” It retains much of the appeal from when it was built in 1929, from its terrazzo floor to the brass elevator doors.
2090 Atwood Ave.
My favorite place to see a show in Madison is this funky neighborhood theater, which mixes its neo-italian dome on the exterior with funky flourishes on the inside, especially those twinkling lights on the ceiling of the theater. If only they could make those cramped bathrooms a little bigger.
UW-Madison Science Hall has been inspiring students for over a century. (Chris Phan/Flickr)
500 Lincoln Drive
They blinded City Cast Madison podcast host Bianca Martin with science! Bianca said she’s inspired to learn by the historic Romanesque-style red building, which has been a fixture on campus since 1888. No wonder that the building’s twee institutional charm appealed to the “Accidentally Wes Anderson” site.
5900 Monona Drive
If you love a trapezoid, you love this glass paperweight that looms large in Monona. It’s just so smooth and featureless that it stands out from busy modern architecture. And who hasn’t imagined sledding down the side in the winter?
2089 Atwood Ave.
Right across the street from the Barrymore is this retro-hipster diner, built out of a former gas station. It’s near and dear to the heart of reader Oliver G., who wrote “the old-school diner look is rare, but the building is totally committed to the aesthetic inside and out. The food is great too. It's a bummer it's so far away from campus.”
1118 E. Washington Ave.
Young musicians and artists have a gorgeous new location to practice and perform in. The distinctive swoop on the facade evokes the curves of cellos and other instruments, while the inside contains three performance halls with gorgeous acoustics, as well as practice spaces, all designed so that sound doesn’t bleed from one into the next.
