DOORS OPEN MILWAUKEE 2014: LOYALTY BUILDING

Doors Open--Milwaukee is a popular annual event at which for one weekend in September various venues, primarily in the downtown area, open their doors to allow the public into spaces that are otherwise not generally available.  This is not strictly true, as some of the buildings are publicly available in any event, and the Loyalty Building is one of those.  Originally it served as an office building, but recently it was converted into a boutique hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn, so essentially anyone can walk in, which I have done in the past.

The building's greatest attraction is its central atrium, which has evidently undergone extensive restoration as part of the conversion to a hotel.  Not having a true wide-angle lens, I found my attempts to capture the space ending up a bit short.  Even so, following are a few shots that may provide some sense of the atrium's beauty.

The bronze railings for the atrium's stairs and the walkways are also noteworthy.  The newel posts are topped with conical brass ornaments, as shown in the following shots.

And the railings themselves also boast interesting details.

Following is a shot of another railing leading to a lower level of the building that is different from the design of the other railings but also interesting to photograph as a black & white.

Finally is a shot of the base of the stairs that I also rendered as a black & white.

The Loyalty Building is a hidden gem in the true sense of that phrase.  The exterior of the building, clad in a granite facade, is pleasant but undistinguished.  It is not until one enters the building that the beauty of the atrium is revealed.  Well worth the visit.

John