a forgotten trailbazer built during the depression: a closer look at holabird and root's streamlined style art deco 1931 a. o. smith research tower

holabird and root's 7-story a.o. smith research and engineering building with distincitve zig-zag-shaped glass and aluminum curtain wall was completed in 1930. located at 3533 n. 27th street in milwaukee, wisconsin, the innovative u-shaped building has a cage-like steel frame with welded steel-plate floors and hollow structural columns and girders enclosing piping and ductwork. the research and design building was a functional advertisement for the a. o. smith company, showing off the technological prowess of the metal- and glass-manufacturing firm.

Exterior view of the A. O. Smith Company research and engineering building at the intersection of 27th Street and Hopkins Road in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, August 1, 1931. Photographed for Holabird & Root by Ken Hedrich.

the visually striking facade comes from the prismatic window bays that zigzag over its exterior, stretching to its full height and allowing the maximum amount of natural light to pour into the offices spaces. inside the glass block barrel-vaulted skylit display hall, a twenty-ton overhead bridge crane showcased a. o. smith’s featured products, ranging from automotive frames to the b-29 bomber. with removable terrazzo floor panels, then state-of-the-art mechanical systems tucked into slat-steel columns, and an avant-garde track-mounted window-washing system, the innovative building was the center of a. o. smith’s engineering creativity.

sadly, the abandoned building has spent the latter half of its lifetime largely forgotten, neglected and rapidly falling into both exterior and interior disrepair without much notice or concern. ken hedrich of hedrich and blessing documented the building shortly after it was comppleted. thankfully, the images ken took of the interior with company's logo embedded and illuminated in the terrazzo floor, along with the custom-designed brushed aluminum and steel furniture offers us an incredibly important visual record of what was - a far cry from how the lobby appears today. 

images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2023.