Stylin’ in the city 🏙️

Architecture Styles in Madison, WI

A true Madisonian can spot a Frank Lloyd Wright design at first glance. | Photo by @franklloydwrightland

Madison, while confined to an isthmus, is home to a myriad of unique architectural styles. We looked into three popular styles in the 608 and where to check them out.

Brutalist

One of the easier architectural styles to spot, brutalism is characterized by its rough (often concrete) surfaces, massive structure, and dramatic presence.

George L. Mosse Humanities Building | This notorious campus building is known for its maze-like halls and aggressive concrete demeanor. While there are many theories suggesting the confusing design was purposefully riot-proof, those have since been debunked.
Elvehjem Art Center (Chazen Museum of Art) | Next door to Humanities and designed by the same architect, the Elvehjem Art Center wing of the Chazen offers a softer approach to the brutalist style.

608 Humanities — UW Madison’s Humanities building is notorious for its brutalist style.

Art Deco/Moderne

Art deco first came onto the scene around 1925 at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts. American architects adopted the style which led to the emergence of its sister style, art moderne. Art moderne builds are often horizontal with curved edges while art deco boasts a more vertical and symmetrically linear look.

Quisling Terrace Apartments | Once a medical clinic, this local historical landmark is the epitome of art moderne style.
Tenney Plaza | The perfect counterpart to the Quisling’s moderne style, Madison’s first steel-frame high-rise exhibits art deco to a T.

Quisling Terrace apartments — This year, the Quisling Terrace apartment building will celebrate three decades as a historical Madison landmark.

Prairie

We’d be remiss to cover Madison architecture without mentioning Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright, one of recent history’s most notable architects, is responsible for the popular Prairie style of architecture. This style features strong horizontals, asymmetric floor plans, and seamless transitions from indoors to outdoors.

Airplane House | The University Heights neighborhood is home to this iconic Wright design.
Lamp House | The oldest Wright house in the city was built for Frank’s childhood friend + Madison’s treasurer at the time, Robert Lamp.

Click here to have your event featured.

Today, Feb. 15

Red Cross Blood Drive | Wednesday, Feb. 15 | 9:30 a.m-1:30 p.m.. | Central Library, 201 W. Mifflin St., Madison | Free | Join the Madison Public Library and American Red Cross in saving lives by donating blood. 💉
Line Dancing | Wednesday, Feb. 15 | 6-8:30 p.m. | The Brink Lounge, 701 E. Washington Ave., Madison | Free | Get in line for a night of casual line dancing where beginners are welcome to learn alongside pros.

Thursday, Feb. 16

Madison Starry Night | Thursday, Feb. 16 | 6-8 p.m. | Indigo Hotel, 901 E. Washington Ave., Madison | $40 | Paint a 608-themed rendition of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” while sipping on a glass of wine.
Trivia Night | Thursday, Feb. 16 | 7-9 p.m. | Madison’s, 119 King St., Madison | Free | Buzz into this general knowledge trivia game with gift cards for winners. 🧠

Friday, Feb. 17

The Rocky Horror Picture Show | Friday, Feb. 17 | Doors open at 11 p.m., show starts at midnight | Crucible, 3116 Commercial Ave., Madison | $8-$13 | Enjoy an amazing performance by Madison’s talented Velvet Darkness cast. 🎭
Miss America Homecoming Celebration | Friday, Feb. 17 | 6:30 p.m. | Play Circle Theater at Memorial Union | $25 | She is beauty, she is grace, and she is coming to Madison. Enjoy a violin performance paired with a Q+A by Wisconsin’s Miss America 2023 winner, Grace Stanke.

Saturday, Feb. 18

Mad City Model Railroad Show + Sale | Saturday, Feb. 18-Sunday, Feb. 19 | 9 a.m.-5 p.m. | Alliant Energy Center | $6-$14 | The 55th annual show will feature 100,000 sq ft of model railroads in all scales, toy trains, how-to clinics, exhibits, and vendors. 🚂
Ecological Restoration Work Party | Saturday, Feb. 18 | 9 a.m.-12 p.m. | UW–Madison Arboretum, 1207 Seminole Hwy., Madison | Free | Volunteers are invited to practice ecological restoration, learn about the Arboretum plant communities, and make friends.

We have a calendar filled with events and activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

100+ MORE EVENTS

Membership perks good enough to shout

Are you ready to take advantage of our membership benefits? | Graphic by 6AM City

Today our parent company, 6AM City, is celebrating a birthday! To celebrate, we want you to be a part of our newsletter membership program.

The 608today membership program will be rolling out member shoutouts in our newsletters, and members will have the opportunity to submit shoutouts such as celebrations, births, engagements, anniversaries, and more. 🎉

Other membership perks include special birthday shoutouts + discounts to our local shop, Six and Main.

The time is now to start taking advantage of these awesome benefits.

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY

Weather

45º | Cloudy | 22% chance of rain

Film

For one week only, the theater at Hilldale Shopping Center will reopen to host the Wisconsin Film Festival. Closed last November, the theater most recently known as AMC Madison 6 will host the state’s 2023 film festival Thursday, April 13-Thursday, April 20. 🎞️ (Cap Times)

Concert

Earls, beware. The Chicks — formerly known as the Dixie Chicks — are coming to the Kohl Center this summer. As part of their 2023 World Tour, the iconic girl group will be in Madison Saturday, Aug. 26. Grab your tickets tomorrow starting at 10 a.m. (Channel 3000)

Eat

A new Pakistani restaurant, Sultan, will be opening up on Willy Street in May. Owner Sultan Ahmed will foster a no-tipping restaurant experience. Sultan believes that paying his employees a living wage, plus a 5% profit share for full-timers, will eradicate the need for servers to rely on tips. 💰 (NBC 15)

Cause

Agrace is looking for volunteers to help out at its new adult daycare center and thrift stores. The nonprofit healthcare agency relies on volunteers to help fund its grief support services. Most volunteer positions require a minimum time commitment of 50 hours per year. (Channel 3000)

Stat

Tax season is upon us, which is as good a time as ever to assess your budget. Check out these interactive charts that lay out inflation and consumer prices in the Midwest. (Madison.com)

Shop

We love our furry friends, so it’s a good thing Love Your Pet Day is Monday, Feb. 20. Celebrate your beloved pet with this “Out of this World” bandana from Hannah Chloe Co. That’s something worth barking about. 🐾

Health

Diversity in research matters — especially in health care research. By joining the All of Us Research Project, you’re helping to pave the way to a healthier future for generations to come by allowing researchers to tailor care + treatment to diverse individuals. Learn how to participate.*

Number

55°. That’s the optimal temperature for storing wine. So unless you enjoy keeping your humble abode chilled year round, we recommend buying a wine fridge to foster favorable conditions for long-term aging. Our pick: this sleek wine fridge with touch-panel control and capacity for 24 bottles. Cheers. 🍷 *

Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.

Staying safe on State

Madison’s new Isthmus Safety Initiative

State Street from above. | Photo by @thecolorfulkid

This week, Madison officials revealed a new initiative aimed to keep the downtown area safe. Public Health Madison + Dane County is spearheading the Isthmus Safety Initiative which predominately covers the State Street area.

This initiative will consist of the following implementations:

Staff training | Staff from State Street businesses are invited to partake in a free training course that will teach prevention, de-escalation, and intervention techniques.

Safety Navigators | Safety Navigators will patrol State Street on foot to serve as a visual safety resource. They will offer guidance to visitors, first-aid resources, and accompaniment to those looking for a safe walking escort to nearby destinations.

Lighting | The Buckeye parking lot that connects West Gorham Street to West Gilman Street will be getting more lighting to increase visibility.

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Ally.

Editor’s pick: Looking further into the Humanities building was giving me serious flashbacks to my time as a UW student. Even in my final semesters of senior year, a class in Humanities called for a couple of recon missions before the first day of classes to ensure I would make it to the right place on time.

Missed our last newsletter? We gave some romantic advice.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Ally Geiger, Josh Kranzberg, Emily Shea, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Dayten Rose, Sarah Leonhardt, Katie Smith | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Ana Gibson | Advertise with us.

Content marked with an * was created in partnership with 6AM City’s advertising partners. Paid content helps keep this newsletter free. 6AM City may also receive a commission on purchases made through affiliate links in this newsletter.

ADVERTISE | SHOP | CAREERS | ETHICS

Did a friend forward this free newsletter to you?

Content marked with an * is paid advertising. Content marked with an ^ is created by our content studio. The company may also generate commission from affiliate links in the newsletter.

Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.

P.O. Box 2505, Greenville, SC 29602

ADVERTISE | CAREERS | ETHICS | PRIVACY | THE BUY