Ivory Tusk comes to life

Tom Druml

The old Marshall Field’s building at the corner of Wisconsin and Plankinton avenues was one of Milwaukee’s premier department stores for almost 100 years. The building lay dormant for nearly two years before renovation work began in the fall of 1999.

The project consisted of renovating approximately 500,000 square feet. The existing building has eight floors plus a below-grade basement. The one-city-block building is a combination of five different structures built in the early 1900s, with the oldest dating back to 1890.

ASA members played a vital role in the renovation of this magnificent structure. Two ASA subcontractors, J.F. Cook Company Inc. and Spray-O-Bond Company, renovated the exterior of the building.

J.F. Cook of Oak Creek replaced the old windows in the building with new, high-performance, aluminum windows that met stringent requirements set forth by the Wisconsin Historical Society and the National Parks Service. Work began on developing plans and specifications with Kahler Slater Architects and Uihlein Wilson Architects almost one year before demolition began.

The windows were designed to meet exact details, such as maintaining existing glass sight lines, replicating existing radius windows and maintaining profiles on the exterior molding to match what was installed more than 100 years ago.

The work included replacing more than 1,000 windows. New aluminum dies had to be fabricated to replicate existing conditions. The TRACO Window Company, Cranberry, Pa., manufactured the windows.

Labor of love

The installation process was a real challenge as all the windows were installed from the interior of the building without the use of a swing stage. A high lift with an extendable platform allowed workers access to the outside of the building for caulking and window installation.

The windows were of varying sizes but many units were more than 6 feet wide and 11 feet tall. In order to meet existing glass sight lines, the entire window frame had to be removed and rebuilt before installing the new windows.

Spray-O-Bond restored the terra cotta masonry veneer. Used in construction around the turn of the century and up until the Great Depression era, terra cotta is made of a high temperature, baked clay bisque and ceramic glaze. While Ivory Tusk terra cotta appears to be primarily white, upon closer inspection, five different shades can be detected throughout the building.

Spray-O-Bond replaced more than 700 pieces of terra cotta in the façade, repointed the masonry joints and steam-cleaned the entire façade. A cantilevered scaffold system over the Milwaukee River was needed for rebuilding the terra cotta, many of which weighed more than 400 pounds.

Team effort

Spray-O-Bond, now in its 75th year, has restored hundreds of important historic landmarks like the Ivory Tusk Building.

“The Tusk has been restored to its appropriate grandeur,” said Robert Forrer, Spray-O-Bond president. “It is great to see such a classic structure come back to life. The façade really sparkles with the combination of the terra cotta restoration and the renewal of the large decorative window scheme. It is once again the centerpiece of Milwaukee’s downtown river walk.”

Other ASA subcontractors played an important role in the renovation of the building. LaForce Inc. handled frames, doors and hardware; Great Lakes Contracting Inc. worked the structural, ornamental and other types of steel erection; Ver Halen installed the acoustical ceilings: Thomas A. Mason Company Inc. did the interior finishing, painting and wall covering; Olympic Wall Systems Inc. did the drywall; Superior Special Services handled the waste disposal; Patent Construction Systems supplied and erected the scaffolding; and Grunau Company Inc. provided miscellaneous metals.

The remodeled building consists of a 131-room Marriott Residence Inn for the upper four floors of the North Building and a mixture of offices, restaurants and retail in the remaining space. The renovation was part of a $32 million dollar upgrade. The general contractor for the project was J.H. Findorff & Son Inc.

“The ASA member subcontractors played a critical role in the renovation of this structure,” said John Rodell, Findorff vice president. “The quality and workmanship was exceptional. They should be commended for a job well done.”

The complexity of a project of this magnitude regarding design, fabrication, material handling and the installation of the windows was one of our most challenging projects in recent years. We are proud of our accomplishments in helping bring one of Milwaukee’s crown jewels back to life.

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