Churchill Building
Encyclopedia
The Churchill Building, also known as the Gay Building, is a nine-story, 134 feet (40.8 m) high-rise building in Madison
, Wisconsin
. Completed in 1915, and located at 16 North Carroll Street, it was Madison's first skyscraper. The building, like many others built in Madison during the early 1900s, was built in the Beaux-Arts style. The building was the second-tallest building in Wisconsin at the time, after Milwaukee's City Hall
; remaining so until 1917 when the Capitol Building
was completed, though the latter isn't considered a skyscraper. When the building was completed, there was speculation that extra streetcar service would be needed to handle the increased concentration of people going in and out of the building.
The building was developed by Leonard Gay (for whom it was first named) and designed by architect James R. Law, Jr., who later became mayor of Madison from 1932 to 1943. The height of the building interfered with views of the Capitol and thus drew opposition. The city's landscape architect, John Nolen
, led an unsuccessful campaign to to stop its construction. After the building was completed, a 90 feet (27.4 m) height limit was enacted for buildings around the Capitol; as a result, the Gay Building remained Madison's tallest (other than the Capitol) until the Wisconsin Supreme Court
struck down the height limit law in 1923, which allowed construction of the taller Belmont Hotel
. In 1974, developer Don Hovde acquired the building, gutted and renovated it, and changed its name to the Churchill Building.
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. Completed in 1915, and located at 16 North Carroll Street, it was Madison's first skyscraper. The building, like many others built in Madison during the early 1900s, was built in the Beaux-Arts style. The building was the second-tallest building in Wisconsin at the time, after Milwaukee's City Hall
Milwaukee City Hall
City Hall is the scene of the largest Socialist victory ever registered in an American city, when in 1910 Emil Seidel and a majority Socialist Common Council swept into office. Although the Socialist majority on the Common Council was short-lived, the city was led by Socialist mayors from 1916 to...
; remaining so until 1917 when the Capitol Building
Wisconsin State Capitol
The Wisconsin State Capitol, in Madison, Wisconsin, houses both chambers of the Wisconsin legislature along with the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Office of the Governor. Completed during 1917, the building is the fifth to serve as the Wisconsin capitol since the first territorial legislature...
was completed, though the latter isn't considered a skyscraper. When the building was completed, there was speculation that extra streetcar service would be needed to handle the increased concentration of people going in and out of the building.
The building was developed by Leonard Gay (for whom it was first named) and designed by architect James R. Law, Jr., who later became mayor of Madison from 1932 to 1943. The height of the building interfered with views of the Capitol and thus drew opposition. The city's landscape architect, John Nolen
John Nolen
John Nolen was an American landscape architect. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, John Nolen was orphaned as a child and placed in the Girard School for Orphaned Boys by the Children's Aid Society...
, led an unsuccessful campaign to to stop its construction. After the building was completed, a 90 feet (27.4 m) height limit was enacted for buildings around the Capitol; as a result, the Gay Building remained Madison's tallest (other than the Capitol) until the Wisconsin Supreme Court
Wisconsin Supreme Court
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in the state of Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin.-Location:...
struck down the height limit law in 1923, which allowed construction of the taller Belmont Hotel
Belmont Hotel (Madison, Wisconsin)
The Belmont Hotel is an eleven story residential hi-rise building located in Madison, Wisconsin. The building was built in 1924 in a beaux-arts style. It was a hotel until 1968, and featured an old English dining room. The height of the building instigated Madison's current height restriction, to...
. In 1974, developer Don Hovde acquired the building, gutted and renovated it, and changed its name to the Churchill Building.