Faison Building, Milwaukee

The Faison Building, officially known as 100 East Wisconsin, is a standout skyscraper in downtown Milwaukee, rising 35 stories above the Milwaukee River. Completed in 1989, the tower sits on the historic site of the former Pabst Building, and its design pays deliberate homage to Milwaukee’s rich Germanic architectural legacy.

After an unsuccessful attempt to develop a high-rise project called River Place in the early 1980s, the property was sold to Faison Associates of Charlotte, North Carolina. The firm enlisted Clark, Tribble, Harris & Li to design the building, drawing from Postmodern architectural cues and deeply inspired by the German Renaissance Revival style of the Pabst Building that once occupied the site.

The tower’s rectangular form is built with buff Texas limestone and framed in concrete. Its most distinctive features include a cupola-like crown, ornamental gold disks and finials, and arched base openings that echo the now-lost Flemish Renaissance detailing of its predecessor. These elements-while abstracted-reflect the ornate charm of 19th-century Milwaukee architecture and mirror civic icons like Milwaukee City Hall.

With 430,000 square feet of office space and 410 parking spots, 100 East Wisconsin was designed to be both functional and symbolic, blending historic aesthetics with modern corporate needs. Its three-part elevation and stylized gables even draw a comparison to the famed AT&T Building in New York by Philip Johnson and John Burgee, further embedding the Faison Building within the broader narrative of late-20th-century Postmodernism.

Recognizing its architectural and historical significance, the building was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 16, 2025-securing its place in Milwaukee's evolving skyline and its storied past.