International Wood International Wood 2004 | Page 20

A Sophisticated Mix
ARCHITECTS EMBRACE CREATIVE WOOD COMBINATIONS
FOR UNIQUE COMMERCIAL PROPERTY
S
ituated atop the gentle hill on the isthmus between
Madison’s lakes Monona and Mendota sits Wisconsin’s
grand Beaux-Arts state capitol building, one of the most
striking in the country. The area surrounding it, known as the
Capitol Square, has undergone a building boom in recent years
that includes upscale condominiums, office space and a host of
restaurants and clubs.
One such property is known as Block 89, a $90 million mixed-
use development by Urban Land Interests, designed by the
Chicago-based architecture firm Valerio Dewalt Train. Among the
property’s more notable tenants are an upscale eatery called
Johnny Delmonicos, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, the Legislative
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IMPORTED WOOD
Reference Bureau, and Park Bank.
Not only did Valerio Dewalt Train design the structures; the
firm also created Block 89’s main interior public spaces.
“The developer liked warm interiors – reds, browns, and very
rich and warm wood,” says David Jennerjahn, who started on Block
89 as project architect but was made a principal of the Chicago-
based firm over the course of construction. “What they really pre-
ferred was Swiss Pear wood, but the budget didn’t allow for it. We
found that steamed European Beech could be stained to match
the tones of a Pear Wood, and we all really liked its rich color. That
was the launching point for a lot of the palette, and dictated what
we chose for other woods, stones, paint and carpets.”