5 views of the tiles of Vliet Street

This tile sends four "vines" up the facade of a Moorish Revival building on 27th and Vliet Streets.

Published July 11, 2014 at 10:01 a.m.

Some streets in Milwaukee seem to specialize in different features, though it's often subtle and surely not even really true. It's just more the things that catch our eye on our daily commute.

That's what led me to begin to notice and appreciate the relatively fancy facades on industrial buildings along State Street.

And, lately, I've been noticing how many buildings on Vliet Street have facades featuring different kinds of tile work. Here are some of my favorites.

The Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory calls this gorgeous two-story storefront, "Probably the best preserved example in Milwaukee of the use of stock terra cotta tiles with Art Deco motifs to decorate a small store." Built in 1922, the structure long housed a furniture store and appears to be vacant at the moment. The cream-colored terra cotta is highly ornate, with yellow and rust-colored highlights, and "Wile Bldg." written is grey script. Alas, I have been unable to determine the architect responsible.

Martin Tullgren & Sons were the masters of glazed terra cotta in this town and you may recognize their buildings like the one 60th and North, the Downtown home of George Watts & Son and the Prospect Avenue building that was once home to the Avant Garde Coffee House and now houses Mystery One Bookstore and Allium restaurant, among others. But drive around town and you'll see that this eye catching cream colored tile, sometimes stark white, and often decorated with motifs like these, are everywhere. This example was built in 1923.

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5 views of the tiles of Vliet Street