Lake Mendota laps the shore at the Edgewater Hotel, close to the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the State Capitol. The building you see began life as the Edgewater Apartment and Hotel, built in 1946–48, and was greatly expanded by additions in 1973 and again in 2014. The original 1940s structure is a contributing building in the Mansion Hill Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, and was named one of the Historic Hotels of America by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2015.
Designed by Danish-born architect Lawrence Monberg, this is a fine example of Streamline or Art Moderne architecture. In Mansion Hill there are five Art Moderne buildings; in Wisconsin the style was built between 1930 and 1950. Art Moderne emphasizes a horizontal, streamlined appearance achieved through smooth wall finishes, flat roofs, curving walls, and horizontal bands of windows.
Three of the Art Moderne buildings in Mansion Hill are superb examples, all three designed by Lawrence Monberg — and this is one of them. The original 1940s block still counts in the Mansion Hill Historic District, and the National Trust named it one of the Historic Hotels of America in 2015.