We have investigated metallic photonic crystals built around a layer‐by‐layer geometry. Two different crystal structures (face‐centered‐tetragonal and tetragonal) were built and their properties were compared. We obtained rejection rates of 7–8 dB per layer from both metallic crystals. Defect modes created by removing rods resulted in high peak transmission (80%), and high quality factors (1740). Our measurements were in good agreement with theoretical simulations. ©1996 American Institute of Physics.