MILWAUKEE | Development News

[Markitect]

links to active Milwaukee project threads:

:cool: MILWAUKEE | Johnson Controls HQ | FT | 52 FLOORS (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=215305)

:cool: MILWAUKEE | Northwestern Mutual Tower | 550 FT | 35 FLOORS (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=202800)

:cool: MILWAUKEE | The Couture | 537 FT | 44 FLOORS (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=200541)

:cool: MILWAUKEE | 777 N Van Buren | 387 FT | 34 FLOORS (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=218848)

:cool: MILWAUKEE | BMO Harris Financial Center | 335 FT | 25 FLOORS (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=226142)

:cool: MILWAUKEE | 1550 N Prospect | 290 FT | 27 FLOORS (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=221016)

:cool: MILWAUKEE | Portfolio | FT | 24 FLOORS (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=222805)

:cool: MILWAUKEE | Edison Place | 20 FLOORS (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=223748)

:cool: MILWAUKEE | 700 E Kilbourn | 199 FT | 19 FLOORS (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=221851)

:cool: MILWAUKEE | New Bucks Arena and Development (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=216538)

:cool: MILWAUKEE | Downtown Streetcar (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=192796)

[Jason]

I just read about the bank relocation at wisbusiness.com. Great news for the city.

[mullen]

Score one for the city. Good news for milwaukee.

[Markitect]

Ground has broken for Milwaukee's newest residential high-rise, which began construction a few weeks ago. Kilbourn Tower will rise from atop the lake bluff at the corner of N. Prospect and E. Kilbourn Avenues. Th 33-story tower will have 74 luxury condominium units, and aditional amenities including a 24-hour concierge service, on-site wine cellar and humidor, fitness center, business center, with 4 levels of underground parking and a private car wash.

See the Kilbourn Tower website for more details. (http://www.fiduciarydevelopment.com/kilbourn_tower.html)

The Journal Sentinel had a special advertising section a couple of weeks ago called "Condo Living" that featured a great article about Kilobourn Tower (http://specialsections.onwisconsin.com/sections.asp?sesid=60839774&refid=&sec=3794&pg=17) with some renderings.

http://specialsections.onwisconsin.com/newspapers/milwaukeej/sections/030725/001_030725.jpg

http://specialsections.onwisconsin.com/newspapers/milwaukeej/sections/030725/017_030725/113733.jpg

[mullen]

Brew town's really becoming upscale, that tower extends the skyline.

[Steely Dan]

YES!!!!

kilbourne is finally going to happen. a mighty fine modern building building in an absolutely great spot in regards to the skyline. this will be a fun one to watch as it rises as it will have a dramatic skyline impact, especially from the lake view of the skyline.

[123elm]

A very nice addition to the skyline.

[wheelingman]

What a nice addition to the skyline this will be and the great city of Milwaukee.

[Jason]

I drove by yesterday. A big hole in the ground is all that's apparent right now.

[Markitect]

University Club Tower, the proposed 32-story luxury condo atop the lakefront bluff in Downtown, has received preliminary approval from the Milwaukee City Planning Commission.

The tower remains in the marketing stages, as the developer is looking for more prospectuve buyers before construction can begin.

The site for this tower is immediately next-door to Kilbourn Tower, already under construction (see previous posts above). It is located immediately to the left of Kilbourn Tower in the renderings posted toward the top of this thread.

See the article from today's Journal Sentinel for more details: City planners favor condo tower - Downtown units would be tops in size, price (http://www.jsonline.com/bym/news/sep03/168209.asp)

http://www.jsonline.com/graphics/bym/img/apr03/tower01_big.jpg

[ColDayMan]

Okay...Milwaukee is TOTALLY impressing me at this moment. SO SO SO SO SO underrated :).

[Steely Dan]

great news markitect, thanks for the update. kilbourne tower alone will dramtically change the skyline from the lake, but if this other tower also rises right next to it, it'll damn near be a brand new face to the skyline.

here's to hoping that the development pace continues to gather steam in brewcity.


p.s. i am photoshop incompetent, but i was wondeing if someone else with mad p-shop skills could maybe morph that u club tower into that kilbourne tower rendering, or vice -versa. perhaps the persepctives are too different to make it work, but it might look cool.

[ctwickman]

Thanks for the update Markitect. Keep 'em coming. Everything looks WONDERFUL. Milwaukee is definetly moving forward in the RIGHT direction!

[CityGawd5]

Man, you are overflowing with good news, aren't you Mark?

I was downtown yesterday (I went to Borders to pick up the new John Mayer CD, of course) and Cathedral Place is nearly finished. The tower's facade is 2/3rds complete, and the parking garage portion's facade appears to be complete already, unless they're adding glass to cover up the interiors...which I kind of hope they do.

The condo boom is definately big here...very exciting times. 1522 was just completed a few months ago (hey, didja know that Halle Berry's movin' into the top two floors?), and Kilbourne is getting ready to go up...funny, but I year ago, there were a few Milwaukee forumers who doubted that even that would make it to the construction phase, much less the then-renderingless University Club Tower. Honestly, I can't remember if I did or not...lol. It's just too bad that RiverTower fell by the wayside. That was a cool-lookin' building. Ah, well. Life goes on, and the Park East goes down (yay!). Things are lookin' good from where I'm sitting. :)

Ironically enough, I happen to be sitting in a building facing north, so I really can't see anything I was just talking about. But you got what I meant. Um...yeah. This is what happens when I don't sleep, kids.

[Markitect]

Milwaukee's lakefront will be heating up once again with an invitation-only architectural design competition for the proposed Pier Wisconsin building--a new home for the organization that specializes in Great Lakes and freshwater education.

The original design and location for the new Pier Wisconsin building were heavily debated over the past couple of years. The white colored sail-and-mast-like design elements were criticized for being too derrivative the neighborhing Quadracci Pavillion at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Furthermore, despite its sloping tent-like form, the 90-foot high building was criticized for obstructing views of Lake Michigan. Other design criticisms arose over public access, parking issues, and incoherent reconfiguration of the site at the end of Municipal Pier.

After local philanthropist Michael Cudahay, who was backing the project, threatened to relocate the project to other Wisconsin cities, a 30-year lease agreement was ironed out upon the understanding that the project be redesigned. In addition to aquariums, exhibits, classrooms, labs, and theater/lecture halls, the new proposal will also include a new location for the science education center, Discovery World (one of Cudahay's previous acts of philanthropy), currently located at the Milwaukee Public Museum in Downtown.


The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel announced today that a competition will be held in the coming weeks for a new design for Pier Wisconsin.

Read the article for more details (and check out the archived Pier Wisconsin articles in the sidebar, too): Architects to compete for Pier design - Invitations seek plans for water education facility (http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/sep03/169619.asp)

Pictured below are renderings and models of the old design for Pier Wisconsin, which have now been scrapped.

http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/news/img/jun03/pierbig0628.jpg

http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/news/img/feb03/pier2020703.jpg

http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/news/img/dec02/pierbig121502.jpg

The site on Municipal Pier is the current home for the Pier Wisconsin group, which operates out of the old terminal of the now-defunct Milwaukee Clipper steamship (which used to run between Milwaukee, WI and Muskegon, MI). The old terminal building will be demolished to make way for the new building. Pier Wisconsin has provided facilities to educate vistors about Great Lakes marine life and history. Recently, the group completed the Dennis Sullivan--a replica of a Great Lakes schooner--built from scratch primarily by a group of volunteers (depicted in the renderings above).

[ctwickman]

I like the original design and location. It's perfect IMO.

Is that location and design in the picture, then, NOT going to happen? What's the most likely location for this?

I don't see how this could possibly "obstruct views." Sounds ludicrous.

[CityGawd5]

The original design is clunky and an obvious knock-off of the art museum. This is GREAT news.

EDIT: Oh God...please don't let Kahler-Slater win...


And btw, there's a new rendering of University Club Tower up at the site. I'll have to go take pics soon!

[Markitect]

The project has, and will be located in the same general area--on Municipal Pier, just south and east of the Art Museum. As to where exactly on the Pier it will be located (at the eastern tip, or along the southern edge, or somewhere else nearby) I have no idea.

The criticism about obstructing views of the lake came about because of the building's opaqueness. Most of the facade of the building was a solid white mass with small slivers of windows. It was definitley a valid criticism when the building was located at the far eastern tip of the pier (as seen in the third picture above). Earlier this year, the design was proposed to be relocated slightly, to the southern edge of the pier (as seen in the first rendering and model pictured above), but that brought on a different set of issues.

Also at the time, the City was in lease negotiations with the Pieces of Eight restaurant, which also shares the Pier with the project (which is not depicted in any of the images above). It was unsettled at the time whether the restaurant would continue to operate there and if the City would kick them out (they were behind on their lease payments owed to the City at the time). That conflict was eventually settled, Pieces of Eight stays put, and that also affects the configuration of Municipal Pier and the proposed Pier Wisconsin building.

I think an architetcural competition for the Pier Wisconsin project will bring forth an interesting set of designs, based on who some of the architects are (see article). A building located at such a promoinent location in the city's "front yard" must be carefully designed. I was not a fan of the original design and thought is was far from perfect, less so because it appeared to mimic certain elements of the Art Museum (white colored, mast sturcuture, cables), but because it really did obsturct lake views (the renderings above are misleading because they are all taken from viewpoints at which people would never be able to view the building) and the sloping white facades were almost entirely opaque.

[golscorer4]

I agreee with you CG5, it does look like a rip-off.

All this Milwaukee news is great. After visiting there this summer I'm definitely on the band wagon!

[Markitect]

And btw, there's a new rendering of University Club Tower up at the site. I'll have to go take pics soon!

http://www.mandelgroup.com/pics/condos/University_Club_Tower.jpg

[Markitect]

This Sunday's Journal Sentinel featured two point-counterpoint editorials debating the issue of open spcae within the soon-to-be-redeveloped Park East corridor in Downtown Milwaukee. The overbuilt, underutilized Park East Freeway has now been reduced to rubble, which will ultimately turn into 26 acres of prime Downtown real estate ripe for redevelopment.

The Park East is down. Now what? - Plan for more urban open spaces (http://www.jsonline.com/news/editorials/sep03/172732.asp)

The Park East is down. Now what? - Development, open spaces can coexist (http://www.jsonline.com/news/editorials/sep03/172729.asp)

I take the stance described in the second editorial. The corridor has a lot of great potential for new developments and various types of open space. Such spaces don't necessarily have to be in the form of expansive parks (a la Central Park in New York City); they can take the form of hardscaped and softscaped suqares and plazas, smaller parks, treelined boulevards and streets, plus the extension of the RiverWalk (which can be designed to be both hard-edged and natural). The criticism of using all or a portion of the corridor to create a larger park at a time when the County is slashing funding and deferring maintenance on already existing parks throughout the city and county is also a very valid point.


An article from Monday's Business Journal summarizes some of the developments in the Westown section of Downtown that are proposed, underway, or nearing completion.


606 Building (Wisconsin Tower) - Plans for former office building to be converted into apartment and condo units
James Lovell Street warehouse - Yet-to-be-named conversion of warehouse into condo units
Boston Lofts - New condo units above Boston Store's recently remodeled retail and office space
Majestic Building - Office space being converted into condo units
Woolworth Building - Recently rehabilitated office space for redevelopment firm
Milwaukee Theater - Former Milwaukee Auditorium remodeled/reconfigured
Shops of Grand Avenue - Remodeled/reconfigured retail spaces in downtown mall
Amtrak Station - Plans to extensively remodel/upgrade existing Amtrak station into a venue that serves trains and buses
PabstCity - Proposed conversion of former Pabst Brewery complex into a mixed-use enertainment, office, retail, residential district

Read the article for a detailed explanation: Westown rebuilds on residential - Apartments, condos rescue ailing commercial, office district (http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2003/09/29/story2.html)

[ctwickman]

Thanks!

[Markitect]

This Monday the City Plan Commission approved the developer Peter Renner's design for the Harbor Front Condominiums. The proposal is located near the southern tip of the Third Ward, at E. Erie and S. Jackson Streets, along the Milwaukee River.

Renner expects construction on the first phase to begin in 2004 and be completed in 2005. A second phase will follow sometime in the future.

The plans also call for a new RiverWalk segment to be built adjacent to the condo buildings, which will ultimately link up to the rest of the RiverWalk system (which currently ends a few blocks to the north). A pedestrian plaza linking Erie and Jackson Streets to the RiverWalk will be placed between the condo buildings.

The Harbor Front Condos is the latest in a series of developments underway at the southern end of the Third Ward--which consists of mainly new construction (as opposed to primarily warehouse conversions in the northrn part of the neighborhood). A couple blocks away, the second phase of New Land Enterprises' Jefferson Block is under construction; across the street from that, the Mandel Group's Gas Light Lofts is going up. Nearby that, Mandel also has a proposal for the Marine Terminal Lofts along the river.

Renner is also building the Water Front Condos in the Fifth Ward, across the river and upstream from his Harbor Front project.

Check out the article from Monday's Journal Sentinel for specifics: City OKs building of riverfront condos (http://www.jsonline.com/bym/news/sep03/173551.asp)

Also, from the archives, an article from this past summer announcing the Harbor Front proposal: Condos planned for riverfront - $30 million project's site near Summerfest grounds (http://www.jsonline.com/homes/buy/jun03/149115.asp)

http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/bym/img/jun03/eriebig061803.jpg

[ctwickman]

Those condos look beautiful. This is just the type of development that I want to see in Milwaukee. A few high-rises is nice, but I think 4-6 story condos lining the river will look awesome, and more appropriate than a bunch of high-rises lining the river. Kind of a euro feel.

[CityGawd5]

Yeah, that's the rendering.

[Fiddle StiXXXXX]

Since the WAM on SSC has died down, why do't we just make this the unofficial Milwaukee thread?

[Markitect]

Obviously you haven't visited the "What About Milwaukee" thread at SSC in the past couple of weeks. It is going strong with photo tours, development news/discussions, and miscellaneous general Milwaukee discussons. Some of the regular participants have returned.

[Markitect]

And so it begins...

Developers of the now-under construction Kilbourn Tower are clashing with devlopers of the proposed-to-be-next-door University Club Tower, with the City of Milwaukee in the middle.

It seems KT-ers are saying the City is violating an agreement the City made with them when they City approved plans for UCT. What the argument boils down to is the two towers, if both were to go up, would be too close together, and that south-facing units in Kilbourn Tower would have windows that look out at the north-facing blank walls (which happens to be a serive/stair/elevator core, hence the relatively blank walls) of University Club Tower--which also coincidentally cuts off Kilbourn Tower's southern views of Lake Michigan. UCT-ers say "tough cookies, the City hasn't violate anything,we knew you'd bring this up." Meanwhile the City says "we didn't violate any agreements, we'd like to see both towers go up and be successful."

Developers for Kilbourn Tower have asked that University Club Tower be redesigned and/or repositioned on the proposed site so it sits further back from Propsect Avenue, which would allow University Club Tower to still get built, while allowing south-facing Kilbourn Tower residents to have their lake views.

Although I don't know the exact details of KT's agreement with the City, or the specifics on UCT's sitework, repositioning UCT on its site might actually work with a little tweaking of the design. Put a nice little landscaped park out front on Prospect Avenue which would become an additional amenity for UCT and KT; residents in both towers get their lake views, and everybody could live happily ever after.

An article from today's Journal Sentinel tracks the drama: Developer warns city to change or move other planned high-rise - Kilbourn Tower challenges design; neighbor to continue with development (http://www.jsonline.com/bym/news/oct03/174317.asp)

[Steely Dan]

well, i hope the parties involved can come to some compromise, i would really like to see both towers rise; the impact on the skyline from the lakefront would be great!

[Markitect]

With infrastructure underway to reweave the urban fabric once detroyed by the now-demiolshed elevated Park East Freeway, developers are ready to pounce on the opportuity to grad up more blocks for development.

The City will be holding a series of public meeting in the coming weeks where citizens can address issues and see presentations of the lastest, and hopefully final, drafts of the Renewal (Regulatory) Plan and Master Plan for the redevelopment project. Once the plans are ultimately approved by the County Board and City Council, developers can start making deals.

An article from Friday's Small Business Times discusses the excitement building around rebuilding a huge chunk of Downtown Milwaukee. It also gives some info about how materials from the freeway's demolition are being recycled and put to use in other redevelopment efforts underway and scheduled for the near future in other parts of the city.

Read all about it: Get ready, get set, develop - If market conditions prevail, 'they could be lining up to buy' Park East land (http://www.biztimes.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=currentissue.welcome&display=Special&num=1)


In other news, tug of war between commerical development in Downtown Milwaukee and suburban Waukesha County continues. GE Medical is still pondering sites for relocating its headquarters, which currently resides in Waukesha. Nothing really new since the last time reports came out, and the list of contenders remains pretty much the same:


Downtown Milwaukee - Ovation Plaza, 22-story office building (proposed last Fall) to be built on Water Street (current site of Marcus Center parking structure)
Downtown Milwaukee - A site on Cherry Street, in Park East/Schlitz Park
Wauwatosa - Milwaukee County Research Park, near the Zoo Freeway
Brookfield - A suburban site near Bluemound and Calhoun Roads
Brookfiled - Another site near Bluemound and Calhoun Roads
Menomonee Falls - Heritage Reserve, suburban office park
Oconomowoc - Pabst Farms, a wannabe new urbanist suburban office/residential development


See article for more details: Downtown Milwaukee jumps high for GE Med jobs (http://www.biztimes.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=currentissue.welcome&display=Special&num=2)

[Markitect]

GE Medical is still pondering sites for relocating its headquarters, which currently resides in Waukesha. Nothing really new since the last time reports came out, and the list of contenders remains pretty much the same:


* Downtown Milwaukee - Ovation Plaza, 22-story office building (proposed last Fall) to be built on Water Street (current site of Marcus Center parking structure)


Just a little bit more on this proposal...

Irgens Development Partners and the Marcus Center floated the Ovation Plaza proposal, but an anchor tenant must be found before any progress is made.

Last I heard, they were still kicking around ideas for the tower (mixed-use versus office, etc.), and the architetcural design hasn't been solidified. I managed to find a small rendering of something that was on the drawing boards, that hadn't been published in any of the usual newspapers I use for sources:

http://cdx.xceligent.com/attachments/914/460914_tn.jpg

If GE Medical would agree to reloccate its headquarters to Ovation Plaza, that would likely be the catalyst that would get this tower going.

[ctwickman]

Thanks for all this Milwaukee news Markitect. Personally, what do you think of all this good news for the city? I remember back in the 90's it almost appeared Milwaukee would be a just rustbelt town forever!

[CityGawd5]

Milwaukee will be a Rustbelt town forever. We'll just be a shiny one with clean streets and a better economy. The Rustbelt is a place, not a state of being - and it's part of Milwaukee's character. MKE has been a blue-collar, industrial city for decades, and that's something I'd like to think we take pride in.

As for GE Medical, it would be very exciting to see this company move downtown. What the hell is in Menomonee Frickin' Falls? It's a hole. And they're Village President makes Shrub look like a Rhodes scholar. My next comment ties into this, I guess. It's regarding the prelim design of Ovation Plaza: Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Who's the architect? Frickin' Kahler-Slater? Because that would explain the uninspired, banal, depressing box-type crap architecture. Fine, great! Bring the employees downtown, by all means! But why mar the cityscape with a block of heavy-handed, unimpressive jizz? We've got M&I, the 633 Building, the 411 Building, the Juneau Village Apartments, MGIC Plaza, Wells Fargo, and several assorted low-rises and parking garages to do that.

(Speaking of the city being marred, Shrub was in town today. Did anybody go protest? I was there. It was pretty frickin' fun. We boo-ed his car.)

[CityGawd5]

OH YEAH - and what's this about UCT having a blank wall? WHY? Would it be fatal to at least pretend that you care about the way the finished product will look? No wonder we've only seen one angle. The other ones might kill the buzz. And hey - if I were paying $1 mil for a condo in Kilbourn Tower, I wouldn't want to look at a frickin' cement wall. That's BS, and KT developers have every right to spazz out.

[cubercle]

i like that m&i building.

i also like juneau village in a fucked up way.
maybe i just like their arrangement for photography.

that wells fargo bldg is truly hideous, though.

[CityGawd5]

And you can't say anything good about 633. There is just NOTHING right with that horrible hunk of concrete.

[ctwickman]

CG5, I'd appreciate it if you kept your political views out of this thread, and let's just talk about Milwaukee.

[Markitect]

Keep in mind, designs for buildings go through several iterations of design, and the rendering posted above for Ovation PLaza is very prelimiary yet. Most likely it was an exploration of building massing within the cityscape rather than a foucis on detailed facade composition.

On the plus side, it's nice and glassy--not some stone or brick clad post-modern silliness with cutesy arched windows and heavy cornices, nor is it some brutalist modern behemoth.

And Kahler-Slater isn't the firm working on the design--it's Eppstein Uhen.

[CityGawd5]

Eppstein is pretty good. Worlds better than Kahler-Slater. I know that the rendering is a prelim, but some times the final designs wind up looking like their earlier couterparts. I just don't want to see that happen here. I'd like to see the building do something with its location right along the river. Make some sort of statement. Of course, this probably won't happen, but at least the building will bring more people downtown. I suppose that's a good thing. Btw - in terms of massing, that building is only 16 stories high. I thought the proposal was for 22 stories.

And ctwickman, I was talking about Milwaukee. I wasn't going to make a whole thread about it. I just wanted to see if anyone else was there. So I'd appreciate it if you pulled that stick out of your bum and let me be, thanks.

[Markitect]

I'd like to see the building do something with its location right along the river. Make some sort of statement. Of course, this probably won't happen, but at least the building will bring more people downtown.

That's hard to tell right now. Going by the rendering from the very very early design stages above, the building will be positioned along Water Street (where it should be), as opposed to the river itself. It simply won't be big enough to fill the block and a half between Water Street and the river (unless they'll want to sacrafice height to make a lower, squatter building, which I doubt).

Also remember, Edison Street is in there, between the river and Water Street. I know the City was looking at using parcels between the river and Edison to be assembled along with the Marcus garage site. That would either mean closing of Edison completely, or putting a portion of the building over the street. In the rendering, it looks like a new parkig garage will be built closest to the river, though it's hard to tell if it will be right on the river or not (the State Street Bridge obscures the river frontage). In defense of the Marcus Center, they would still need a garage for parking, and so does the proposed office building--I imagine this would be a shared facility.

In any case, the river would likely get a RiverWalk treatment no matter what is fronting it (currently I donlt think there is a RiverWalk section on that block). Even something as mundane and utilitarian as a parking garage can be designed to look nice.

I suppose that's a good thing. Btw - in terms of massing, that building is only 16 stories high. I thought the proposal was for 22 stories.

The reports have stated 22-stories, yes. The rendering looks somewhere around 16-18 stories--but I have no idea when this was drawn, so it's likely a very early rendering from before the project was officially announced last Fall (or it could be a more recent rendering done after the announcement, and they reduced the height).

[ctwickman]

And ctwickman, I was talking about Milwaukee. I wasn't going to make a whole thread about it. I just wanted to see if anyone else was there. So I'd appreciate it if you pulled that stick out of your bum and let me be, thanks.

That wasn't very nice. I would just kindly APPRECIATE if some attacks against particular political affiliations were kept out of this thread. Do you want me to go on a rant on who I think sucks in the political world? Probably not. Sheesh, I never personally attacked you man... :???:

[CityGawd5]

Let's take this to the private messenger, shall we? :)

[Markitect]

An article in Tuesday's Journal Sentinel describes one of Milwaukee's lastest condo proposals, named 100 Seeboth, for the Walker's Point neighborhood. The proposal brings condo design in the city to a whole new and different level, having been designed by New York City's Tod Williams Billie Tsien & Associates (which recently won an award for the American Folk Art Museum in New York).

The site is a prime location at the bend in the Milwaukee River, south of Downtown; the building would act as a visual terminus for S. 1st Street. It would contain eight condo units, plus some offices, a restaurant, plus a RiverWalk/boat docks. The warehouse that currently sits on the site would be demolished to make way for the new building.

As for the architectural design, it is very "different" to say the least.

Have a look through the article for more:
Condos on river entice New York architects - 2002 architectural prizewinner would design $20 million building (http://www.jsonline.com/homes/build/oct03/175305.asp)

The rendering below looks north, showing the front and side facades, prominently located along W. Seeboth and S. 1st Streets.

http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/bym/img/oct03/condabig100603.jpg


The model pictured below looks south; the glassy facade overlooks the bend in the river.

http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/bym/img/oct03/condbbig100603.jpg


This is an extemely poor design for an extrememly great site! The plain blank concrete walls simply make this building look very uninviting and very very urban-unfriendly because it turns its back to the street.

I am curious to see what the City has to say about this design. I doubt they'd go for it without some overhauls, and I can't say I'd blame them.

[CityGawd5]

We've seen very little of the design so far...perhaps we should wait and see what it looks like from more than two angles.

[Markitect]

These two angles are the most important ones!

[Mikey711MN]

(from http://www.jsonline.com/bym/news/oct03/175519.asp)

City panel backs snug site for second condo tower
By TOM DAYKIN (tdaykin@journalsentinel.com)

The developer of downtown condo high-rise Kilbourn Tower failed Tuesday in its attempt to delay city approval of a competing tower proposed for a neighboring site.

Fiduciary Real Estate Development Inc., which is building Kilbourn Tower at E. Kilbourn and N. Prospect avenues, asked a Common Council committee to delay for two to three weeks its approval of University Club Tower, which Mandel Group Inc. plans to develop just south of Kilbourn Tower.

Despite the implied threat of a possible lawsuit from Fiduciary, members of the Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee sided with University Club Tower. The committee unanimously recommended approval of the University Club project to the full council, which is to vote on the issue Oct. 14.

Fiduciary is concerned that the 32-story University Club Tower, if built as presently designed, would create a sense of overcrowding with the 33-story Kilbourn Tower, said Craig Raddatz, Fiduciary development director.

To illustrate his point, Raddatz showed aldermen an illustration that depicted both buildings - standing side by side like giant redwood trees.

The towers, which would be among the tallest buildings downtown, would be 25 feet apart for most of their height - roughly the length of two Volkswagen New Beetles parked end to end.

"I truly believe when you see pictures of the two buildings together," Raddatz said, "we are dealing with a huge compatibility issue."

However, Barry Mandel, Mandel Group president, said the $75 million University Club Tower, once it rises above the third story, would be set back 20 feet from the property line it shares with the $52 million Kilbourn Tower - more than the city requires.

Mandel said city regulations require a setback of just five feet - which is Kilbourn Tower's setback from that same property line.

Mandel also said plans for a high-rise on the University Club site, which overlooks Lake Michigan, have been publicly known since 2000. That's when Department of City Development officials rejected a proposal to develop one high-rise that would have used both the club site and the Kilbourn Tower site, and instead called for two neighboring condo towers.

"If I lived in an area with vacant land, I'd know sooner or later it's going to get built," said Ald. Suzanne Breier, referring to the University Club site.

The committee vote came after nearly two hours of presentations by Mandel, Raddatz and city officials.

The dispute centers on two high-rise condos that would cater to the area's wealthiest residents.

Kilbourn Tower has so far sold more than half of its 74 planned units, which have an average price of $875,000. It is being financed through M&I Bank and Associated Bank, and it is expected to be completed by the spring of 2005.

University Club Tower's prospective buyers have reserved 35 of the tower's planned 52 units, which have an average price of $1.5 million. Mandel said he plans to soon begin converting those reservations into signed sales agreements in order for that tower to obtain financing.

Mandel said he hopes to begin construction on University Club Tower by April. He told committee members that city approval would help continue the project's momentum.

"We need to dispel the notions of some people who say our development is not consistent with city standards," Mandel said.

Raddatz agreed that Fiduciary's owners were long aware of plans for the University Club site. He also said the University Club Tower's design, by Chicago-based firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, has some "outstanding architectural features."

But Raddatz also said the tower's design, which received Plan Commission approval in September, needs more scrutiny. He said University Club Tower's size and design "must be compatible with adjacent buildings and add vitality to the neighborhood."

Fiduciary last week filed a legal notice with the city clerk's office. The notice said the development of University Club Tower, as currently planned, would hinder Fiduciary's ability to properly develop its building as outlined under the firm's agreement with the city.

Fiduciary's notice suggested moving the University Club Tower off Prospect Ave. to the western portion of the club's parking lot, along Marshall St.

That idea was flatly rejected by Mandel, who said it would "destroy" the tower's design concept. Mandel also said placing a high-rise on Marshall St., where it would be next to low-rise buildings, would amount to bad urban planning.

Raddatz said Fiduciary was open to other "solutions," although he didn't offer the committee any specific suggestions.

[Steely Dan]

^so it sounds like these two towers might rise next to eachother and the owners of kilbourne are just going to have to live with it.

that works for me :)

[Mikey711MN]

yeah, the two pictures are incredibly misleading with their backgrounds, as there is no real ability to determine what one might look like RIGHT next to the other.

I like both buildings--A WHOLE LOT--but if they take something away from each other (not just in residents' views or land values or whatever) architecturally, the whole might not add up to the sum of the [two] parts and that isn't good.

[CityGawd5]

So basically, this is bad. I love the fact that Milwaukee's getting two highrises, but this whole situation smells really rotten to me. First off, plans for Kilbourn Tower have, to my knowledge, been around as long as plans for the UCT. On top of that, Kilbourn's designs have most definately been available for a longer period of time than UCT's - MUCH longer, actually. Taking that into consideration, does it strike anyone else as...um...slightly odd that UCT should plan for a large portion of their northern facade - the one facing Kilbourn Tower - should be a blank wall? Hmmmm...sounds like someone's playing dirty. Of course UCT is fine with the distance...their residents don't have to look at concrete.

And I think we have a winner for the "Most Asinine Comment of the Year": Mandel also said placing a high-rise on Marshall St., where it would be next to low-rise buildings, would amount to bad urban planning.

Bad urban planning? Um...you're sticking one big wall right next to another, genius. In a city like Milwaukee with aaaaaaall this open land, I think that could be considered bad planning as well.

[CityGawd5]

Ok...here's a general idea of what the towers will look like back-to-back...

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid83/p7b156d40c2fab9dabdbc070ef6a9d860/fae017cf.jpg

[Markitect]

You have to drop the "orig.jpg" off the end of your code for the image to show up.

But yeah, that's essentially what they'd look like next to each other.

[Steely Dan]

i edited CG5's img coding so the picture should show up now.

thanks for the heads up markitect.

as for that shop job cg, thanks for putting that together and now that i see it, they do kinda look "uncomfortably" close to eachother.

well i hope something can be worked out, i still would like to see two new substantial towers rise on milwaukee's lakeshore.

[ctwickman]

Thanks for the pic CG5...

As much as these towers need to get built, honestly, I think they look terrible that close together.

What are the chances that Kilbourn will end up being able to convince UT to move it back a bit? No one can predict the future, but any educated guesses?

[neqquah]

:no: That looks so bad

[ctwickman]

Crap, the more I look at that, the more horrible that looks. SO dissapointing.

I really hope they can move UT back a bit. I fully support Kilbourn's initiative now after seeing just how incredible close together they are. It would be different if we were in NYC, but this is Milwaukee--it just plain looks odd that they are so close together when there is all that open air around them...

Oh well... I guess the arguing is still going though, right, and the placement of UT is not final yet?

[CityGawd5]

Not photoshop, friends...no. That was done ever so tediously in MS Paint. :)

Anyway, I'm glad that you're all starting to see the problem with having these towers so close together. Right now, what I really want to see is a rendering of the side of UCT that will face KT. I want to see the placement of this blank section of wall. I want to see how bad it looks. Remember - the people are paying alomst a million bucks for their view--and a concrete wall is not worth a million dollars, by any means.

[Markitect]

The placement of UCT is "final" in the eyes of the Dept. of City Develoment, the Zoning Board, and its developers.

Unless the Common Council disapproves during the final round of approvals, or if KT can convince UCT to move, or KT can convince the City to convince UCT to move, or if by some reason the issue goes to court and a judge rules that UCT be moved, it will be built where it's proposed.

[neqquah]

Why the hell do the UCT developers want the UCT to be so close to the KT?

[Markitect]

To be accurate, Univeristy Club Tower doesn't have an entierly blank wall facing Kilbourn Tower. Each unit will have some windows facing north, toward KT, but a majority of the wall is blank.

As far as the UCT developers "wanting" their tower so close to KT--they don't necessarily "want" it to be that close, that's just the way the building is configured. It is a very narrow site, so there's not much room to keep UCT (as it's designed) by widening the space between the two towers.

The space could be widened if UCT was narrower, but that would require redesigning the entire building (for at least the third or fourth time). That option is bad for developers, because it means they have already have a good portion of the current design reserved with prospective buyers. A redesign means they lose out on money and time they've already put into the project, plus they have to spend more to start from scratch. Of course, building a narrower building may mean UCT will have to lose some units, which means the developers would lose out on all the money those dropped units would give them, and the building may end up being uneconomical for them to even construct anymore.

The solution isn't always as easy as "move your building to the back of the site," or "trim a little off the sides so there's more space between the two buildings."

[Mikey711MN]

perhaps sending that picture to either the developers, the Common Council, or the Journal-Sentinel might do some good...

[ctwickman]

Hey CG5, if you could make me a cleaner copy of that image, without the "Downtown Living 2.0" or whatever on it, I'll see if I can get it to the Common Council. Anyone want to send this to the developers? That's a good idea.

[Markitect]

Don't bother.

All parties involved have seen renderings with the two towers next to each other already (as stated in the article posted above).

[CityGawd5]

Good point Markitect. Based on that, I hope plans for the UCT fall through. Kilbourn is a better building by far, and it doesn't have any large blank walls. Any portion of blank wall is a bad one. By the way - since we're on the topic of bad urban planning, why don't we talk about bad architecture as well...

[Markitect]

By the way - since we're on the topic of bad urban planning, why don't we talk about bad architecture as well...

If you're gonna go off on a tangent about existing bad architetcure in Milwaukee, or elsewhere, it's better suited for a brand new thread, not this one.

Let's try not to mix existing stuff with proposed/under construction stuff in this thread.

[Mikey711MN]

All parties involved have seen renderings with the two towers next to each other already (as stated in the article posted above).

I'm not so sure. It depends on whether you consider the terms "illustrations" and renderings/"pictures" synonamous. The article suggests that illustrations were used--which, quite frankly, could mean anything from deciphering plan views to using massing demonstrations with other similarly sized adjacent buildings in a different city--while a rendering of this quality is probably pretty rare and not as meticulously demonstrated. Furthermore, if the renderings did exist, why wouldn't the Journal-Sentinel shown them? All they could muster is the same two buildings in separate renderings, which implied to me that said "illustrations" were unclear.

[Markitect]

Nope. They weren't plan drawings, they weren't pictures of other similarly-spaced buildings from some other city. It was a perspective rendering of Kilbourn Tower and University Club Tower standing next to each other. Showing plans or pictures of other buildings wouldn't get the point across about these two specific buildings. What was shown was essentially the same thing CG5 spliced together on his own. They've seen it already. Trust me.

From the article:

Despite the implied threat of a possible lawsuit from Fiduciary, members of the Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee sided with University Club Tower. The committee unanimously recommended approval of the University Club project to the full council, which is to vote on the issue Oct. 14.

Fiduciary is concerned that the 32-story University Club Tower, if built as presently designed, would create a sense of overcrowding with the 33-story Kilbourn Tower, said Craig Raddatz, Fiduciary development director.

To illustrate his point, Raddatz showed aldermen an illustration that depicted both buildings - standing side by side like giant redwood trees.

The towers, which would be among the tallest buildings downtown, would be 25 feet apart for most of their height - roughly the length of two Volkswagen New Beetles parked end to end.

"I truly believe when you see pictures of the two buildings together," Raddatz said, "we are dealing with a huge compatibility issue."



The Journal Sentinel didn't publish the illustration showing both towers because the drawing wasn't released to the paper. If it would have, the article would've included the rendering.

[Steely Dan]

ok my milwaukee friends, fill me in or correct me on any projects i have listed below. i just visited the old skyscrapers.com and was checking the database to run through all the recent highrise activity in the greater downtown area.

so we have:

-1522 on the lake - 18 flrs.: completed earlier this year


-cathedral place - 18 flrs.: topped out, should be completed soon?
-kilbourne tower - 33 flrs.:foundation work has commenced, are they out of the ground yet?


-university club tower - 32 flrs.: dispute with kilbourne developers, we'll see what happens.
-ovation plaza - 22 flrs.: prelim. design, awaiting tenant(s) to move forward.
-lafayette place - 32 flrs.: what's the latest word? any updates or news?
-broadway/wisconsin tower - 24 flrs.: what's the latest word? any updates or news?



any others i missed?

[Markitect]

Yep, you got all the recent high-rise activity on that list.

1522 on the Lake
- 18 stories
- Condos
- 93 units
- Completed early 2003

Cathedral Place
- 18 stories
- Mixed-use: Retail, Condos (26 units), Office
- Under construction; expected completion Jan/Feb 2004

Kilbourn Tower (no "E" in Kilbourn!)
- 33 stories
- Condos
- 74 units
- Under construction (foundation work); expected completion Spring 2005

University Club Tower
- 32 stories
- Condos
- 52 units
- Seeking final approval (anticipated groundbreaking early-2004)

Ovation Plaza
- 22 stories
- Mixed-use: Retail, Office, Condos (specifics unknown)
- Proposed project with preliminary design; seeking tenants

Unnamed Wisconsin/Broadway Tower
- 24 stories
- Mixed-use (specifics unknown)
- Proposed project; seeking tenants

River Tower
- 25 stories
- Condos
- Approximately 35-40 units
- Cancelled project; financing fell through

Lafayette Place
- 32 stories
- Condos
- 139 units
- Cancelled project; financing fell through

[Steely Dan]

thanks, markitect. so out of the 4 proposed/approved towers, it sounds like UCT is the only one that we might see start construction anytime soon (provided they can work out their differences with kilbourn). the other three are kinda hanging in limbo now?

[MequonWI]

Everyone forgets that ugly 14 story hospital completed on the southside. The Cardiac Expansion of St. Luke's.

[Markitect]

Nobody forgot; he only asked for high-rise projects near Downtown (which the South Side isn't).

But anyway...

St. Luke's Medical Center - Heart Care and Patient Tower
- 12 stories
- Hospital expansion
- Under construction; expected completion 2004



the other three are kinda hanging in limbo now?

Correct.

[Markitect]

Plans to convert the former Pabst Brewery complex into a vibrant mixed-use district called PabstCity are starting to pick up steam. The Journal Sentinel reports developers have filed a request to raze a few unusable and/or undesirable buidings on the property to make way for new builidings and amenities.

Developers are also working at signing some major anchor tenants for the project. Since February, developers have received letters of intent from five tenants expressing interest in leasing space in the redevelopment (a Hofbrauhaus microbrewery, House of Blues, and three unnamed businesses). Developers are working at converting those leters of intent into definite leases.

See what's on tap in the article: Developers seeking approval to raze some Pabst buildings (http://www.jsonline.com/bym/news/oct03/176012.asp)

[Markitect]

Developers of Lafayette Place have decided to drop their plans--they have been unable to secure financing to make the proposal a reality.

The Lafayette Place proposal was a 32-story, 139-unit condo tower located in a dense low-rise neighborhood on Milwaukee's East Side. It had gone through a few design iterations in order to try to satisfy neighborhood concerns about placing a high-rise in the middle of a low-rise neighborhood. But with other condo developments popping up all over the city, both high-rise and low-rise, Lafayette developers were also weary about flooding the market. They will attempt to develop the vacant lot with something else in the future.

Read all about it from the Journal Sentinel: Plans are dropped for condos on east side (http://www.jsonline.com/bym/news/oct03/176322.asp)

I'm actually not disappointed this one has been dropped, as a high-rise was never really suitable for that neighborhood.

[CityGawd5]

*Cheers*

Woo hoo! I was never a fan of Lafayette, as we've discussed before. COMPLETELY wrong for the neighborhood. This is (ironically) great news. Wow...so I must sound really wacko to all you super 'scraper enthusiasts. Heh...sorry. I'm a big fan of urban design/planning. Both Lafayette and UCT are good examples of incosiderate planning.

And as for my earlier "bad architecture" comment, I was being sarcastic. I was making referrence to the blank portions of UCT's north facade. I don't know of many modern high-rises with huge portions of blank wall. That's why it seems so deliberate to me. At any rate, you should be used to sardonic citygod by now. I've been like this as long as you've known me. :)

[Markitect]

Plans to revitalize the Milwaukee Amtrak Station picked up steam when the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and a development group known as Milwaukee Intermodal Partners signed a contract creating a public/private partnership for the project. Discussions about revitalizing the station have been ongoing for several years--first in the late-1990s by the previous owner (those plans fell through); and more recently by WisDOT, the present owner of the building.

In addition to some much needed cosmetic improvements, the building is intended to become an intermodal station, primarily served by trains (Amtrak service, as well as the proposed Metra extension and high-speed rail), buses (local, regional, and national). Pedestrian and bicycle amenities are also being considered. The developers are in talks with Greyhound and Badger bus operators to relocate thier terminals (both of which are just a few blocks away, across the street from one another) to the Amtrak station.

The station's exterior will receive a major facade overhaul and new canopied entrances/bus loading areas.

The station's interior will be reconfigured to accommodate additional ticket counters (for trains and the buses, and car rentals) and a few small retail spaces (the restaurant that used to be in the station was closed a few years ago and replaced by a wall of vending machines). The waiting areas will feature improved displays of schedules fro trains, buses, and flights at Mitchell Field (where a new station is being built).

The $3.9 million project is expected to be completed in 2005.

All aboard, to the WisDOT press release: Contract signing is first step in turning Amtrak Station into "Gateway to Milwaukee" (http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/news/news/2003general/opa-milwaukeeamtrak345.htm)

Pictured below is a preliminary rendering of the remodeled Milwaukee Amtrak Station.

<IMG SRC="http://www.pmainc.com/images/amtrack_03.jpg" HEIGHT="300">

[Mikey711MN]

GREAT NEWS!!! I must say, though, that the rendering merely looks like an extension of the building to the west and not the tremendous asthetic overhaul of the rest of it (read: the big boxy blandness that is most of the building). But a intermodal facility like this is huge for downtown, particularly when the Marquette reconstruction gets into full swing.

[Markitect]

No extensions, aside from the canopies--they're using the existing structure and just giving it a new "skin" really. It is still somewhat bland, but even that is a major improvement over the existing conditions.

http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/mke/1965b.jpg

[Markitect]

An open house for the Pier Wisconsin architectural competition was held this Thursday, as described in the Journal Sentinel. Represnetatives from three out of the five firms in the competition were on hand to answer questions and/or describe their design concepts so far. The competition is still underway, and the due date is expected in mid-November (thus, no renderings to show).

A few of the firms, Kubala Washatko and Eppstein Uhen, describe what they have in mind.

See the artcile for more info: Ideas floated for Pier Wisconsin - Open house along lakefront brings out architects, public (http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/oct03/179667.asp)

[CityGawd5]

So who are the five firms? Antoine Predock was initially mentioned, but we haven't heard much yet. The renderings should be available around November 15th(ish), right?

[Markitect]

Yeah, Predock was mentioned in the earlier article.

[Markitect]

What the articles have stated (this one and the one I posted a few weeks back) is all I know.

[mind field]

GOOD GRIEF!!!! An avg. selling price of $875,000 and $1.5 million for condos. That's incredible for a city the size of Milwaukee. Are there other towers in downtown Milwaukee with $500,000+ condos or are Kilbourn and UCT breaking into a new market? Just exactly who are these people? From Chicago or metro Milwaukee? Are they relocating from other downtown locales or coming from the suburbs? Are they empty nesters or DINKs?

Bare with me folks....I'm just surprised a city like Milwaukee has such a demand for very high priced condos in the heart of downtown. I'd expect this in cities like San Francisco, NY, Chicago, maybe even Miami. I guess I had the wrong impression about Milwaukee.

[Markitect]

High-rise condos along the lakebluff will go for several pretty pennies. Kilbourn Tower, University Club Tower, and 1522 on the Lake all have units going for $1+ million, as does Cathedral Square Condos (which is a few blocks inland from the lake).

I don't know what the long-standing lakefront condos are going for, but I see no reason why some of them wouldn't have units going for close to $1 million.

Is there a demand for so many ultra-high-price condos? Perhaps for what we currently have going up or proposed. Is there demand for even more of the same? Hard to say. Some developers think not in the near future. We don't want to over-saturate the market. Not to mention there are tons of other smaller developments springing up all over the place.

Most of the new condo projects are going for less than $500,000; but there are some going for more than that (excluding the million dollar ones).

Who is moving into all these condos? Young adults and empty nesters who can afford them; it really isn't one or the other group.

Where are they coming from? Don't really know; some from metro Milwaukee, some from outside the region--again, a little of both. I'd guess right now the number of local-area relocatees outnumber people coming from afar.

[CityGawd5]

Woooooooo hoooooooooo! Predock!!! Let's hope that works out.

[theodore]

What is happening at the southeast corner of 27th and Wisconsin?

[MSPtoMKE]

I dunno, but i just drove by that intersection last night and didn't notice anything that i can recall. Of course, it was at night, so it was harder to notice.

[Markitect]

What is happening at the southeast corner of 27th and Wisconsin?

The City acquired that block and has been clearing it of run-down buildings to make way for a commercial or mixed-use redevelopment project. A developer has been eyeing the site for a grocery store.

[Markitect]

Today's Business Journal reports growing concerns from Brewers Hill residents about a proposal for some new condominum buildings in the neighborhood.

Over the past few years, Tandem Devlopers has created Brewers Hill Commons throughout a few blocks in the neighborhood. Their efforts include converting former factory buildings into lofts, several twonhouse buildings, and even some single-family detached housing--138 units built or under construction as part of the development right now. Tandem's latest proposal is for 217 more units, including a some tall-ish buildings for the neighborhood, in the form of a 6-story and 5-story building (the article judiciously uses the term "towers"), some more low-rise townhouses, and some more signle-family houses.

Residents have expressed concerns about the number of units, size/height of the buildings and their placement on the blocks, as well as parking issues.

Have a read through the article for more information: Brewers Hill residents blunt condos (http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2003/10/27/story3.html?page=1) (be sure to scroll all the way down, it's a two-pager)

Also browse through the Brewers Hill Commons website. (http://www.brewershillcommons.com/)

[Markitect]

Once again, a hotel proposal is being floated for a site across the street from the Midwest Airlines Center (convention center) at W. Wisconsin and N. 4th Street--which is currently a surface parking lot. Two previous attempts to build a hotel on the site never materialized.

This time around, Sheraton is considering putting a 6-story, 253-room hotel on the site (which is smaller than the previous two proposals which were at 350 and 300 rooms). Developers are saying there isn't much demand for anything larger at the moment (plus some other hotels have expanded or opened up since those previous proposals were made). Meanwhile, some others in the hotel and convention industry are questioning the reduced size of the current Sheraton proposal.

The proposal also includes meeting space, a restaurant, health club, and swimming pool.

If financing is secured, the Sheraton could break ground in spring, and the expected 10-12 month scedule could even be opene for the large NAACP Convention in 2005.

Read through the Journal Sentinel article for more details: Hotel planned to complement Midwest Airlines Center - Sheraton may help Milwaukee attract more conventions (http://www.jsonline.com/bym/news/nov03/184819.asp)

[paule17]

6 story 253 room hotel? 6 STORY 253 ROOM HOTEL!?!?

STOP THE PROCESS!

OH Please! That parcel of realestate is prime (Location, location, location!) Why would you want to put up a shack when it could be graced with a tower?

LOL, now that I know what Sheraton thinks of Milwaukee I"ll just assume their hotels are crap!

6 story my arse!

[Fiddle StiXXXXX]

6 story 253 room hotel? 6 STORY 253 ROOM HOTEL!?!?

STOP THE PROCESS!

OH Please! That parcel of realestate is prime (Location, location, location!) Why would you want to put up a shack when it could be graced with a tower?

LOL, now that I know what Sheraton thinks of Milwaukee I"ll just assume their hotels are crap!

6 story my arse!

I agree. That is prime location. If 6 stories is all they can muster, I say wait for a new proposal.

[CityGawd5]

I'll third that. You don't stick a 6-story block on a lot directly across the street from the convention center in the dense commercial heart of Wisconsin's largest city. BS.

[Markitect]

More details about PabstCity--the redevelopment of the former Pabst Brewery into a downtown mixed-use entertainment district--were described in the Small Business Times.

Developers are negotiating a letter of intent from GameWorks to incorporate a large arcade/restaurant/bar into PabstCity, fitting right in line with the entertainment theme for the project. GameWorks has a number of such popular venues in other cities across the country--the nearest of which are in suburban Chicago and Minneapolis.

Developers also are continuing to solidify previous letters of intent from other interested parties into official leases--including a House of Blues and a Hofbrauhaus brewpub/restaurant.

Current plans for PabstCity include:

430 loft apartments
170 condominums
55,000 sqft of office space
5280 parking paces
an 18-screen movie theater, with stadium seating
a 200-room hotel
a grocery store

The article also includes an interview with lead developer John Ferchill, of the Ferchill Development Group, which has major redevelopment projects ongoing in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Akron, and Detroit.

See here for more: Pabst City will include GameWorks arcade and bar (http://www.biztimes.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=homepage.breakingNews&URLbreakingNewsID=123)

[CityGawd5]

Whoa! Great update. Honestly, and I'm not being sarcastic here, that grocery store is a great idea. That's just the kind of thing to bring to a mixed-use project if you want the residential portion to be successful. Pabst City sounds like it could be the coolest development in MKE since the MAM. I really like the idea of having a mainstream multiplex a little closer than the suburbs. That's a bonus.

Would Pabst City be on any major bus lines? If not, do you think the city will create or extend a route to include the development?

[Markitect]

PabstCity is not directly on any bus lines at all, because the brewery is essentially isolated in the northwestern corner of Downtown--sort of off the beaten path, hence the streets running through the property do not have bus routes. The nearest bus lines are a couple blocks away, on N. 6th Street (Routes 11, 80, and 143) and across I-43 along N. 12th Street (Route 1)--just a short walk east and west of PbastCity, just a short walk away, really.

As far as creating or extending bus routes to reach PabstCity, the City is not responsible for that; that's the County's responsibility. And given the recent budget cuts, fare hikes, and cutting bus services, it's not likely to make any additions to service anytime soon.

[CityGawd5]

That's too bad. At least it's not too far from any routes. Hey--because of the slight distance from the actual CBD, Pabst City is kind of extending downtown, in a way, right?

On a completely unrelated note, today was the final deadline for two of the firms in the competition for Pier Wisconsin. I was talking to someone from one of the firms that was working on a proposal when I was at work on Friday, and he said that it's been an intense few weeks. Sounds like we should be getting info soon...keep your fingers crossed on this one!!

[djcody]

*fingers crossed* hehehe

[Markitect]

Here is another article, this time from the Journal Sentinel, about the possibility of GameWorks locating in PabstCity: GameWorks negotiating PabstCity lease - Entertainment center would target professionals, students (http://www.jsonline.com/bym/news/nov03/186630.asp)

[djcody]

i would totally go there, if they brought it to milwaukee! Things just don't get done fast enough. haha

[Markitect]

An article from today's Business Journal describes the ongoing discussion for relocating Potowatomi Bingo Casino to Downtown from its current location in the Menomonee Valley. The study identifies four possible sites for relocating the casino (in the Park East corridor; a site at N. 6th and W. State Streets; a site west of the Amtrak Station; and a site east of the Summerfest Grounds).

Potowatomi has put a lot of investment in the current facilities in the Valley, and has plans on the table for another expansion there in the future (depending on the outcome of the state gaming compacts legal tangle). Further relocation hurdles concerning tribal lands could arise from the Federal government, as well.

Here's the artcile: Study seeks to woo casino downtown - Private effort launched to convince tribe that moving is feasible (http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2003/11/24/story1.html) (be sure to scroll down to the bottom--it's a three-pager)


I would rather see the casino stay put, and use those suggested Donwtown sites for other projects. Especialy sine the Potowatomi have invested so much into their facitlities already, and have more in store. Two of the four suggested sites--near the Amtrak Station and Summerfest--are relatively isolated. The site near Summerfest is also being eyed for a much-needed Downtown grocery store.


Another artcile from today's Business Journal describes developments heating up on the East Side. Numerous developers have shown interest in several properties in the area of N. Prospect/N. Farwell and E. North Avenues.

The major project slated to begin next year is the new Coulumbia-St. Mary's Hospital campus, which will include new hospital and mixed-use facilities along North Avenue.

Another developer is working with UWM to convert the Kenilworth Building on N. Farwell Avenue (a former warehouse owen by UWM, used now for arts studios/galleries, maintenance shop, storage space, and other miscellaneous uses) into a mixed-use retail/student housing/office building.

Meanwhile, other developers have undisclosed plans for some underutilized properties (gas station, office building, surface parking lots) on a couple other blocks in the area.

Also, New Land Enterprises has been marketing an 11-story retail/condo building at N. Farwell and E. Royall Place, to be called The Sterling.

Read the article for specifics: Boom looms on east side - Hospital, UWM projects excite developers (http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2003/11/24/story2.html) (a two-pager)