Depending on which news sources you follow, Milwaukee is going through either a “renaissance” or a “reinvention.” Or maybe it’s a “reboot” or a “reimagining,” like that crappy Tim Burton version of Planet Of The Apes. However you want to define it, it’s safe to say that Milwaukee is currently building a lot of new shit.
• Remember when Brady Street had that big, weird video store? You know, the one that used to be in the strip mall on the east end of Brady? In the space where the expanded Walgreens is today? What was that place called? Oh yeah! Video Adventures! Remember all the porn they had on the second floor? Geez, it’s been 12 years since that place closed? Crazy…
Anyway, yeah, that strip mall—officially known as Brady Place—was recently purchased by an Illinois-based investor for a cool $9.6 million. No word yet on what that investor plans to do with the 24,256-square-foot property, but we’re sure it’ll be something we can all agree on and be happy about. [BizTimes]
• Speaking of Brady Street—albeit the opposite end of Brady—the former Hybrid Lounge, 707 E. Brady St., could soon become a diner/cafe/takeout joint dubbed “Brady’s Corner.” In an application to the Historic Preservation Commission, prospective owner Salvatore “Sam” Sivilotti writes:
“Brady’s Corner” will function as 3 separate entities inside of one building. On the first floor will be a neighborhood diner that we feel is missing from the neighborhood. Upstairs will be a 24 hour European style cafe that was inspired by our family’s recent trip back to Italy. Where we finally got to see the place our family’s history began long before the voyage across the Atlantic that eventually ended them up on Brady street. And finally, out of the back kitchen will be a service window that serves butterburgers and fries to the many patrons of Brady street that are on foot, and bring some sidewalk eats to the already vibrant area.
Pending approval from the Historic Preservation Commission (a meeting is set for April 2), the three-purpose redevelopment could be ready by the end of the year. [Urban Milwaukee]
• A vacant storefront at 1104 W. Historic Mitchell St. could become affordable artists’ studios. Pattee Group of Milwaukee wants to transform the space into a “gallery and event space up-front, with 14 to 16 studios for a variety of artists.” The project will need a green light from—you guessed it!— the Historic Preservation Commission (as well as the Board of Zoning Appeals). [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• Work will soon begin to transform the building that formerly housed Paintball Dave’s, 203 N. Broadway, into seven upper-level apartment units and a renovated ground-level retail space. [BizTimes]
• The City Plan Commission gave a unanimous thumbs-up to a proposed five-story, 86-unit apartment building located at a vacant lot at 223 W. Oregon St. Dubbed “The Yards,” the building will be a companion piece to a five-story, 70-unit apartment building known as “The Quin.” [Urban Milwaukee]
• Know how everyone always complains about all the condos being built in Milwaukee, when in reality its luxury apartments that are being built? Anyway, some real-deal condos are probably coming to the stretch of land along the Milwaukee River where Water Street meets Brady Street. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• Plans are full-steam-ahead to transform the Wisconsin Avenue School, 2708 W. Wisconsin Ave., into an “extended-stay, luxury-suites hotel” called Ambassador Suites. [Urban Milwaukee]
• Plans are being reviewed to turn a plot of undeveloped land at 2764 N. Humboldt Blvd. into “two apartment buildings, each two-stories high, with a combined total of eight two-bedroom units.” [Urban Milwaukee]