Depending on which news sources you follow, Milwaukee is going through either a “renaissance” or a “reinvention.” However you want to define it, it’s safe to say that Milwaukee is currently building a lot of New & Wonderful Things! Here are some of them, brought to you by GTG Home Buyers!

• Remember those renderings of the Foxtown Landing development that were released in November 2023? You know, those renderings of that three-story, dog-friendly brewery and taproom from Foxtown Brewery and Fromm Family Pet Food, to be built along the Milwaukee River at the corner of St. Paul and Plankinton in downtown Milwaukee, next to a new dog park to be built under Interstate 794? Yeah, those renderings. Well, throw ’em in the trash, because the project has a new look for 2024!


The updated plans for the big development include “the swapping of a greenhouse-like glass third floor for a glassy structure with a copper roof,” portable fire places instead of permanent fire places, a walk-up window that “would allow dog owners to grab a beer or coffee,” a “half-oval outlook over the river,” better connectivity to the dog park, and more.

The Historic Third Ward Architectural Review Board gave the new plans a thumbs-up on Wednesday. Both Foxtown Landing and the dog park are expected to begin construction this spring. [Urban Milwaukee]


• The Vivarium—a.k.a. the new 450-seat all-ages East Side music venue coming to 1818 N. Farwell Ave.—will celebrate its grand opening with a free show on February 20. Milwaukee’s own Wave Chapelle and ADORNER will play. It’s gonna be great! Until then, check out some under-construction photos from [OnMilwaukee].

• Six proposed apartment buildings—three of them on N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive alone—would add 330 affordable apartments to the city of Milwaukee. “The projects encompass a mix of development styles, including constructing new buildings, redeveloping a former school and renovating an aging apartment complex,” says [Urban Milwaukee].

• Three National Soldier’s Milwaukee VA Soldiers Home buildings will be restored thanks to a $25 million plan from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and The Alexander Company. The buildings include “the chapel and Ward Memorial Theater, designed by Henry C. Koch and Edward Townsend Mix’s Governor’s Residence.” [OnMilwaukee]

• Mike Eitel of Caravan Hospitality Group and Nomad World Pub renown was supposed to open a Nomad Coffee Bar in the soon-to-be-completed Vel R. Phillips Plaza in downtown Milwaukee. But now, thanks to some, um, disputes, he’s not. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]


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Matt Wild weighs between 140 and 145 pounds. He lives on Milwaukee's east side.