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 Discovery World was just a weird little appendage of the Milwaukee Public Museum? Remember when it got all fancy and moved to its current lakefront digs? Well, the little science and technology center that could is set to get real fancy real soon with a whopping $18 million expansion and upgrade. According to a press release:
Discovery World today unveiled a major expansion and renovation to the lakefront facility that will begin in late summer 2017. The project will add nearly 20,000 square feet of accessible public space to Wisconsin’s largest Science and Technology Center and provide the organization with versatility to help achieve a bigger impact on the community while also forging an important path toward long-term financial sustainability.
Set to break ground in August, the first phase of the project features a 10,000 square foot expansion that will be located on Discovery World’s north lawn. The versatile pavilion will serve a variety of purposes, such as providing lunchroom space for visiting school groups, expanding available educational space for field trips and summer camps, offering opportunities to host special events and weddings, and showcasing large traveling technology or freshwater exhibits. The lead gift for the expansion has been provided through a generous gift by the Reiman Family Foundation and the first phase of the project will be completed and open by the middle of 2018.
The second phase of the expansion will significantly reshape major exhibit space and reimagine the ways in which visitors engage with the facility. When fully functioning, the improvements will double the amount of exhibit and program space currently available in the Discovery World Technology Wing. The project will result in the transformation of one of the facility’s two theaters into a new Grand Entrance and Exhibit Gallery as well as open a Mezzanine Level previously inaccessible to the public. Two new permanent exhibit experiences will be added, including a new 5,000 sq. ft. exhibit focusing on public health, medical research and careers in health care. The work on phase two will begin in 2017 and, pending additional financial commitments, is expected to be completed by the end of 2018. [Urban Milwaukee]
• You know that beat-up Cousins Subs on the corner of Oakland Avenue and Locust Street? Yeah, it’s probably going to be a $12.5 million mixed-use apartment and retail development with 55 units and blah blah blah. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• A historic industrial building in Walker’s Point, located at 214 E. Florida St., might be converted to—you’ll never, ever guess—upscale apartments. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
• Some vacant lots in the Lindsay Heights neighborhood might be converted to—wait a minute, what?—a mixed-use urban garden center. [Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service]
• The site of the former Horny Goat Hideaway on the Kinnickinnic River sold for a cool $3.6 million. The buyer is an affiliate of utility and civil contractor outfit Michels Corp. “I’m excited to confirm we are exploring a number of exciting opportunities to develop that site,” a Michels official said. “Stay tuned.” [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• Speaking of new shit along rivers, a “high-end Polynesian restaurant and bar” named The Love Shack is set to open along the Milwaukee River, in the former Wine Maniacs space. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• A new sign will soon be installed at the Milwaukee Theatre, officially changing the venue’s name to the Miller High Life Theatre. The $1.85-million naming-rights deal went down in January. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• Milwaukee is getting its very own Shake Shack and it’s going to be located at 220 E. Buffalo St. and the Shake Shack people are denying it for some reason. Huh. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• OH MY GOD THE STREETCAR RAILS ARE BEING WELDED. [Urban Milwaukee]
• The former Pabst Brewing complex is continuing its transformation into a current luxury apartment complex. [Urban Milwaukee]
• Oh, yeah, it looks like the whole building boom is slowing down. Et tu, new shit? [TMJ4]