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 and wonderful things.
• Way back in 2016, plans were unveiled to transform the Martin Luther King Library branch on the corner of North King Drive and West Locust Street into a combination library and apartment building. Now, seven years later, those plans are actually happening: A spring groundbreaking is currently set for the project, which includes a “four-story, 42-unit building with a new 18,000-square-foot King Library and retail space on the first floor,” and an accompanying “four-story, 43-unit apartment building at the block’s northern end, at West Chambers Street.” [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
JLA Architects
• Way back in 2017, plans were unveiled to build a 27-story luxury apartment tower at 1550 N. Prospect Ave. Now, six years later, revised plans may actually be happening: The Common Council recently approved a zoning change for a 25-story, 192-unit building on the site. “A 1,000-square-foot unit would cost $2,800 per month,” reports Urban Milwaukee. “The pricing is in-line with new, high-end buildings.” [Urban Milwaukee]
• A Black-led architecture firm, M&E Architects+Engineers, has been chosen to build the big Bronzeville Center for the Arts proposed for the site a former Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources office at 2300 N. King Dr. “This is an incredible opportunity to help define the look and feel of an institution that will represent the African American arts community for generations,” says M&E President Isaac Menyoli. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• The co-owner of Milwaukee restaurant Rice N Roll Bistro and Wauwatosa restaurant Kin is building “one of the more unconventional new restaurant complexes in modern Milwaukee history.” Pramoth Lertsinsongserm’s new two-building (mystery) restaurant will be located at 2159-2161 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. [Urban Milwaukee]
Dan Beyer Architects
• Beyond Organic Corp. wants to build a five-story, 85,000-square-foot urban farm at 716 W. Windlake Ave. The development would boast “a mix of uses including retail, dining, event space, education/classroom space, aquaponics and vegetable cultivation.” [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
• Apartments may be coming to a small building on North Water Street. [Urban Milwaukee]
• Apartments are NOT coming to a historic building on East Mason Street. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
• How many new apartments will Milwaukee see in the next four years? According to a “presentation at a commercial real estate industry event,” a whopping 16,498! [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
• And finally, in “This Week In Northridge Mall Drama,” the city is seeking a “judge’s order to take ownership of [the] blighted former Northridge Mall so it can be razed.” [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
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