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.
• You wanted the best, you got…a KISS-created restaurant at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino?
Yep, Rock & Brews, “the restaurant brainchild of legendary musicians Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons from the group KISS,” is set to open a Milwaukee location at Potawatomi this week. (Rock & Brews has 19 locations throughout the country.) The Stanley/Simmons joint will provide “a superior dining experience with a Rock ‘n’ Roll twist,” and will include local and craft beers, as well as a stage for live music.
Stanley and Simmons will appear at a groundbreaking ceremony for the new restaurant on Wednesday, May 11 at 3 p.m. KISS is scheduled to play the American Family Insurance Amphitheater later that night.
Rock & Brews is part of Potawatomi’s just-announced $100 million renovation project “that will revolutionize the casino’s third floor and usher in the next era of entertainment to Milwaukee.” Nearly 2,000 new slot machines, a new bar with 28 bar-top “slot seats,” a bunch of 4K TVs, a Starbucks, three new “quick service” food and beverage stations, a new high-limit room, and updated lighting and decor are also on tap.
“Since opening more than 30 years ago, Potawatomi Hotel & Casino has made it a priority to evolve and meet the needs of our guests,” said property CEO and General Manager Dominic Ortiz in a press release. “Not only will this elevate the brand, it will further our long-standing status as the premier entertainment destination in the region as the market becomes significantly more competitive. This is just the beginning. Additional exciting changes and new amenities are in store. The best is truly yet to come.”
The renovation is scheduled to wrap up by spring 2023. [Potawatomi Hotel & Casino]
• A Chicago-based developer recently bought a vacant chunk of land near the Park East corridor, at 1333-1339 N. Milwaukee St. What does that Chicago-based developer want to do with the site? Build a 197-unit apartment building on it, of course. [Urban Milwaukee]
• The Department of City Development is currently putting together a new land-use plan for Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood. When complete (in the next few months), the plan will “create a shared vision for [Bay View’s] future, including identifying development options for catalytic sites, ways to support local businesses, opportunities to provide a wide variety of housing units, targeted areas to improve parks and streets and potential historic preservation options.” [Urban Milwaukee]
• A company related to Bray Architects recently bought the former Astronautics Corp. of America building at 135 E. Washington St. in Walker’s Point. Bray would very much like to transform the 90-year-old building into its own offices. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• Contractor Jeremy Shanks wants to buy a vacant one-story building on the corner of 27th and Clybourn and turn it into a “one-stop design center for area residents seeking contractors to improve their homes.” The business would be called Agora Direct. [Urban Milwaukee]
• And what did we learn this week? Well, they’re always building something. Isn’t that right, old song from my old band?
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