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.

• The old Catholic school building next to Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Parish, 2480 N. Cramer St., is gonna be turned into….something. On Monday, the City Plan Commission gave a developer and an architect the green light to redevelop the historic building into any number of things: apartments, a boutique hotel, an events space, an arts collective, and, oh, let’s just cut the horseshit, they’re gonna turn it into apartments. “Based on concerns raised by neighbors at a public meeting last week,” says the [Milwaukee Business Journal], “a tavern or brewpub would not be allowed.” The necessary zoning change for the redevelopment still needs approval from the full Common Council.

• The transformation of the old State Theater, 2612-2616 W. State St., into the so-called “New State” has been ongoing for several years. When finished, The New State will include an all-ages venue, a recording studio, and a retail store. Oh, and according to the [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel], it will also include a restaurant (tentatively named the New State Cafe) and an outdoor stage. New State recently broke ground on its “Music Park” and unveiled a new mural from artist Brad Bernard.

• Speaking of breaking ground, the Milwaukee Bucks and developer North Central Group (NCG) recently broke ground on The Trade, a nine-story, 205-room Marriott Autograph Collection hotel coming to “the southern portion of a currently vacant lot at 420 W. Juneau Ave. immediately north of Fiserv Forum.” The name of the hotel is a reference to “Milwaukee’s blue collar history,” and thus will include a “very upscale” ninth-floor bar and restaurant, a presidential suite “that extends to the ninth floor and has its own deck,” and an entire floor set aside for visiting NBA teams. “The Trade is designed to be authentic to Milwaukee,” said NCG vice president Andy Inman. [Urban Milwaukee]

• The first phase of the big River 1 mixed-use development along the Kinnickinnic River in Bay View (near the KK Can Opener!) is complete. Michels Corp. has built an eight-story office building there, and is in the process of finishing an accompanying five-story apartment building. Oh, and there’ll be 100-room Marriott hotel on the site, too. No word yet if the name of the hotel will pay tribute to Milwaukee’s blue collar history. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

• Through a mixture of redeveloping existing houses and building new ones, developer Melissa Allen plans to bring 30 new housing units to the city’s Harambee neighborhood. What’s more, 25 of the units “would be set aside at below-market rates for individuals with less than 60% of the Milwaukee County median income through the low-income housing tax credit program.” [Urban Milwaukee]

• The old Office Max space in the old Shops of Grand Avenue is gonna be a new art gallery for the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. The gallery will be called MIAD Gallery at The Ave. The old Shops of Grand Avenue building, of course, is now simply known as “The Avenue,” and is a mixture of apartments, private office space, and the finally-opening-on-October-18 3rd Street Market Hall food hall. [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 that’s reuniting December 19 at Cactus Club?

Exclusive articles, podcasts, and more. Support Milwaukee Record on Patreon.


RELATED ARTICLES

Full “New And Wonderful Things” (formerly called “New Sh*t”) archives

About The Author

Avatar photo
Co-Founder and Editor

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