Photos of The Residences on Water Construction

The View Down Water Street Originally uploaded by compujeramey There are a lot of photos of the construction of the Residences on Water being taken. Dave Reid of the Milwaukee Development Update has done an excellent job snagging images of the construction to-date. I recently was over there to snag a few pictures between classes and have added them to a Flickr set for your viewing pleasure. Of course, because the community generates the best coverage, you can add your photos to the mix by uploading them to Flickr and tagging them “The Residences on Water“. Dave and I have both done this and you can find our photos available together by browsing the tag. Please feel free to add yours to the growing collection.

Call and Response

As teenagers, they learned that musicians get girls. Still embracing that high school mentality as adults, The Response “keep[s] getting older,” but their fans “stay the same age,” says bassist Mikey Blanchard. More playful than pedophiliac, the four-piece has a sense of humor that will surely inspire all kinds of journalistic inaccuracy as they make press for their overdue debut LP, releasing this month.

1530 North Jackson a Dingbat?

On the surface the 1530 North Jackson project seemed to be an appealing development because it was designed by the award winning Studio Dwell Architects out of Chicago and the project slightly improves the density in the neighborhood. Clearly attempting to fit a four story, six unit condominium project onto a small lot is a challenging effort and the design also needed to address neighborhood complaints about its density, style and potential parking problems. It appears the parking issue is managed by the design and the increase in density is very slight so the impact to the neighborhood should be minimized. Unfortunately the design looks to be a new spin on the Dingbat style all be it with parking along the side. The failure of this design isn’t in the quality of materials, slope of the roof, lack of parking, or density, the failure is that it doesn’t properly address the street. For the most part this design turns its back on the street, with much of the building facing the street being solid walls. It’s possible the design images don’t do the project justice and maybe the windows shown will do enough to connect the building to the street but clearly Studio Dwell Architects can do better.You can follow this development through the a flickr set, 1530 North Jackson that will be updated with new pictures to keep track its progress. Articles + Reference Blair Williams branches out 070593

Keeping warm

I really love the winter, especially in these early weeks, when the cold is bracing but exhilarating, the snow is fresh and pretty and even the most dreadful parking conditions barely detract from the gingery warmth of early December. It’s always a tricky transition: what to do when faced with such deep wind chills and such early darkness, how to break out of my routines and get my friends out of their routines, whether or not it’s worth excavating the car (with no scraper and crappy wiper blades that haven’t been changed for years — I need to work on that) and the easiest way to turn off the television. But it’s been a few weeks of white-out weather, depressed thermometers and distance from the sun, and I’m starting to feel that cold winter blood pumping bravely through my veins. Here’s my loose, slushy road map through treacherous seasonal territory: Do something boring with someone else Watching TV reruns by yourself is sort of boring, but watching TV reruns with a bunch of friends and a six-pack? Infinitely more rewarding. Lately I’ve loved 30 Rock and Flight of the Conchords. Also Iron Chef America, mostly because I have a huge you’re-too-evil-and-slimy-to-be-real crush on Bobby Flay. Learn something I’ve been learning to play the accordion since I bought an old Crucianelli at a gas station in Door County in July, but I’ve really stepped up my game now that it’s too cold to leave my apartment. There have been times in the last few weeks when I’ve been too engrossed in “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” to answer my phone or grab drinks with my friends. Bonus: I’m learning Christmas songs. Get ready for Christmas This is probably the first Christmas since I was 13 that I’ve been genuinely excited about. I wish I could tell you why. Maybe it has something to do with watching too much TV, seeing commercial after commercial and holiday special after holiday special, enough to get me thinking that Christmas is a very real thing. Maybe it is also the snow. It could be that I decided early on this year to buy as many holiday wares as possible locally, fairly and preferably handmade. Thanks in large part to Art Vs. Craft and Paperboat Boutique (both brainchildren of local artist Faythe Levine), this year, most everyone in my family is getting something local and handmade, mostly by artists I know personally and adore, and one piece I commissioned from Liz Keuler, a friend and a Fasten Collective designer, for less than $5 (a holiday challenge/pact between my broke self and my broke sister). Even the kids are getting some artfully-made tokens of loveliness and a hopefully-not-too-preachy lesson that sometimes Christmas means more than video games, at least to your grown-up, sentimental, hip-and-conscious Aunt Amy. Relatives who aren’t getting art are getting cheese, bratwurst or craft beer. This is Wisconsin, after all. People expect it of me. I’ve never sent Christmas cards before, either, and […]

Word on the Street (12.17.2007)

Links from the Milwaukee-informationsphere Mary Louise Schumacher is yet another art person doesn’t think it’s a good idea to build a recognizable landmark that will increase pedestrian traffic in downtown Milwaukee. Hofbrauhaus Milwaukee, a proposed German beer hall and restaurant, is likely coming next The Brewery development at the old Pabst brewery in Blue Ribbon Hall after the settlement of a lawsuit involving Brew City Redevelopment LLC with the complex’s former owners, WisPark LLC. The article makes no mention of the existing Old German Beer Hall and how urban Milwaukee is delightfully reinventing itself more in the fashion of a city like Munich, Germany. Robert Kern, of Generac fame and fortune, is powering a change in the way the state handles engineering education through his foundation (Kern Family Foundation). Two urban Milwaukee schools are at the center of this in MSOE and Marquette, through the recruitment of Project Lead the Way students form high schools and their participation in KEEN (Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network). Urban Milwaukee would like to applaud the efforts of Robert Kern for his visionary leadership in truly investing in the future of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the entire Fresh Coast economy and education system. The Journal Sentinel takes a look at how you can reduce your power consumption and what effects it will have. Absolutely worth your time to read. Dave Reid takes a look at the Kane Commons development and gives us a construction update of the Breakwater Condos and The Residences on Water.

The Valley Is Linking Up With The Silver City Neighborhood

Hank Aaron State Trail 5K Run/Walk Originally uploaded by carrier Yet another sign that logic is prevailing and the city of Milwaukee is improving, the Menomonee Valley Partners have announced the construction of a pedestrian tunnel and bridge to link up the Menomonee Valley with the bordering Silver City neighborhood to the south. While the sides of the valley are not unreasonably steep, they’re lined with pedestrian barriers. On the north side of the valley you have Interstate 94 blocking access for pedestrians, and on the south side you have the Menomonee River and railroad tracks. Jobs exist in the valley and more are coming, but getting people that don’t own cars to the jobs has been a challenge so far. Previous attempts included the idea of attaching an elevator to the 35th Street viaduct that crosses the valley and having people use the small staircases attached to the 35th and 27th Street viaducts. While the idea of a massive elevator sounds exciting, it doesn’t seem logical to have people standing out on the middle of a bridge in the winter waiting for an elevator when they could be walking along a path on the valley floor. In short, this is the information you need to know about why this development makes sense… “For the people who are living in the neighborhood right around the (Menomonee) Valley to access the jobs or recreational value of the valley, it’s about a three-mile walk,” said Menomonee Valley Partners Executive Director Laura Bray. “This will make it less than two blocks.” Linking central city residents with jobs through public/private development partnerships is just one of the many reasons that I believe that urban Milwaukee is on the right track. You can see this kind of “intelligent design” with developments like the 6th Street Viaduct, the Canal Street extension, and perhaps most impressively the Marsupial Bridge under the Holton Ave Viaduct. Construction won’t actually start until 2009, which is unfortunate, but the connection will undoubtedly be of benefit to both ends of the connection. CSA Commercial is renovating a building on the Silver City neighborhood-side of the tunnel to be turned into an office building, which will help kick-start development in the area.

New Alterra Opening

Alterra Spring Originally uploaded by MilwaukeeMark A new Alterra Coffee Roasters is opening today at 2999 N. Humboldt Blvd. near the intersection of Humboldt and Locust just over the river into Riverwest. According to Alterra… On Saturday, December 15th, the Alterra café on Humboldt Boulevard will open its doors, joining neighbors Loop Yarn Shop and Alterra Baking Company in our new building across from Pumping Station Park. In addition to freshly brewed coffee, the café will serve soups, salads, and sandwiches, and a wide selection of teas, espresso-based drinks and baked goods made daily from scratch. The Alterra will make a welcome addition to the neighborhood over a Starbucks. I’ll have to drop by once it’s warmer, venturing that far in the cold for a cup of coffee isn’t quite in the card for me yet. Please feel free to leave any feedback you have on the new location.

Kane Commons a “Green” Development

The Kane Commons project located at 1142 to 1158 East Kane Place is another of many Milwaukee area projects utilizing green building concepts. Recently projects such as The Brewery announced various green building components such as capturing and processing all of the rainwater within The Brewery complex. The Edison Green project will feature many green features such as solar panels, wind turbines, and car-sharing. And the Kane Commons project will utilize straw bales as a key building material and geothermal heating throughout the buildings. The green features in the Kane Commons project should reduce utility bills, generate less of a carbon footprint and offer additionally quality of life benefits. The straw bales construction has an insulation R-factor in the range of R30 to R50 which significantly outperforms typical home construction. Unlike typical construction materials, straw bales are highly renewable which reduces the lifelong carbon footprint. Additionally it offers additional advantages such as improved fire resistance and sound proofing. The geothermal heating system will utilize the Earth’s natural warmth to heat the buildings requiring less generated energy thereby reducing bills and pollution. This project’s green efforts, much like the Edison Green project’s green efforts, may influence future developments in Milwaukee to look for new green ideas. Articles Long-awaited Kane Commons moving ahead Building homes with a purpose Kane Commons: Green Development on Lower East Side Proposed “Green” Development to Overlook the River at E. Kane Place Pragmatic Construction: Kane Commons

But Only Because People Are Asking

A Grouch Worth Considering

Artist Kenn Kwint goes bonkers when he sees his first name spelled incorrectly. I’ve know him for 20-plus years, enough to know that he whines a lot, but who cares? This chap is a “painter’s painter.”

Know What They Call A Quarter Pounder With Cheese In England?

Cramer-Krasselt Moving To Third Ward

Milwaukee Ale House, Water Buffalo, etc, etc. Originally uploaded by compujeramey The nation’s third largest independent advertising firm Cramer-Krasselt, who as you may remember was supposed to move to a Robert Ruvin-development in the Park East neighborhood, has announced that they’re moving from Van Buren Street to the Third Ward. The firm will move to a 50,000 square feet location at 224 E Chicago St above Rubin’s Furniture. They will barely gain any space, but will have what they think is a much more efficient layout (what exactly that means they haven’t too clear about, but let’s assume it’s not a cubicle farm). While the move isn’t a sign of improving health for urban Milwaukee, because they’re simply trading one space for another, it does help cement the fact that the creative types are certainly calling the Third Ward home. The bigger question raised is what type of businesses will call the Park East neighborhood home?  Cramer-Krasselt moving into the undeveloped neighborhood certainly would have been a large boost for creative firms, but may not have been as good for the city. The concentration of similar firms seems to be a key ingredient of economic success (see Silicon Valley, Wall Street, or even all the biotech firms in Madison). While for the most part that is seen on a macro level (Silicon Valley is a huge swath of land and includes a few different cities), similar firms locating close to each other in Milwaukee is a strong recruiting tool for each firm and for new startups. It’s going to be a whole lot easier to convince someone from Boston to come to Milwaukee if they know they’re going to be working (and hopefully living) in an area that is filled with like-minded individuals. If they can visit the city and see all the companies in one neighborhood versus being sprinkled all over there will be a lot better first impression made. While the Third Ward continues to draw in creative firms, who will occupy the stretch from the old Pabst brewery eastward?