Jeramey Jannene
Friday Photos

Northwestern Mutual’s Second Downtown Tower

Amenities include ninth-floor swimming pool, outdoor fire pit, 34th-floor party room.

By - Nov 25th, 2016 05:37 pm
Northwestern Mutual Apartment Tower

Northwestern Mutual Apartment Tower

As their first tower heads towards a 2017 completion, Northwestern Mutual‘s second new downtown tower is just climbing out of the ground. The mixed-use project currently known as 777 N. Van Buren St. is now visible over the construction fencing that wraps the nearly full block site bounded by N. Van Buren St., E. Mason St., N. Jackson St. and E. Wells St.

When complete, the $100 million project will rise 34 floors and include 322 high-end apartments, 1,400 parking spaces and first-floor commercial space. The project is being designed by Chicago-based Solomon Cordwell Buenz. CD Smith is leading the general contracting. Magnusson Klemencic Associates is providing structural engineering services for the project.

Northwestern Mutual acquired and demolished a number of buildings on the block over many years to assemble the site, including The Vermont Apartments and Hollitz Building as well as buildings at 604 E. Mason St., 624 E. Mason St., 771 N. Van Buren St. and 795 N. Van Buren St.

The substantial parking component of the project is required to accommodate the company’s new 32-floor Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons project. The 1.1 million square-foot office complex includes no significant parking component. The insurance giant had attempted to acquire O’Donnell Park, a parking garage with rooftop park, from Milwaukee County in 2014, but that deal was rejected by the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors.

The building, which includes 14 penthouse apartments on the upper floors, will include “a 9th floor rooftop swimming pool, an outdoor fire pit, an indoor golf simulator, a large fitness center and an amenities room on the 34th floor,” according to a release by the company. The apartments will be located on the upper 25 floors in the building with tenants parking in underground levels of the garage.

The approximately 925,000 square-foot project is expected to be completed by the spring of 2018.

Photos

Renderings

8 thoughts on “Friday Photos: Northwestern Mutual’s Second Downtown Tower”

  1. John says:

    Wow, thanks for letting us know where all our premium dollars are going!

  2. MidnightSon says:

    The building’s design isn’t stunning, but its serviceable, given that it’s purpose is to deliver parking for NM employees. I appreciate NM’s efforts in this regard. It will be interesting to see what the developers of the adjacent Scottish Rite Center come up with in terms of hotel concepts.

  3. Lived here to damn long says:

    Well at least they won’t be moving any time soon and anytime soon in corporate speak is six to twelve months.Then again Mayor Barrett could get the taxpayers to finance it for a beer and cheese museum.

  4. SONNY MARCUS says:

    WHAT ARE THE RENTS GOING TO BE IN THESE “HIGH END” UNITS. WHERE ARE ALL OF THESE “WEALTHY” TENANTS COMING FROM? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN OUR NEXT “RECESSION” HITS MILWAUKEE?

    IT’S A DEFINITE “180 DEGREE” DECODOM TO OUR “DESTITUTE” INNER CITY POPULATION, WHERE THE STATISTICS PUT MILWAUKEE NEAR THE TOP OF THE LIST FOR THE “POOREST CITY IN THE COUNTRY.!!

    MILWAUKEE IS “FAST BECOMING” AN IMITATION “NEW YORK OR LOS ANGELES”..

  5. AG says:

    John, real estate is an investment vehicle used often for Northwestern Mutual. It makes up a huge portion of their portfolio and is one of the best performing sectors. Don’t you read your annual report? This is how they keep premiums low.

  6. AG says:

    SONNY MARCUS, I’m a bit confused. You’d rather they didn’t build this building, eliminating all the middle class jobs going in to putting this building up, you would forgo millions of dollars in property taxes, and eliminate the ability for NM employees to park near their work (and thus force them to work at jobs in the burbs) all because there would be 322 “high end” apartments added downtown?

    How do you think will be working to staff the parking garage, cleaning common areas, maintaining amenities, leasing apartments, and other jobs to take care of this building? Not highly educated people, that’s for sure. New buildings are an opportunity for a city full of people with low qualifications to find employment, not to mention the skilled trades needed to build and maintain them.

    Instead of worrying about the 322 apartments getting leased, let’s think of the dozens who will get a decent wage working here and let’s think about all the property tax money that will come in to help the city once it is built. Occupancy rates are the concern of the owners.

  7. Sam says:

    Also Sonny, turn your caps lock off please.

  8. David says:

    Who Is paying for this crap?

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