Jeramey Jannene
Friday Photos

Northwestern Mutual’s Second Tower Rises

Massive apartment tower will be one of tallest buildings downtown.

By - Mar 31st, 2017 06:01 pm
777 N. Van Buren St. Construction. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

777 N. Van Buren St. Construction. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

As their first tower heads towards a 2017 completion, Northwestern Mutual‘s second new downtown tower is starting to show its height. The parking garage portion of the mixed-use project currently known as 777 N. Van Buren St. has nearly reached its full height and the blue-tinted glass curtain wall has begun to be installed on its lower levels. The tower is being built on a 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. It 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 second tower, 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.

It seems hard to believe right now, but the approximately 925,000 square-foot project is expected to be completed in the first half of 2018.

Photos

Renderings

4 thoughts on “Friday Photos: Northwestern Mutual’s Second Tower Rises”

  1. I live and work a block north. Soon I won’t see the old WI Gas co building. The crew and cranes are working as day breaks. This and the headquarters have really been something to experience construction. I wish I would have taken daily pictures. And wow, those guys on top of the headquarters with winds blowing off the lake! I’m afraid of heights; I don’t know how they do it! 😳 Kudos, thanks NM beautiful buildings!

  2. Thomas Spellman says:

    Milwaukee is surely grateful for NML to have invested the sums that it has in its corporate offices in the city. Unfortunately it never figured out how to protect its investment in the Grand Ave Mall and that is still the challenge facing Milwaukee and NML. Now if NML would figure out that what happens just 2 miles from their corporate offices will still impact their investment, we will make significant progress.

    It really is not that difficult to compare Nicolet high school and its feeder schools with North Division and its feeder schools. I promise anyone who does a comparison, that one of the difference is the key to breaking the cycle of violence that plagues our city. I will gladly work through the comparison with anyone who is interested. Peace

  3. Kim says:

    How many jobs of the 100’s and 100s of employees who are being let go from their NML in greater Milwaukee now (most of who are in their 50’s) is NML offshoring to “off site hires” in India? This is a question that needs serious investigative reporting from the press!!!

  4. Jimmy McCann says:

    hello I’m jimmy I was wondering how tall the second NWM residential building will be when completed this spring?

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