Dave Reid
Doors Open

Inside Park Lafayette Towers Apartments

Our photos take you on a tour inside Park Lafayette and reveal a hidden urban oasis in the sky.

By - Sep 28th, 2014 11:17 am

Last weekend, Milwaukeeans got out and enjoyed Doors Open Milwaukee. Over 25,000 people took more than 116,000 site visits, an increase of nearly 25 percent from 2013.  And again this year, I was one of those people, because Doors Open is a great opportunity to be a tourist in your own town.

Having never been inside Park Lafayette Towers, 1918 E. Lafayette Pl., before Saturday it was the perfect time to see how this one time condominium, now apartment project turned out.

But first, a little background.

Construction of the 280-unit, twin 20-story towers Park Lafayette started during the condo boom, and as such was planned as a condominium complex.  But in 2009, the project was foreclosed on by Amalgamated Bank of New York, the project’s primary lender. No doubt bad news for Chicago developer Warren Barr and his Renaissant Lafayette LLC, but through this process Mandel Group was appointed the receiver. Mandel Group proceeded to covert the project to apartments, and has managed to keep the building nearly fully-occupied ever since.

Our photos take you on a tour of the towers, exposing a green roof, an electric car charging station, the interior of a modern two-bedroom apartment, and that amazing urban oasis in the sky.

Photo Gallery

Categories: Doors Open, Real Estate

One thought on “Doors Open: Inside Park Lafayette Towers Apartments”

  1. Bill Sell says:

    Dave, as a Doors Open volunteer at the Gas Light building, we had to explain to our visitors that the Flame deck was not available that day. The structure would not support the logistics of hundreds who might want to climb to the last floor and then a ladder into the deck’s floor. There was, however, a raffle. People entering could submit their name for a drawing – the lucky would have an opportunity to go all the way up. It was a popular venue; the scenes from the 17th floor (two open air decks) was spectacular. Thanks, Dave, for the photos.

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