The Urban Milwaukee authors have been closely following the destruction of the North Powerhouse along the Milwaukee River. We’ve accumulated a nice collection of photos tracking the demolition progress. The building was built in the late 1920s and used by the city to help distribute steam throughout downtown Milwaukee.

The building always looked like a potential site for development, especially with the highly successful Commerce Street Power Plant next door gleaming as the site of the Time Warner Milwaukee headquarters. Time was running short however, as the construction of the Manpower headquarters on the north side of the building had accelerated the need to do something.

The deal to get Manpower into downtown Milwaukee and a presented reason for the TIF granted to develop the Manpower building included that something had to be done to the North Powerhouse. With the Manpower building completed in 2007, the clock was ticking.

In September of 2007, it was announced that redevelopment of the building would begin later in the fall. That never materialized as costs were prohibitive Brewery Works Inc general manager Sam Denny stated.

In a better economy with a tenant lined up to occupy the 55,000 potential square-feet redevelopment may have actually occurred. Obviously the economy isn’t strong right now, and there are numerous other development projects happening in the near vicinity, including Ruvin’s Aloft Hotel just south across the block. The Aloft development already lost Cramer-Krasselt as an anchor tenant, demonstrating that there isn’t a long list of companies looking for large spaces in Milwaukee right now.

One positive of the destruction is that the building will be replaced with green space. This will hopefully be a temporary thing, as the site is still targeted for development at some point. But it will help encourage other development in the area in the meantime as the abandoned industrial feel of the Haymarket Square neighborhood is diminished and a more productive, walkable neighborhood takes foot currently led by the Manpower headquarters, Park East Enterprise Lofts, and Time Warner Headquarters.

It could have been a parking lot, but it won’t be, so Brewery Works deserves some praise for improving the neighborhood in some way.

See more photos.

Rumors had circulated for weeks regarding the demise of The Residences Above portion of Ruvin Developments’ Aloft hotel project. Indications such as the website for The Residences Above being down for weeks and their sales sign coming down in record time combined with the market’s downturn made it appear likely that a change in the project was coming. As of last week the final decision hadn’t been made regarding the status of the condominiums. At the time Rob Ruvin had indicated that they would “most likely eliminate the condos” and that they would “possibly increase the size” of the hotel but they were still working it out. It appears now that decisions have been made and The Residences Above have been eliminated from the project.

The nine-story Aloft Hotel and condominium project is now on track to break ground in April with a target completion date of May 2009. To facilitate pre-sales Ruvin Development has launched The Residences Above website which includes floor plans, pricing and contact information for potential buyers. According to the website the nine condominium units will run from $540,000 to $1.2 million and include a long list of amenities such as an indoor pool, boat slips, a rooftop terrace, and a housekeeping package.

In addition to the hotel and condominiums this project will feature two first floor retail spaces targeting a bar or restaurant occupant. The 1,490 square feet retail space is located on the Riverwalk and should make it a prime spot for an entertainment destination. The 1,690 square feet space is located along Old World Third St and will tie into the Old World Third St. entertainment district. These space are currently being marketed by CB Richard Ellis and are leasing for $19.50 per square feet and $20.00 square feet respectively.

The Residences Above http://www.theresidencesabove.com