Jim Haertel

Conference Touts Milwaukee’s Cream City Brick, How To Preserve It

The brick that made Milwaukee famous requires special care when attempting to maintain or restore it.

Symposium Is All About Milwaukee’s Iconic Bricks

Milwaukee Preservation Alliance event aims to preserve Cream City's heritage.

Milwaukee Preservation Alliance & AIA-Milwaukee Present: Cream City Brick Symposium!

Malt House Lofts Prepares To Open

118-unit apartment building opening in The Brewery District once owned by Pabst.

Enjoy Yourself, It’s Later Than You Think

February fading, March coming, but what is there to do?

VISIT Milwaukee launches virtual tour of Milwaukee in advance of DNC

30 videos narrated by community members allow visitors to explore the city from home

Von Trier Revisited

East Side bar under new ownership, but maintains classic appeal.

New Humboldt Park Wine Garden Opens

Plus: a third Cubanitas, new Milwaukee Brewing rooftop patio, Osteria's return delayed.

More Ramen for Milwaukee

Plus: nitro coffee on three wheels and a PB & J place.

Historic Preservation Winners Celebrated

And Best Place at the Pabst Brewery announces new coffee shop and bar.

“Cream of Cream City” to be recognized at historic preservation awards ceremony

Annual preservation honors event to be held at Best Place at the Pabst

Could Pabst Brewery Transform Industry?

CEO sees new Milwaukee brewery as place for innovative creations.

Contribution to Robert Bauman of $100

The Most Beautiful Bar In Town?

Best Place at the Pabst is one of the most enchanting saloons in the nation.

Church Becoming Brewery

Pabst coming back to where it all began.

Contribution to Robert Bauman of $50

The Return of Pabst Brewing

The city's famed beer maker, long absent from Milwaukee, will return to the Pabst Brewery complex.

Celebrating the Life of Paul Jakubovich

A host of notables gathered to salute Jakubovich and the fabulous historic architecture of Milwaukee he helped protect.

Will Historic Building in Third Ward Be Saved?

Third Ward review board defers decision on Historic Designation. And Milwaukee now has a Croatian sister city.

Contribution to Nik Kovac of $100

Contribution to Robert Bauman of $100

The Gig is Good for Cheap Micro-Brews

Tucked away in Riverwest since 1904, it offers micro-brews in a micro-neighborhood

Contribution to Robert Bauman of $100

Pabst Office Redevelopment Moves Along

The Pabst Brewing Complex Originally uploaded by compujeramey Jim Haertel, president of Brew City Redevelopment Group LLC, is excited to finally see his dream coming to fruition. Haertel, who I’ve mentioned before owns a group of former Pabst brewery office buildings that are part of the complex that Joseph Zilber is redeveloping. Haertel is a name many in Milwaukee may remember as one of the leaders behind the original plans to turn the brewery in PabstCity, a nightlife and entertainment district. That plan ultimately died as a result of the Common Council not giving Wispark public money to develop the area, because of concerns of its long-term viability. Haertel was promised the Blue Ribbon Hall office buildings as part of the deal with his financing partner Wispark LLC. He was given the buildings by Wispark upon their sale of the complex to Zilber and his Brewery Project LLC, and just recently in December settled a lawsuit with Wispark. Terms of the settlement weren’t released, and I haven’t heard rumor of what they might be. Development is moving at a fast pace at the complex now (pictures coming soon). Fulfilling Haertel’s dream for the site, Blue Ribbon Hall and the surrounding office buildings will turn into the Museum of Beer and Brewing and Hofbrauhaus Milwaukee. Construction will begin next year, and everything will open in February of 2010. The reason for the delay? Haertel wants to wait for construction across Juneau Avenue to finish. The buildings just across the street (former keg houses) are being removed and replaced with a parking garage (more on that later). Personally, I’m excited about the long-term prospects for this area. I really think overall there are a lot of really good things going on over at The Brewery.  Early developments such as the Hofbrauhaus are going to set a great tone for the surrounding area developments still to come.

Affordable Housing Projects Approved

Multiple affordable housing projects went before the committee looking to receive approval in to apply for Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority tax credits before an upcoming deadline. One of interest due to the projects quality design was brought forward by United Methodist Children’s Services of Wisconsin. They were requesting a change in zoning to General Planned Development to allow for construction of a 24 unit four-story proposal to be located next to there existing building at 3940 W. Lisbon Ave. Volunteers of America was requesting a change in zoning to General Planned Development to allow for construction of a 65 unit building. Unfortunately this project stood out because it didn’t properly utilize a key location which concerned the committee. Alderman Mike D’Amato said that it “has to have active first floor users” because of the buildings high visibility location at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Keefe Avenue. Both of these projects as well as others were approved and will go before the Common Council. Other resolutions of note regarded the Brewery project and the reuse of the 440th site. Resolution 070932 approved the LEED checklist for the Brewery neighborhood and included the properties owned by Jim Haertel. Resolution 071238approved a reuse plan for the area vacated by the 440th that is consistent with the airport’s 1993 master plan. Alderman Bob Bauman was concerned about agreeing to this public benefits conveyance without assurances the County couldn’t then turn it over to a private purpose.

The Jewish Judge Who’s a Quarter Irish

Governor James E. Doyle told about 75 people at Mo’s Irish Pub last Friday that “there are a number of good things I can do as governor. … I get to appoint people to the bench. As a lawyer and the son of a judge, I take this seriously.” What does the governor look for in a judge? – He’s appointed about 6 of them so far –“I get a list of very – incredibly good people. I could pick them out of a hat. But I look for intelligence, fairness, and understanding of people. Also, frankly, some much needed diversity.” Doyle got diversity all right when he appointed Glenn Yamahiro as a Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge last year. Yamahiro, a former public defender, lawyer in private practice, and teacher of disturbed students, is also the first Asian-American to sit on the bar in Wisconsin. He is that, and more, the crowd, gathered for a fundraiser, was to learn. Yamahiro told the crowd that he was proud to be “the first [judicial] appointee by a democratic governor in almost 20 years.” Yamahiro is running for a full term against former Judge Robert Crawford, whose antics on the bench in the past cost him his seat to Judge Louis Butler, who was present, as were such other judges as Jean DiMotto, Ted Wedemeyer, Tom Donegan, Paul Wall and judge wannabees like Audrey Skwierawski. Attorneys including the venerable Dominic Frinzi and Mark Thomsen popped in for the gig. Yamahiro has already proven himself to be one of the more amusing speakers on the bench, and among politicians generally. “I told the governor at the time of my appointment that any opponent I would get would be buried at the election. “Now we have to come through on that promise,” he said, to the general assent of the assembled, not eager for a return of the goofy Crawford. Yamahiro rubbed it in: “If it was an election of the informed, we wouldn’t need this gathering,” he said. Do not think that Yamahiro tried to coast by solely on the merits of his wit and the novelty of his Asian background. “I am the first Asian-American judge in Wisconsin, but I did have a grandma in Iowa, born about 100 years ago. Her name was Morrissey. So I have 25 percent Irish blood, and I am happy to be in Mo’s Irish Pub with the Guinness flowing.” The crowd really liked this intercultural news, and I talked to Deja Vishny, a public defender with a really cool name – and yet another story. “I’m Glenn’s wife,” she said. The couple has one child, who attends a Jewish elementary school. “I’m Jewish,” she explained. “So is Glenn,” she added. Observations From the Governor On the Legislature You get the feeling from Governor Jim Doyle that the legislature is acting like a pesky housefly that he has to keep swatting at. The recent meetings of the august representatives of the people were characterized in this […]