The Pizza Man Apartments
New East Side apartment building is bringing good urban form back to prominent corner.
The intersection of N. Oakland and E. North avenues is getting back its urban form for the first time since the great Pizza Man fire of January 2010. That fire destroyed a mixed-use building that was an anchor to a burgeoning East Side street. An empty lot was left behind, and the premiere tenant of the demolished building, Pizza Man, re-opened on N. Downer Ave. in the summer of 2013. As I wrote in 2010, it seemed unlikely that a new building on the site would be as sound from an urban design standpoint as the destroyed one was. Thankfully, I was wrong.
Joseph Property Development bought the empty lot and two adjacent homes on N. Oakland Ave. for $827,000 from the Goldberg family and began construction of a mixed-use building in late 2013. The new building, referred to as 1800 E. North Ave. will contain 39 apartments, 36 parking stalls, and 6,000 square-feet of first-floor commercial space. Joseph and project architect James Piwoni had to modify the proposed design to fit the requirements of the newly-formed East Side Architectural Review Board, which governs design in the area. Ironically, it was Piwoni who worked as a consultant for the board to write some of the guidelines (Piwoni also serves on the board). In the end, an improved design was approved, the homes were demolished and construction began.
Joseph Property Development also is putting the finishing touches on the converted Prospect Mall just a few blocks away, which will be known as The Overlook on Prospect apartments. The firm is also involved in a project to build a new apartment building in the Historic Third Ward with General Capital Group.
Our photos capture the work on 1800 E. North Ave. as the building has topped out and interior work has begun.
Photo Gallery
Renderings
Previous Coverage
- Friday Photos: Pizza Man Gone and Apartments Arise – April 25th, 2014 – Jeramey Jannene
- Hard Hat Tour: North Avenue Boomtown – January 23rd, 2014 – Jeramey Jannene
- Eyes on Milwaukee: New Design for Greenwich Park Apartments – October 9th, 2013 – Dave Reid
- Eyes on Milwaukee: The Growing City – October 2nd, 2013 – Dave Reid
- Plenty of Horne: City Wants Changes for Old Pizza Man Site – August 22nd, 2013 – Michael Horne
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With the completion of the Prospect Mall replacement and the New Library/Residence building, it may be that the density increases enough that residents can accomplish a restoration of the neighborhood instead of the major use being an out of control entertainment destination.