Inside Saint John’s on the Lake

The annual Doors Open event has gone virtual this year, due to the pandemic, and will run from September 26 through October 11, but will still offer interesting tours, with participating, historic buildings and organizations in Milwaukee showcasing their sites through virtual content ranging from photos to videos to 360 degree-virtual reality tours. Here is the third of a series on the Top 5 offerings by Doors Open: 

Our Doors Open tour of Milwaukee continues this week, with a visit I took to Saint John’s on the Lake, 1800 N. Prospect Ave. Billed as “Milwaukee’s premier retirement community,” it’s easy to see why.

In 2011 Saint John’s finished the $83 million, 21-story tower, which added 88-units to a complex which had already included a 10-story, 110-unit residential building. The 21-story, high-end addition includes most of the features and amenities we saw on the tour.

I was unable to see any residential units, as the tour guide indicated the complex was full and has a waiting list, but I did get a great feel for the services, amenities, and common facilities that are provided at Saint John’s on the Lake. (If you want to see the view, take a look at these amazing photos from the tower crane as the addition was being built).

The tour guide led the group through the building’s common areas. We stopped at Taylor’s, no, not my favorite neighborhood bar, but the main restaurant at the facility.  Unlike many other retirement communities, tenants can either use their food allowance in the restaurants, eat out, or shop for groceries. I also saw the exercise room, a courtyard with a view, a convertible conference room and the art gallery.

It was evident from the tour that there are many activities available to residences at Saint John’s. They can garden, raise bees  (they have two hives on site!), go for a swim, play ping pong, stroll through an active art gallery, or, as many were doing on the Sunday that I visited, hang out in a community area with friends and cheer on the Packers.

Our photos show you many of the amenities Saint John’s has to offer.

Photo Gallery