North Shore Bank Building Downtown Branch

Construction will soon start on a unique bank branch planned for the north end of downtown Milwaukee.

North Shore Bank will open an 1,800-square-foot branch at 510 E. Pleasant St., just east of N. Water St. The new branch will mix a modern office building with a historic home currently on the site.

The house, which was constructed in 1930 according to the Wisconsin Historical Society, would be used as the bank’s front door, while a glassy addition will be built to its west overlooking N. Water St. A small garage at the site’s eastern edge will be demolished in favor of a surface parking lot. A small addition, planned to include a staircase, would also be built on the east side of the house necessitating demolition of the home’s eastern wing.

Plunkett Raysich Architects is designing the new branch. Pierce Engineers is providing engineering service.

The new branch would be located immediately south of the Shorewest Realtors downtown office and New Land Enterprises’ Rhythm apartment building.

The bank first unveiled plans for the branch in October 2018. “This is an excellent opportunity to serve customers with a state-of-the-art bank office in an exciting, growing downtown neighborhood,” said Susan T. Doyle, North Shore Bank’s senior vice president of retail banking, in the bank’s announcement. The bank will include a full-service staff, remote video teller to allow seven days a week service (70 hours), self-serve coin counter, video conference capabilities with other bank personnel. A walk-up ATM/video teller will be included on the building’s exterior.

“Our branch design reflects and respects the neighborhood around it, and we anticipate a great deal of foot traffic at this location,” Doyle said. “There will, of course, be free, easy, and convenient lot parking for our customers who do drive. Ultimately, this office will enhance the neighborhood experience, and we are excited to welcome everyone inside.”

North Shore Bank, which is headquartered in the western suburb of Brookfield, has 44 offices throughout Wisconsin and northeast Illinois. The bank traces its roots back to the creation of the North Shore Building and Loan Association in 1923 in Shorewood.

The bank acquired the site in 2016 for $375,000 according to city records.

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