Sam’s Place Takes Shape on King Drive

The former Merchant & Farmer’s State Bank in Harambee will soon be home to a cafe and medical office.

Bader Philanthropies, which opened its new headquarters in 2018 in a redeveloped theater immediately south of the former bank, is leading the building’s redevelopment.

The cafe will be known as Sam’s Place. It will be a jazz-infused coffeehouse intended to complement owner and jazz drummer Sam Belton‘s downtown coffeehouse CITY.NET Cafe (308 E. Wisconsin Ave). Both locations will serve food and coffee drinks from Belton’s Abyssina Coffee Roasters.

Holistic wellness provider Shalem Healing, which is currently located in Riverwest, will occupy the second floor. According to a September press release from Bader, the medical care provided by Shalem is at a reduced rate or sliding scale based on the patient’s income.

The foundation, through general contractor JCP Construction, will add 3,000 square feet to the north end of the two-story, 7,000-square-foot building. Wisconsin Historical Society records indicate the building was constructed in 1910 on what was then Green Bay Rd. Designed by architect John Roth, Jr., it was previously known as the York Rite Masonic Temple.

Located at 3338-46 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., the property was acquired by the foundation in 2017 for $100,000. Bader also paid $200,000 for an adjoining property at 3356 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. that contained a small building constructed in 1939. That building has been demolished to facilitate the larger redevelopment.

The project, designed by American Design, is expected to cost $4.6 million and open in spring 2020.

The two King Drive buildings are far from the only thing Bader has underway in Harambee. The foundation announced a $1 million gift to Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity on Thursday morning that will fund the construction of 40 homes and critical repairs on 20 others.

Photos

Renderings

Pre-Construction Photos