Bucks Guard Plans Third Apartment Building

A real estate firm led by Milwaukee Bucks guard Pat Connaughton is planning its third Milwaukee apartment project.

Three Leaf Development acquired the property at 1737 N. Palmer St. in Brewers Hill from Rick Wiegand and intends to construct an apartment building with nine to 12 units at the site.

A four-story building would replace a two-story building at the site. The current building, clad in Cream City brick, was constructed in 1907 according to city records and includes a mix of first-floor commercial space and apartments above.

Three Leaf managing director Joseph Stanton told Urban Milwaukee that the firm had multiple structural engineers explore options to leverage the existing structure to support an addition, but couldn’t find a feasible option. “We did look at preserving the building,” said Stanton. He said Three Leaf will instead salvage many of the materials. “Obviously there is some Cream City brick we would like to reuse.”

The new building is being designed by Groth Design Group. Stanton said design concepts were still in the conceptual stage, but the first floor would include parking with apartments above.

Wiegand, who owns the Ambassador Hotel and a number of other buildings on the city’s Near West Side, acquired the Palmer Street property in 2017 for $580,000 shortly after he sold The Fortress complex located behind the building. Occupancy permits show a number of small commercial tenants have occupied the Palmer building since he acquired it, similar to the use of The Fortress under his ownership. On Monday he sold the Palmer building for $550,000 according to state records.

The Palmer Street building is not historically protected by the city. A raze permit for the structure was applied for on September 14th. On September 10th the building was subject to a commercial enforcement case. “Interior of building in disrepair” wrote a Department of Neighborhood Services employee.

Three Leaf’s first Milwaukee project, which included the deconstruction of a heavily-altered, 19th-century duplex, is scheduled to be completed later this year, said Stanton. It’s a three-story, three-unit apartment building at 1245-1247 N. Milwaukee St. Connaughton told a city committee he intends to live in the building once complete.

The firm is awaiting permits to begin foundation work on a two-story building on the corner of N. Marshall St. and E. Brady St. The project was planned to contain commercial space with an apartment above, on a vacant lot sold to Three Leaf by the city.

The firm manages general contracting for its projects in-house, with the 27-year-old basketball player’s father Len having previously led its construction projects on the East Coast.

Connaughton, a graduate of Notre Dame, is currently a free agent, with the next NBA season slated to begin in December.

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