Jeramey Jannene

Walker’s Point Event Venues Ready for Business

The George and Madcap Lounge anchor redeveloped building at 5th and National.

By - Jun 22nd, 2021 12:21 pm
The George. Photo from Saz's Hospitality Group.

The George. Photo from Saz’s Hospitality Group.

The George and Madcap Lounge are finished and ready for guests.

The new event venues occupy the first floor and basement of The Block, an apartment complex at 425-431 W. National Ave.

The George, named for Walker’s Point neighborhood founder George Walker, occupies the first floor of the building and can accommodate up to 200 guests. The Madcap Lounge, an underground lounge styled after a London private club, can accommodate up to 175 guests. The venues can be booked together or separately.

Urban Milwaukee profiled the project in October 2020 when the apartments above were ready to go, but the event venues were raw spaces awaiting a final buildout.

Now the project developers and exclusive caterer, Saz’s Hospitality Group, are ready to show the final product off. Private tours are available with an open house planned for the fall.

The first wedding is scheduled to be held at The George later this summer.

“I think what we get is this incredible compromise of old and new,” said project investor Jay Franke during a tour of the space last year.

Franke led the design of the spaces, which merge the building’s historic bones with opulent fixtures and art by Wisconsin artists.

High ceilings and large windows define The George space, while the Madcap Lounge features a series of spaces including a billiards room and library. A “celebration suite” is attached to The George and can accommodate up to 20 people getting ready for an event.

“I’m proud to be a part of the preservation of a wonderful building which, by its presence, offers a poignant reminder of what the Walker’s Point neighborhood once was and, through its modernization, reflects what the neighborhood has become,” said Franke’s partner and co-investor David Herro in a statement.

The city issued a raze order on the building in 2016 before the partners stepped in to save the longtime rooming house.

Herro and Franke joined with Michael Morrison and Vicky Morrison in redeveloping the 1882 building.

The upper floors now include 12 apartments. Each unit has a different layout given the changing hallway widths in the building and a series of additions. Continuum Architects + Planners led the design, including the creation of a rooftop deck.

Information on tours and other amenities at the venues can be found at TheGeorgeMilwaukee.com.

Saz’s operates its catering business from its nearby facility at 201 W. Walker St. The organization also operates the South Second event venue at 838 S. 2nd St. and serves as the exclusive caterer at a number of Milwaukee area venues.

Apartment Photos

The George and Madcap Lounge Photos

2020 Exterior Photos

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