St. Francis Vet Moving to Milwaukee

A commercial building near the intersection of S. Howell Ave. and E. Howard Ave. will see new life as an animal hospital.

St. Francis Animal Hospital intends to relocate to the building, 3860 S. Howell Ave., this year, moving two miles west from the City of St. Francis to Milwaukee’s Tippecanoe neighborhood.

The building became available when Lark Uniform, a supplier of government uniforms, closed its Milwaukee store and sold its remaining Oak Creek business to national uniform provider Galls. The Milwaukee property was listed for sale with Anderson Commercial Group in April 2020.

In June 2021, a limited liability company affiliated with Vic Dhillon, a veterinarian, purchased the property for $637,500. Dhillon, through his Advanced Animal Hospital Group, built a portfolio of 14 animal hospitals before merging with another chain in 2017, creating Mission Veterinary Partners and landing a private equity investment. Advanced clinics in the Milwaukee Area included Mayfair Animal Hospital in Wauwatosa, Advanced Animal Hospital in Greenfield, American Veterinary Hospital in Franklin, Hales Corners Veterinary Clinic and Animal Doctor of Muskego.

The newly-acquired one-story, Milwaukee building was constructed in 1945. It has 5,489 square feet of space. A surface parking lot includes 32 stalls.

Two Illinois-based firms that specialize in animal care projects are now leading the structure’s redevelopment. Linden Group Architects is leading the design work. RWE Design Build is leading the general contracting on the project.

According to a commercial alteration permit, the expected cost of the work is at least $580,000.

Will the hospital get a new name as part of the move? A representative of the hospital did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

The hospital’s current home, 3805 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., is for sale for $240,000. The two-story, 4,000-square-foot building is partially leased to the hospital through October 2022, according to the listing. According to St. Francis property records, it is owned by a limited liability company affiliated with Dhillon.

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