Former Theater Could Become Art Studio
Plus: A recap of the week's real estate news.
2917-2923 N. Holton St. Photo by Graham Kilmer.
The City of Milwaukee appears to have found a buyer for a historic movie theater on the border of Riverwest and Harambee.
The city listed the former Grand Theater, 2917-2923 N. Holton St., for sale last September after an earlier proposal to redevelop the complex fell through.
The operation would be jointly led by father-and-daughter team Luis and Tatiana Lugo.
“We want to plant a seed that will bring life, love, and positive change into everybody that walks in. We will primarily serve the youth and young adults who are looking to spark their inner creativity and self expression. I want to create a safe space of discovery where we can experiment and turn ideas into fruit. The studio will be presented as a workshop and a geological venue for imagination,” wrote the elder Lugo in a narrative attached to the permit request.
Proposed uses for the studio space include a community center, dance studio, painting station, carpentry workshop, screen printing station and sewing area. According to the document submitted to the city, Power Art Studios will initially serve as a workspace for Tatiana, but the Lugos hope to add community workshops and classes as well as partnerships with schools.
The building was constructed in 1911, with the theater expanded to 850 seats in 1922. It was operated as a neighborhood theater until the 1970s.
But the seats eventually gave way to pews. It was owned and occupied by the Haven for Hope Ministries, but the organization lost the facility in property tax foreclosure in 2016.
In 2018 the Riverwest Investment Cooperative, a nonprofit group led by area residents, secured city approval to convert the facility into the Grand Imagination Theater with two stages. But the organization announced in August 2020 that it canceled its plan because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The property was listed for $15,000 in September on a first-come, first-served basis. The property includes the 6,846-square-foot structure, which includes a mezzanine level, and sits on an 8,314-square-foot lot.
Lugo’s property management would occupy the mezzanine space in the building.
The Common Council would need to approve any sale of the property. No file is currently pending before the body. The proposed uses would also require approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals.
Included in the parcel is a vacant lot to the north. That site once housed a restaurant with apartments above, but city records indicate it was demolished in 2013.
The theater was designed by architect John Roth, Jr. A 1927 remodeling, according to a Cinema Treasures report, gave it an atmospheric style with the interior ceiling patterned after a Mediterranean night sky. It was later known as the Puerto Rico Theatre and featured adult films.
Photos
Weekly Recap
Harley-Davidson’s New Event Venue
Construction is progressing quickly on “The Garage” at the Harley-Davidson Museum campus, 400 W. Canal St.
The one-story, 8,200-square-foot building is replacing Chrome, a seasonal tent structure used for formal events. It’s also being built on nearly the exact footprint of the tent, at the south end of the campus overlooking the South Menomonee Canal and Menomonee River. The new building will offer floor-to-ceiling glass doors that offer views of the downtown skyline and surrounding campus.
There will certainly be plenty of motorcycle-themed events in the new structure, but it reflects the reality that the museum has also carved out a niche as a distinctly-Milwaukee place to hold an event. That was proven Wednesday as several hundred movers-and-shakers descended on the 20-acre campus to watch Mayor Cavalier Johnson‘s inauguration.
Johnson, speaking from the Rumble event space located elsewhere in the complex, said that the museum was located at the meeting point of Milwaukee’s north and south sides. But for many, it will be remembered as the meeting place for two families as the new event space is likely to host hundreds of future weddings.
Willie Hines Jr. Finds Opportunity to Give Back at Housing Authority
Willie Hines, Jr. once lived in public housing.
Now he’s the first African American person to lead the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee, or HACM, in its 78-year history.
“I thrived from growing up in public housing,” Hines said. “This is an opportunity to give back to the community that gave to me.”
The HACM is the largest affordable housing provider in Wisconsin. It provides housing options and supportive services to over 10,000 low-income families, seniors, adults with disabilities and veterans.
SoftwareONE Moving Office To Third Ward
In a big win for Historic Third Ward and the greater downtown office market, cloud technology provider SoftwareONE announced it was relocating its North American headquarters from Waukesha to the P.H. Dye House, 320 E. Buffalo St.
Using a hybrid arrangement, the company will relocate its 135 employees to the Historic Third Ward building. SoftwareONE is leasing approximately 20,000 square feet on the building’s second floor.
“We’re thrilled to be expanding our area operations into Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward,” said Ashley Gaare, President of SoftwareONE North America, in a statement. “The heart of downtown Milwaukee is a perfect fit for SoftwareONE’s innovative and flexible culture, and we look forward to playing a bigger role in the advancement of our people and the community at large.”
The publicly-traded company’s headquarters is located in Switzerland. In a press release, SoftwareONE said it has “around 8,300” employees, 65,000 business customers, and sales and service delivery capabilities in 90 countries.
Developer Seeks Extension To Develop City Place Apartments
The developers of a four-story, 38-unit apartment building are seeking more time to complete their financing package and close on the purchase of city-owned land.
“The timeline we had before has been pushed and shoved around,” said developer Kalan Haywood to members of the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee on Tuesday. It’s a common refrain from developers in the past year as construction costs have spiked.
The Haywood Group and Thirty Six Blocks are seeking to develop City Place Two on the northwest corner of the block bounded by W. Vine St., W. Walnut St., N. 5th St. and N. 6th St. a few blocks north of Fiserv Forum. Its the second phase of a 2018 project, City Place Apartments, that included 51 apartments on the southeast corner of the block.
Thirty-two of the new apartments, all two-bedroom layouts, would be set aside at below-market rates for households making less than 60% of the area’s median income. Six three-bedroom townhomes would be leased at market rates. Engberg Anderson Architects is leading the building’s design.
City Preparing Menomonee Valley Site For Development
A virtually hidden Menomonee Valley site could soon see new life under a federal grant.
The 15-acre Kneeland Properties site sits between the Canadian Pacific railroad line and the Menomonee River, and below the Interstate 94 High-Rise Bridge leading to the Marquette Interchange.
The Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee is seeking a $3.2 million grant that would partially fund an extension of W. Mt. Vernon Ave. onto the site as well as sewer and water lines.
“There has been a lot of interest in this area,” said RACM project manager Benjamin Timm to the agency’s board on March 17. “The city would put in the infrastructure and we would sell the property to the private sector.”
Grossman Sells Two East Side Buildings
Illinois-based real estate investor Samuel Grossman sold two of his East Side apartment buildings this week.
Grossman sold the buildings to Azzat, LLC, a newly-formed entity that lists Brookfield psychiatrist Dr. Khazi Muqeet as its registered agent.
In less than two years, Grossman’s Fairchild Acquisition has acquired several buildings on the East Side.
“We believe in creating value in buildings by modernizing the interiors, while maintaining the historic look of the exterior and the balance that goes along with it,” said Grossman, a Fox Point native now operating out of Deerfield, Ill., in an April 2021 interview. Improvements to the often century-old buildings include new electrical service, plumbing, flooring and cabinets. “We convert unused basement space to fitness and business centers.”
New Third Ward Building Revealed
The design of a proposed apartment building for the southeast corner of the Historic Third Ward was revealed Wednesday. But based on feedback from the neighborhood’s architectural review board it could see substantial change.
Minnesota-based Kaeding Development Group plans to develop a five-story, 260-unit apartment building at the northwest corner of N. Lincoln Memorial Dr. and E. Summerfest Pl. Kaeding would purchase the site from the Italian Community Center (ICC).
“We were challenged with a few things on this site as we sat down initially,” said developer Carl Kaeding to members of the Historic Third Ward Architectural Review Board. The site, which is vacant other than a 6,944-square-foot warehouse, is located between the developed neighborhood to the west and Henry Maier Festival Park to the east.
Kaeding said the goal was to create a building that was not monolithic and bridges the architectural styles of the neighborhood to the west and the new buildings that could be developed on the ICC site and other vacant sites. The proposed FPC Live concert venue would be built a block to the south.
Choice School Must Pay Property Taxes
A proposal for a private school to purchase a former Milwaukee Public Schools building comes with a catch: the structure of the deal will require the school to pay property taxes.
Tuesday morning, the Common Council’s Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee unanimously endorsed selling the vacant Fletcher Elementary School, 9500 W. Allyn St., to Synergy Development Group. Synergy will in turn lease the school to Greater Holy Temple Christian Academy (GHTCA).
Department of City Development representative Rhonda Szallai said a deed restriction would be placed on the property that requires it be a fully taxed use. The only way to remove the restriction would be to secure a vote from two-thirds of the council to remove it.
Led by Robert Chandler, Synergy would pay $500,000 for the school. GHTCA would move into the 60,754-square-foot building in time for the 2023-2024 school year.
New Tower Planned For East Side
A new tower could be coming to Prospect Avenue.
Madison-based Willow Partners acquired the Goll Mansion site, 1550 N. Prospect Ave.
Willow’s project is expected to be a modified version of a previously-approved, 27-story building. That proposal, known as 1550, was approved in 2017 after a series of contentious zoning hearings. It was to include 192 apartments.
“It is our intention to bring a slightly revised plan forward that will increase positive
externalities to the city and the neighborhood,” said Willow managing partner Christopher Houden Jr. via email.
Foreclosed Home Will House Those Displaced By Lead Abatement
A nonprofit housing assistance group is buying a city-owned home to house families displaced by lead abatement work.
Community Advocates will receive a $5,000 forgivable loan to make improvements to the property. The funds come from the city’s $300,000 emergency housing assistance fund created.
When the fund was created in 2019, its sponsor Alderwoman Chantia Lewis said she was drawn to introduce the effort after learning of families who were displaced after members tested high for blood-lead levels, requiring in-home abatement work.
Garden Homes Project May Get Extension
The developers behind a delayed proposal to rehabilitate 30 units of housing in a historic city neighborhood and rent the units out at below-market rates to low-income occupants is poised to receive an extension from the city.
A partnership of the nonprofit 30th Street Industrial Corridor Corporation and Impact Seven would renovate a group of city-owned homes surrounding Garden Homes Park, located just east of N. 27th St. and W. Atkinson Ave.
The development team received low-income housing tax credits to fund the project in April 2020. But the project didn’t move forward as expected, in part because of rising construction costs.
An extension, unanimously approved Tuesday morning by the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee, would give the development team until June 30 to close on the purchase. A one-month emergency extension would be available.
The Fight Over Columbia Hospital
Over the objections of UW-Milwaukee, a Common Council committee voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend historic designation for the oldest portion of Columbia Hospital. The full council still needs to vote on the matter, but even that is not expected to be the end of the debate.
The university is seeking to demolish the building, first built in 1919, to create green space on its landlocked campus. University officials suggested Tuesday that the UW system could now pursue court action to allow demolition to move forward.
“The state estimates that a short-term delay would cost $1,000 per day and if it were to go on for months it would cost us millions,” said UW system senior vice president for capital planning and budget Alex Roe. The university has a contract to start demolition on May 2.
Menards Plans Northridge Expansion
Home improvement retailer Menards is moving forward on redeveloping one of the only portions of the Northridge Mall complex not stuck in a protracted court battle. It plans to add 105 self-storage units to the parking lot at the south end of the mall.
The retailer operates a large store, 8110 W. Brown Deer Rd., that was built after the mall itself closed in 2003. It also owns the attached former Pick ‘n Save grocery store, which was built with Menards, but shuttered in 2015.
“We have been very happy there,” said Menards real estate director Tyler Edwards to the Granville Advisory Committee on April 6. “We know that things are coming with the mall and we want to secure our location.”
The city is pursuing a raze order for the remaining mall complex, though its owner U.S. Black Spruce Enterprise Group is fighting that measure in court. The site could be redeveloped into a mix of uses, while China-based Black Spruce claims it has been pursuing an Asian marketplace in the building for more than a decade.
New Assessments Hike Residential Values By 17.7%
Milwaukee property owners should expect to see a sizable increase in the assessed value of their property when assessment letters are mailed Friday, but not necessarily a future tax increase.
The average residential property’s assessed value climbed 17.77% since 2021, with an increase seen in every aldermanic district. The assessed value of commercial properties, which includes apartment buildings, is up 6.68%.
The assessed values are designed to reflect the market values a property would receive when sold in the year prior. A hot real estate market in recent years, both in the number of sales and the value of the sales, has sent assessed values surging across the country.
The average home value is now $154,469, up from $131,166.
Lonely East Side House Will Disappear
One of the East Side’s most visible houses is being demolished at this time. Although it’s nothing special to look at, the single-family residence at 2137 N. Oakland Ave., built in 1885, is the last remaining of the 14 that once lined the street from E. Windsor Pl. to E. North Ave. You can’t miss the house, thanks to its location, right in the middle of the block where the street makes a dogleg turn to the north, aligning with the city’s grid. The absence of any neighboring structures makes it stand out even more for the 17,000 motorists and uncounted pedestrians and bicyclists who pass it daily, as well as passengers on the Green Line MCTS bus. Soon, it will be no more.
Its purchase for $400,000 on November 30th puts the entire block under the control of Thermo Fisher Scientific. The $40 billion firm’s Milwaukee manufacturing facility, at 2202 N. Bartlett Ave., occupies the west end of the block, and looms behind the house, separated by an alley that bisects the block from north to south.
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