Bray Architects could be on the move. The education-focused design firm purchased a two-story building just three blocks from its current office in Walker’s Point.

The company paid $934,000 for a 20,772-square-foot building at 135 E. Washington St. that was long owned by aircraft navigation equipment firm Astronautics Corporation of America and used for product development.

The architecture firm is no stranger to repurposing industrial buildings. It is located in a former Federal Manufacturing Co. building at 829 S. 1st St.

“We’re exploring our options for the space and our future needs, with no set timeline for any firm decisions,” said director of marketing Karina Henderson in an email to Urban Milwaukee.

A search of permit records for the new purchase shows that Bray filed a presubmittal request in February to use the building as office space. The change in use for the Harbor District building would require Board of Zoning Appeals approval.

When Bray relocated from leased space in the Historic Third Ward to the repurposed 10,331-square-foot warehouse in Walker’s Point in 2016, the firm reported having 40 employees and two offices. Now it has 83 employees and offices in Milwaukee, Sheboygan, Davenport, IA and Moline, IL. The biggest office remains the Milwaukee headquarters.

Astronautics is selling all of its city of Milwaukee properties after relocating in 2019 to the former Master Lock campus in Oak Creek. It sold a three-story, 115,000-square-foot office building at 4115 N. Teutonia Ave. to Bachan Singh in February. Its 1.6-acre manufacturing campus at 1412-1426 W. National Ave. remains listed for sale for $1.86 million.

All of the properties were listed by Rand Wolf and Kevin Riordan of Cushman & Wakefield | Boerke.

The brick building purchased by Bray Architects was constructed in 1929 according to city assessment records. The surrounding properties east of S. 1st St. have seen substantial change in recent years. A block to the south, the Freshwater Plaza development, with a Cermak grocery store, opened in 2107. Mark Lathers is redeveloping a three-story building into a mixed-use complex a block northeast. Just east of the Astronautics building, Foamation opened an event venue during the pandemic. But a mix of scrap metal facilities still dot the area, and the building directly east of the Astronautics building is currently fenced off because of falling bricks.

Bray has expanded within its current home already, taking over an approximately 2,500-square-foot space on the north side of the building that was originally available for a second tenant. It’s also expanded the footprint of the property. An affiliate of the firm purchased and demolished the house at 821 S. 1st St., located immediately north of the firm’s headquarters in 2020.

Construction Photos of Bray’s Current Office

Post Move-in Photos

Weekly Recap

Element Opens in Walker’s Point, Nearly Fully Leased

New Land Enterprises began welcoming residents in recent weeks at its newest apartment building.

The six-story, 66-unit apartment building is already 88% leased, according to the firm’s managing director Tim Gokhman.

General contractor Catalyst Construction and various subcontractors are still work on a few remaining items at the building, which occupies the northeast corner of S. 5th St. and W. Mineral St. The building has a commercial space on the first floor that has yet to be leased.

Element is New Land’s third project in Walker’s Point. It first completed Trio, a three-building complex, at 1029 S. 1st St. in 2016. Then in 2020, the firm completed Quartet, fully leasing the 48-unit building at 1001 S. 2nd St. within two months of its opening. The quick leasing of Quartet fast-tracked the 5th Street project. Korb + Associates Architects, a frequent New Land collaborator, designed a building very similar to the successful Quartet.

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No New Third Ward Concert Venue

The proposed indoor theater complex planned for the Historic Third Ward is no more. But it could still end up somewhere else.

Frank Productions and Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. jointly announced they canceled the project, which was to start construction this year. It was to include two venues targeted at live music acts with 800 and 4,000 person capacities.

FPC Live, an arm of Frank Productions and global entertainment conglomerate Live Nation, was proposing to develop the complex on land owned by Summerfest-host MWF on the southern edge of the Historic Third Ward.

But despite appearing to need little in the way of legislative approvals, the project encountered opposition from residents of the Historic Third Ward over concerns about traffic and noise as well as opposition from the operators of other venues.

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Historic Commission Debates Artificial Turf for High School Field

Depending on how you look at it, the Historic Preservation Commission was presented with a complicated decision or an incredibly simple one.

The commissioners faced a packed committee room at City Hall Monday afternoon as Milwaukee Public Schools sought to install an artificial turf field at Washington High School, 2525 N. Sherman Blvd. The school is subject to historic oversight because it’s located in the Sherman Boulevard Historic District.

“The reason that we have a big audience for this is going to be clear shortly,” said Jacqueline Drayer, a contractor functioning as a commission staff member.

She recommended the appointed commissioners reject the synthetic field, planned for the corner of N. Sherman Blvd. and W. Center St.

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2022 Mayor’s Design Awards Announced

A Milwaukee tradition now spanning three mayors is in its 25th year. The winners of the annual Mayor’s Design Awards were announced Thursday by Mayor Cavalier Johnson and the Department of City Development.

“For 25 years, Milwaukee has witnessed tremendous growth and activity. New buildings, outdoor spaces, attractions, and landscaping add to the fabric of our neighborhoods,” said Johnson in a statement announcing the winners. “These awards celebrate the innovative efforts that make our city a great place to live, work, and have fun. I am excited to recognize these deserving projects that showcase the power of urban design to build stronger communities and move Milwaukee forward.”

The awards range from small, public art installations to new buildings like a northwest side high school and Bay View condominiums. At least one project in all 15 aldermanic districts was recognized.

An in-person ceremony, the first in two years, will be held May 18 at the UW-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning.

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Could Affordable Housing Reduce City’s Racial Disparities?

Historic racism, state-level meddling and decade-long trends have combined to severely harm the state of affordable housing in Milwaukee. To solve it, a citywide and long-term plan is required, according to Teig Whaley-Smith, the chief alliance officer at the Community Development Alliance and a former Milwaukee County official.

Whaley-Smith spoke Tuesday at a meeting of the Milwaukee Rotary Club about what is needed to reduce racial disparities in homeownership in the city, a problem with branches that extend from the health and education of children to the area’s economic strength.

“These problems have been created over centuries and we are not going to solve them overnight,” he said. “But it’s important that we do it together to make progress, and why start with housing? So there are hospital representatives in the room, public safety folks, people in economic development and running your own business and work on employment. And it turns out that housing is deeply attached to all of those other social determinants of health. And we’re understanding this more and more through some really recent research. For example, in education, kids that come from families that are in stable housing, have a 20-30% lower dropout rate. That’s huge.”

The Community Development Alliance, along with other organizations in the Milwaukee area, have developed a strategic plan to increase homeownership rates among Black and Latino residents and increase housing affordability for Milwaukeeans earning $7-15 per hour — highlighting the generational wealth that can be created by homeownership.

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Concordia 27 Will Offer Housing, Meals, Education

A “comprehensive community hub” is intended to catalyze further development on Milwaukee’s Near West Side. Known as Concordia 27, the $16 million project calls for redeveloping a vacant four-story, 97-year-old building at the corner of N. 27th St. and W. Wells St.

The completed redevelopment will include 30 apartments for seniors and low-income families on its upper floors, a two-story clinic for a trauma-informed training provider, a large commercial kitchen for training area residents, workspace for creative professionals and a new headquarters for a nonprofit organization focused on improving the neighborhood.

“This development is the culmination of years of community planning,” said Near West Side Partners (NWSP) Executive Director Keith Stanley at a press conference Wednesday morning.

Governor Tony Evers announced at the event that the state would contribute $5 million from its American Rescue Plan Act allocation to back the project, 801-813 N. 27th St.

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City Awards Vouchers to 7 West Side Housing Projects

Federal housing vouchers will bolster a number of Near West Side housing developments, supporting the revitalization of the neighborhood.

The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee announced it was awarding the 149 vouchers to seven projects. The awards will advance the creation or rehabilitation of 390 apartments.

The vouchers, which will be assigned to specific units, cover approximately 70% of a qualifying tenant’s rent in a privately-owned building. They are being awarded after a request- for-proposals process.

“Our agency prides itself on being a strong community partner and valuable resource for affordable housing opportunities. As the largest affordable housing provider in the Near West Side, it is important for us to continue our partnerships in that neighborhood. The success of the Near West Side is our residents’ success,” said HACM Secretary-Executive Director Willie Hines, Jr. in a statement issued April 26.

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Milwaukee Strikes Out In WHEDA Awards

Milwaukee’s pipeline of affordable housing developments just got a little bit thinner.

No new Milwaukee projects were among the winners of the annual, competitive low-income housing tax credit allocation process administered by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA).

A single project, planned for W. Highland Blvd., received a supplemental credit award to help close a financing gap. AbleLight received an additional $191,000 credit on top of its $1.09 million 2021 award.

The proposal involves a new building at 3200 W. Highland Blvd. with 68 apartments, 62 of which would be rented at affordable, below-market rates. The units would be set aside for those aged 55 or older and suited for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Quorum Architects, which has its office next door, is leading the building’s design. Cardinal Capital Management is serving as a development partner and Milwaukee Center for Independence will assist with programming.

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Potawatomi Plans $100 Million Casino Overhaul

Potawatomi Hotel & Casino is set to overhaul its casino floor as part of a $100 million project.

The changes include adding 1,800 more slot machines, a high-limit gambling room, Starbucks cafe, Rocks & Brews restaurant from KISS band members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons and three new “quick service” food options.

“Since opening more than 30 years ago, Potawatomi Hotel & Casino has made it a priority to evolve and meet the needs of our guests,” said CEO and general manager Dominic Ortiz in a statement Monday. “Not only will this elevate the brand, it will further our long-standing status as the premier entertainment destination in the region as the market becomes significantly more competitive. This is just the beginning. Additional exciting changes and new amenities are in store. The best is truly yet to come.”

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