Major Arts Foundation Proposes Walker’s Point Cultural Center

325 W. Florida St. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

A former tool-and-die shop at the northern end of Walker’s Point could see new life as a hub for the Ruth Foundation for the Arts, one of the nation’s largest arts organizations.

A request pending before the Board of Zoning Appeals (BOZA) asks for a variance to use the 5,250-square-foot building at 325 W. Florida St. as an “artist studio, light office, cultural space.”

The foundation is named for the late philanthropist and arts advocate Ruth DeYoung Kohler II, the longtime director of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan. DeYoung Kohler passed away in 2020 at the age of 79. The organization was publicly launched in 2022, with a $440 million endowment and a plan to give away $17 million annually in unrestricted grants. Karen Patterson, a former curator with the Kohler Arts Center, is the foundation’s CEO.

The foundation, according to its BOZA filing, intends to use the space as a public-facing space to support its grant operations. “Based in Milwaukee and national in scope, the foundation reflects the culture and spirit of the Midwest,” says the application. The one-story building would be used for invite-only lectures, research and educational programs, artmaking, exhibitions and office space.

The facility would be open to the public for no more than three days a week between April and December. The project needs a special use permit because it is considered an “Assembly Hall” under the city’s zoning ordinance.

The maximum capacity would be approximately 50 people. Twenty surface parking stalls are included in a lot to the east, 317 W. Florida St.

The BOZA filing lists the estimated project costs at $800,000. The foundation is leasing the property from a limited liability company affiliated with Robert Medved, who previously operated a business at the site. The property is assessed for $201,700, though its future tax status is unclear with a tax-exempt foundation moving in.

A seprate permit request lists One Source Construction as the general contractor on the project.

The building was constructed in 1914 and used by the Medved Tool & Die Co. and the General Welding & Mfg. Co. according to the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Five Milwaukee organizations have benefitted from the foundation’s first two years of giving. Black Arts MKE, Walker’s Point Center for the Arts and Woodland Pattern Book Center received grants in 2023. Arts @ Large and Milwaukee Film received grants in 2022.

DeYoung Kohler was the granddaughter of Kohler Company founder John Michael Kohler and sister of Herb Kohler, who long ran the family business before his 2022 passing.

Immediately east of the proposed arts center, New Land Enterprises is proposing to redevelop a parking lot into a six-story apartment building.

Photos