City Names Vendor For New Downtown Park

Vel R. Phillips Plaza. Rendering by TKWA.

After a nearly nine-month search, the City of Milwaukee has found a “uniquely Milwaukee” food and beverage vendor to operate at Vel R. Phillips Plaza. Nomad Coffee Bar will fill a 2,900-square-foot cafe space at the new downtown park. It’s slated to open inside in a new, glassy building near W. Wisconsin Ave. and N. 5th St., with the goal to further activate and draw more visitors to the plaza.

The cafe is expected to open later in 2024, according to a news release, and will offer all-day food and drink, alcoholic beverages and kid-friendly options.

That should be no problem for owner Mike Eitel, who operates a number of local bars and restaurants under Caravan Hospitality Group, including the flagship Nomad Coffee Bar on Brady Street, as well as SportClub, Barrel Burrito Company and the recently-opened Experts Only, an apres-ski bar.

The plaza, honoring civil rights pioneer Vel Phillips, is situated along W. Wisconsin Ave. between N. 5th Street and N. Vel R. Phillips Avenue. It’s planned to open in time for the July 2024 Republican National Convention.

“The City of Milwaukee is quickly advancing work at the Vel R. Phillips Plaza in Westown. It’s adding to vibrancy and growth downtown,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson in a statement. “I look forward to Nomad Coffee Bar, a local business that will spur further economic development to this area. It is one more element enhancing this world class gathering space honoring Vel R. Phillips.”

The proposed lease for the cafe space would include a cash grant of up to $750,000 for a build-out. Currently, the space is in “warm gray box condition” with safety lighting, a gravel floor and no wall finishes.

“I am so excited for the opportunity to be a part of the growing energy and revitalization of the [Westown] neighborhood and believe the Nomad Coffee Bar concept is a perfect fit for the VRP Plaza,” Eitel said in a statement. “The synergies between the mission of the VRP Plaza, the Nomad Coffee Bar as a business model, and the core values of Caravan Hospitality’s company culture are truly aligned.”

Area Alderman Robert Bauman shared his support for Nomad Coffee Bar. “I support the proposed lease that will enliven this public space in honor of a true icon of our greater community, Vel R. Phillips,” Bauman said in a statement. “I am pleased that Mike Eitel is the successful respondent and investing in the Vel R. Phillips Plaza. This development will enhance this transportation hub by providing better connections to neighborhoods.”

In addition to the upcoming cafe, building plans call for a “signature water feature” or fountain inside the structure or in the outdoor seating area. The 30,000-square-foot plaza would also include a manicured garden, flexible space for farmers markets and other events, informational kiosk, public art installations and a station on Milwaukee County’s Connect bus-rapid transit line.

The plaza will also include a space to linger or host events and an art piece honoring Phillips, who would have turned 100 in 2024. The late Phillips was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin Law School, and the first woman and first African American elected to the Common Council. She was also the first female judge on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court and the first African American judge in Wisconsin. In 1978, Phillips became the first woman elected to the office of Secretary of State, becoming the first African American to ever win a statewide election. She passed away in 2018, with the council voting to rename N. 4th St. in her honor.

In addition to a space to eat, drink and gather, the plaza will honor Phillips with an art installation. The Department of City Development will soon announce the three finalists for the installation, which will be included in the northeast corner of the plaza.

Phillips’ son, Michael, said that he and his family are looking forward to continuing to celebrate his mother’s legacy in the coming year.

“On behalf of myself and my family, we welcome the future Nomad Coffee Bar at the Vel R. Phillips Plaza,” he said in a statement. “We support the Redevelopment Authority’s approval of the lease for the coffee bar. I am excited by the opening of her plaza, where all may enjoy its offerings and learn about her legacy and its impact in our community.”

The $16 million plaza is being built on a city-owned parking lot. The remaining 55,000 square feet of space, large enough to accommodate most of the new buildings constructed in Downtown in recent years, would be marketed for redevelopment. Space would be reserved through the plaza for a future streetcar line north to Fiserv Forum and Bronzeville.