Downtown Church Could Become High-End Housing
Chicago firm buys shuttered Methodist church on Juneau and Cass.
Former Summerfield United Methodist Church, 722-728 E. Juneau Ave. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
A recently-shuttered church was purchased this week by a Chicago-based luxury housing developer.
An affiliate of JODI Development purchased the former Summerfield United Methodist Church at 722-728 E. Juneau Ave.
Located at the corner of Cass St. and Juneau Ave., the property includes the church structure and an attached parsonage, which was damaged in a fire in May. A listing says the buildings have 23,000 square feet of space spread across three floors.
JODI’s prior projects include repurposing former churches in Chicago and Evanston, Illinois into high-end apartments. In each case, the firm added an attached building with additional space.
The Gothic Revival-style church in Milwaukee was constructed in 1904. According to a Wisconsin Historical Society report, a series of church mergers resulted in the church being named for an Irish Methodist minister.
The church closed in 2023, when it reported having only 11 members and none under the age of 65.
According to state real estate transfer records, JODI paid $715,000 for the property. A public listing previously offered the property for sale for $1.5 million.
The property was sold by the Wisconsin Conference Board of Trustees of the United Methodist Church.
The structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but is not locally historically protected by the Historic Preservation Commission.
The 14,592-square-foot site appears to include little space for new development without demolishing the fire-damaged parsonage. A small grass area is available at the northwest corner of the site, behind the house. The west side of the site is bordered by a parking lot for Victor’s bar on Van Buren St., which is for sale.
The church has also served as a launchpad for other organizations. Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin was founded in the church’s basement in 1919. Some of the city’s first Narcotics Anonymous meetings were previously reported to be held in the building.
Other former downtown churches have found new life in recent years. In 2020, Saint James Episcopal Church was redeveloped into an event venue, St. James 1868. The Humphrey Scottish Rite Masonic Center, built as a church, is being slowly redeveloped into apartments.
A representive of JODI did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
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