Content referencing Blue Ribbon Hall
Pabst CEO on Biden’s Visit to the Theater
Gary Witt discusses preparing for the presidential visit, running an event venue during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Feb 12th, 2021 by Michael Horne
A Spectacular Green Neighborhood is Brewing in Milwaukee
Milwaukee’s newest trendy neighborhood is likely to become one of its best, and almost certainly its greenest.
Sep 30th, 2011 by Kaid Benfield
Pabst Office Redevelopment Moves Along
The Pabst Brewing Complex Originally uploaded by compujeramey Jim Haertel, president of Brew City Redevelopment Group LLC, is excited to finally see his dream coming to fruition. Haertel, who I’ve mentioned before owns a group of former Pabst brewery office buildings that are part of the complex that Joseph Zilber is redeveloping. Haertel is a name many in Milwaukee may remember as one of the leaders behind the original plans to turn the brewery in PabstCity, a nightlife and entertainment district. That plan ultimately died as a result of the Common Council not giving Wispark public money to develop the area, because of concerns of its long-term viability. Haertel was promised the Blue Ribbon Hall office buildings as part of the deal with his financing partner Wispark LLC. He was given the buildings by Wispark upon their sale of the complex to Zilber and his Brewery Project LLC, and just recently in December settled a lawsuit with Wispark. Terms of the settlement weren’t released, and I haven’t heard rumor of what they might be. Development is moving at a fast pace at the complex now (pictures coming soon). Fulfilling Haertel’s dream for the site, Blue Ribbon Hall and the surrounding office buildings will turn into the Museum of Beer and Brewing and Hofbrauhaus Milwaukee. Construction will begin next year, and everything will open in February of 2010. The reason for the delay? Haertel wants to wait for construction across Juneau Avenue to finish. The buildings just across the street (former keg houses) are being removed and replaced with a parking garage (more on that later). Personally, I’m excited about the long-term prospects for this area. I really think overall there are a lot of really good things going on over at The Brewery. Early developments such as the Hofbrauhaus are going to set a great tone for the surrounding area developments still to come.
Mar 21st, 2008 by Jeramey Jannene
Old World 3rd Street Getting New Facelift
Old World 3rd St just west of the Milwaukee River is going to be home to a new restaurant or two and another tavern. I’ll break them down location by location. Robert Ruvin, who has yet to start construction on any of his nearby developments, will have a new high-end restaurant opening in his Third Street Pier building in March. Kincaid’s Fish, Chip and Steak House will occupy the space previously occupied by the Third Street Pier restaurant and give you everything the title indicates for a pretty penny. A development that is drawing opposition from other businesses on the street is Bootleggers. A sister tavern of another two-story tavern in downtown Minneapolis, the place will feature live bands, a dance floor, and an outdoor patio. Other tavern owners on the street voiced their concern through their lawyer who said that Bootleggers will bring “price wars, cheap liquor and bad behavior on the street.” Alderman Bob Bauman supported giving Bootleggers a liquor license, but has expressed concern about the establishment’s potential to be disorderly. Coming to the aid of Bootleggers, the Minneapolis Police Department submitted a letter of recommendation. Both a dance and tavern license were ultimately issued at the January 15th Common Council meeting, meaning the tavern’s opening is all but for-sure. Bootleggers hopes to be open by June. The most interesting of the developments is the Milwaukee Brat House. Led by entrepreneur Jack Schaefer, the Brat House will be an old-world German tavern and hopes to be open by March. The tavern will serve food at both lunch and dinner. Why is this so interesting? Because it continues the trend of turning West Town into Little Munich. A place where Germans can come to and feel right at home, and where Wisconsinites can go to celebrate their heritage. To start things off right on Old World 3rd Street is the Old German Beer Hall and Mader’s Restaurant. Over at The Brewery (the Pabst Brewery redevelopment project) there is the proposed Hofbrauhaus Milwaukee in the old Blue Ribbon Hall. Another reason to be excited about the Milwaukee Brat House is that finally you’ll have a place to take your family and friends to enjoy a delicious bratwurst. Sure, you can get a brat at a lot of places around Milwaukee, but the brat is just an after thought on the menu. I don’t want to go to a big fancy restaurant to get a bratwurst, I want to go sit at a table somewhere and look at a menu that is dominated by the notion of the bratwurst. Plain and simple, feed me delicious meat. I can’t wait to try out the new places on Old World Third Street, some before others as my wallet allows.
Jan 24th, 2008 by Jeramey Jannene
Word on the Street (12.17.2007)
Links from the Milwaukee-informationsphere Mary Louise Schumacher is yet another art person doesn’t think it’s a good idea to build a recognizable landmark that will increase pedestrian traffic in downtown Milwaukee. Hofbrauhaus Milwaukee, a proposed German beer hall and restaurant, is likely coming next The Brewery development at the old Pabst brewery in Blue Ribbon Hall after the settlement of a lawsuit involving Brew City Redevelopment LLC with the complex’s former owners, WisPark LLC. The article makes no mention of the existing Old German Beer Hall and how urban Milwaukee is delightfully reinventing itself more in the fashion of a city like Munich, Germany. Robert Kern, of Generac fame and fortune, is powering a change in the way the state handles engineering education through his foundation (Kern Family Foundation). Two urban Milwaukee schools are at the center of this in MSOE and Marquette, through the recruitment of Project Lead the Way students form high schools and their participation in KEEN (Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network). Urban Milwaukee would like to applaud the efforts of Robert Kern for his visionary leadership in truly investing in the future of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the entire Fresh Coast economy and education system. The Journal Sentinel takes a look at how you can reduce your power consumption and what effects it will have. Absolutely worth your time to read. Dave Reid takes a look at the Kane Commons development and gives us a construction update of the Breakwater Condos and The Residences on Water.
Dec 17th, 2007 by Jeramey Jannene
