Hotel planned for downtown Milwaukee revises its design to win Preservation Commission approval
An eight-story, 161-room Tempo by Hilton hotel planned for downtown Milwaukee's west side has received a city approval after revising its design.
The Historic Preservation Commission on Monday endorsed the project for a parking lot at 308 W. Kilbourn Ave.
The commission's approval is needed because the site is part of the adjacent former Milwaukee Journal Sentinel complex that was designated by the Common Council as historic.
The newspaper's former buildings have been redeveloped into high-end apartments, housing for Milwaukee Area Technical College students and a charter school.
The Tempo, proposed by development firm HKS Holdings LLC, would be built next to the historic five-story former Journal Sentinel building addition, constructed in 1962.
The design was revised in response to comments from commission members who reviewed the proposal in January. That included criticism of its "squat appearance."
The building now has "a more vertical expression" with taller windows, especially near the base, according to the revised plans from Project architect Ethan Skeels, of Kahler Slater.
Other changes include its predominately masonry form broken up with a vertical slot on the east facade, and the rooftop form more integrated into the project.
"They've addressed every critique we had," said Tim Askin, a city historic preservation planner.
There's no word yet on when HKS Holdings plans to begin construction on the hotel.
Downtown's newest hotel, The Trade Hotel MKE, a 207-room Marriott Autograph Hotel, is opening at 420 W. Juneau Ave. in June.
Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Tempo Hotel wins Historic Preservation Commission approval
