The longtime home of Ma Baensch herring in Riverwest is being listed for sale. It could be redeveloped into new uses.
The longtime home of Ma Baensch herring in Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood is being listed for sale — creating a possible redevelopment play.
Baensch Food Products Co. is listing the 9,650-square-foot facility, at 1025 E. Locust St., with Colliers commercial real estate brokerage. The listing price is $539,000.
The company, which produces 12- and 24-ounce jars of marinated herring, will keep its headquarters in Milwaukee County.
But the packaging operations are moving to a co-packing facility in Minnesota.
The building's age and need for updates led to company President Kim Wall's decision to relocate to more efficient space.
Also, city road improvement projects on Locust Street and Humboldt Boulevard have eliminated the building's loading dock area, the company said in a statement.
“This facility has been a loyal and beloved part of our company’s food packing operation," Wall said. "Now it’s time to pass it along to someone or group who will take good care of it.”
The two-story building could be redeveloped from its 75-year tenure as a food processing facility to new uses, such as retail or residential.
“This redevelopment or adaptive re-use is a one-of-a-kind opportunity in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood," said listing agent Bill Langhoff of Colliers.
The building was constructed in 1914, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society.
It was used by Cudahy Brothers Co. before Baensch Food Products began using it in 1946. Wall bought the property, and the company, in 1999.
Baensch has been using co-packers since 2004 due to a significant increase in production, which the Riverwest facility was unable to accommodate.
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: Riverwest's Ma Baensch building listed for sale as redevelopment play
