An update on downtown construction projects as RNC approaches
Two downtown Milwaukee apartment towers are moving in residents and are nearly done with construction. Site preparation work is starting on other high-profile developments. And a pair of major downtown street projects will continue throughout summer and fall.
Such big construction projects are part of downtown's landscape as the city prepares to host an estimated 50,000 visitors this month for the Republican National Convention.
Here's what to know pending the RNC's July 15-18 run.
Couture, 333 Water high-rises are nearly done
Construction work is finishing up on two downtown apartment high-rises: The Couture, overlooking the lakefront at 909 E. Michigan St., and 333 Water, in the Historic Third Ward at 333 N. Water St.
The $191 million, 44-story Couture features 322 apartments and 42,600 square feet of commercial space on three floors. It began opening apartments in April, along with a transit hub featuring The Hop streetcar. The entire building, developed by Barrett Lo Visionary Development LLC, is to be finished in late July.
The $165 million 333 Water is a 31-story tower with 333 rental units and 9,600 square feet of ground-level retail space overlooking the Milwaukee River. It began moving in residents in June and the building, developed by Houston-based Hines, will be completed in August.
The Edison high-rise preps for September start
The Edison, a 32-story, 383-unit high-end tower, is planned for a vacant lot at 1005 N. Edison St. − where the former Rojahn & Malaney Co. warehouse was demolished in 2023.
Madison-based The Neutral Project LLC, the project developer, recently applied for construction permits. Prep work has started at the riverfront site with full construction to begin by September.
The building, which will include 7,100 square feet of street-level commercial space, will take around 30 months to complete.
Museum construction to start soon. FPC Live progresses
Two projects near Fiserv Forum − the main RNC facility − are in the works.
Construction is to begin this summer on Milwaukee Public Museum's future home, at West McKinley Avenue and North Sixth Street − where site prep work is ongoing. The new $200 million building is to open in early 2027 and will replace the museum's current home at 800 W. Wells St.
Also, site prep work has started at FPC Live's Deer District music venue at 1051 N. Phillips Ave. The $60 million ballroom-style venue, for up to 4,500 audience members, is to open in fall 2025.
Vel Phillips Plaza opens. Iron District lags
Vel R. Phillips Plaza opened just south of the Baird Center, another RNC facility, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 28.
The city converted part of a parking lot, at 401 W. Wisconsin Ave., into the $17.2 million plaza. It features benches, kiosks and space to host community events. Its building will host a food and beer vendor, operated by Draft & Vessel's owner, that's to open in September.
Just a few blocks away, construction has yet to begin on the Iron District's planned soccer stadium and hotel near West Michigan and North Sixth streets.
Kenosha-based Bear Development LLC and Grafton business operator James Kacmarcik continue to seek financing for the $220 million Iron District. Meanwhile, Bear is finishing construction on Michigan Street Commons apartments at the site's western end, 915 W. Michigan St.
Northwestern Mutual's campus expansion continues
Northwestern Mutual is stripping an 18-story office building, 818 E. Mason St., down to the frame, foundation and core.
That deconstruction, which started in February, will continue through 2024. The building will then be remade to look like the company's 32-story office tower and commons that opened in 2017 at 800 E. Wisconsin Ave.
That $500 million project is to be completed in 2027. The company will move its Franklin operations, with around 2,000 employees, to its downtown buildings.
Milwaukee Rep renovations take the stage
Milwaukee Repertory Theater's $78 million renovation project started in May after winning City Hall's approval.
Most of the work involves interior renovations, including remakes for two of the Rep's three performance spaces and a unified lobby at 108 E. Wells St. Exterior renovations include adding a patio to the adjacent Riverwalk.
The renovations will be completed by fall 2025, with the building renamed the Associated Bank Theater Center. Meanwhile, the westbound lane of East Wells Street between North Water Street and the Milwaukee River is closed until June 2025 to accommodate construction.
Wells and Van Buren street work runs to November
The $6 million rebuild of East Wells Street, between North Broadway and North Van Buren Street, and Van Buren Street's $3.2 million in improvements, between East Wisconsin Avenue and East Brady Street, are the largest current downtown street projects.
The four-block Wells Street project is a much shorter stretch than the 1-mile Van Buren Street project. But the former involves more extensive work with a complete reconstruction, according to the Department of Public Works.
Both projects will include protected bike lanes and other features to improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers. And both aren't scheduled for completion until November − although part of Wells Street recently reopened.
Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, X and Facebook.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee construction update as downtown prepares for RNC
