Marcus Center garage may be replaced by 55-story tower in Milwaukee
3 min read
A 55-story apartment tower, hotel and other buildings would replace the Marcus Performing Arts Center’s downtown parking structure under a new $700 million proposal.
Madison-based The Neutral Project LLC plans to develop the buildings in phases at the 2.5-acre site, 1001 N. Water St. That’s according to the firm’s conceptual plans, which could change.
The development could include up to 750 residential units, 190,000 square feet of office space, 40,000 square feet of retail space, 300 hotel rooms, 1,100 structured parking spaces, and public plazas and walkways, according to the Wednesday announcement.
Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s administration is proposing a one-year exclusive right to negotiate a sale of the city-owned site.
That negotiation right, which needs Common Council approval, would give the development team time to locate commercial tenants, secure financing and finalize the project plans.
The announcement said the project would feature Wisconsin’s tallest building − which a Department of City Development representative later said would be 55 stories and 613 feet.
That would well eclipse the 42-story U.S. Bank Center office tower, 777 E. Wisconsin Ave.
Department officials and firm executives declined to release much additional information.
A graphic provided to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel by the Department of City Development mentions three “residential towers” − although two appear to be mid-rise buildings.
It shows an office building, as well as a hotel that could include extended-stay rooms. It also outlines retail space, including a possible supermarket.
The Neutral Project recently started site preparation work for a neighboring 32-story, 383-unit high-end tower.
Known as The Edison, that riverfront tower is coming to a vacant lot at 1005 N. Edison St., just west of the Marcus Center parking garage.
The Johnson administration in 2023 sought development proposals for the parking structure site, with its redevelopment envisioned in the city’s new long-term downtown plan. The city leases the parking structure to the Marcus Center, a private, nonprofit corporation.
The Neutral Project’s proposal was chosen by the Department of City Development for best meeting the city’s goals and criteria, which include providing parking for Marcus Center events.
The development would create “a landmark mixed-use building” which activates the Water Street corridor and improves nearby pedestrian connections that include “a reimagined Red Arrow Park and Pere Marquette Park,” said Department of City Development Commissioner Lafayette L. Crump.
The project will help reach the aspirational goal to grow Milwaukee’s population to 1 million while adding “density and activity to an underutilized City-controlled parcel in downtown Milwaukee,” Johnson said.
Project to use unusual mass timber technique
The Edison high-rise, to begin construction this fall, will take about 30 months to build.
It will use an unusual construction technique known as mass timber, or cross-laminated timber. That process uses layers of wood pressed together to create columns, beams and other building frame components.
Apartments, offices and other buildings made from timber provide a lower carbon footprint than conventional construction. They also can create a more attractive atmosphere, featuring exposed wood interiors.
That technique also would be used for the parking garage development site.
“This project has the potential to position the Marcus Center as a groundbreaking model for sustainable development, not just in the United States, but on a global scale,” said a statement from Neutral Project Chief Project Officer Daniel Glaessl and Chief Executive Officer Nate Helbach.
“We are incredibly excited about The Neutral Project’s transformative development of the Marcus Performing Arts Center parking garage,” said Marcus Center President and CEO Kevin Giglinto. “This project will not only activate this section of Water Street, but will also create a vibrant, dynamic neighborhood that benefits our patrons and the entire City of Milwaukee.”
The project team includes Michael Green Architecture, HGA, Gehl People, C.D. Smith and Thornton Tomasetti.
Tom Daykin can be emailed at [email protected] and followed on Instagram, X and Facebook.
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