Construction could soon commence on the latest component of
J. Jeffers & Co.'s Journal Square project in downtown Milwaukee: 141 units of market-rate housing.
Journal Square is the name of the former Journal Sentinel office complex southwest of West State Street and North Vel R. Phillips Avenue. Jeffers
bought the building in late 2019 and is creating a new mix of uses there.
The 141 units will be created in the "1924 Building," or the oldest portion of the complex right at the corner of Phillips and State, according to city permit records.
Records indicate the work area totals 145,500 square feet over six stories. The estimated project cost is roughly $21.89 million.
Other project components include
195 beds of affordable housing for Milwaukee Area Technical College students and a new
Seeds of Health high school. A separate developer is planning a
155-room Tempo by Hilton hotel on the Journal Square block, northwest of West Kilbourn Avenue and North Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
Josh Jeffers, president and chief executive officer of Jeffers & Co.,
revealed in a previous interview with BizTimes that he expected construction to start this summer on the market-rate apartment units.
He said at the time that, because the large floor plates were not conducive to apartments, crews will need to open up the building with an atrium down the middle.
"It's incredible what's going into the conversion of this building," Jeffers said.
