Milwaukee County celebrated a groundbreaking Monday morning for the new Marcia P. Coggs Health and Human Services Center.
Located at 1230 W. Cherry St. in Milwaukee the building will eventually replace the existing Health and Human Services Center building at 1220 W. Vliet St.
Unlike the outgoing building – a former Schuster’s department store – the new building is designed specifically to deliver health and human services, county officials say, with a focus around “eliminating physical barriers, creating a warm and welcoming location, and improving access” to resources and services.”
Construction of the four-story, 60,000-square-foot building is expected to be complete in early 2025. The cost of the new building is estimated at $32 million. The building is designed by Engberg Anderson Architects, and has received “Designed for Energy Star” certification, according to the firm.
With the new center – the first new county building to be constructed in or close to downtown since 1992 – services will also remain in the King Park neighborhood, officials say.
The county has put a renewed focus on the King Park neighborhood in recent years. In addition to the construction of the Health and Human Services building, the county is also working with Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity and other partners, to construct 120 homes on vacant lots throughout the King Park and Midtown neighborhoods.
“Today, is a monumental day. I’m thrilled to be celebrating the groundbreaking of the new Marcia P. Coggs Health and Human Services Center, an upstream investment in race and health equity for our community. I am proud to say that for the first time Milwaukee County will have a building designed specifically to deliver health and human services,” County Executive David Crowley said. “I would like to sincerely thank everyone whose strong commitment to human services made this a reality, first and foremost Marcia P. Coggs, our staff, the County Board, and our federal leaders who supported the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) legislation that made this possible.”
The building’s namesake Marcia P. Coggs was a political trailblazer and strong advocate for human needs, the release states. She was the first Black woman elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly, and the first Black person to sit on the state’s Legislature’s Joint Finance committee.
She also served on the county’s Health and Human Services Committee the entire time she was in the Legislature, and many of the committees she served on were focused on children, families, and employment.
As construction begins on the new Coggs building, it remains to be seen what will happen with the existing structure once the county no longer needs it. Asked about the fate of the structure, a Milwaukee County spokesman provided this statement: “Milwaukee County is currently analyzing the future of the Health and Human Services building at 1220 W. Vliet Street. We released a request for ideas for the future of this building on February 3, 2023. We continue to review ideas that prioritize racial equity and meet the needs of the community.”
