Plans to build an office and retail project in the heart of the city of Milwaukee have been announced by Hammes Co., a Brookfield-based national real estate development firm.
The new building, to be located at the southwest corner of Water and Wells streets and to be addressed 789 N. Water St., will add 51,000 rentable square feet to the city’s inventory of office and retail space, said Andy Weltcheff, Hammes Co. spokesman.
“This development, on a site that has been vacant for nearly 30 years, reflects downtown Milwaukee’s desirability as a place to do business,” Mayor John 0. Norquist said. “The new office and retail complex joins 136 apartments built as part of the City Hall Square project, which is adding vitality to the heart of downtown.”
Hammes representatives expressed confidence in finding interested tenants for the building, citing its location.
Hammes plans to develop 45,000 rentable square feet of office space and 6,000 rentable square feet of retail use on the ground floor. The five-story masonry and glass building will include three stories of office space and two stories of parking.
Kahler Slater has been named the architect of the Water and Wells project. Groundbreaking is anticipated for this summer and the building is expected to be completed toward the end of 1999.
The space is currently a surface parking lot. The site formerly hosted the Blatz Hotel which was razed in the early 1970s.
The Hammes development will be part of the overall City Hall Square redevelopment encompassing properties kitty-corner from City Hall. The redevelopment is creating new office, retail and residential space, largely out of existing structures.
The development was contingent on the approval of the Milwaukee Common Council.
May 1998 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
