The Milwaukee School of Engineering announced Thursday that it has acquired the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services building near its downtown Milwaukee campus.
The 58,429-square-foot, 23-year-old building, located at 310 E. Knapp St., was sold to MSOE by Sunset Investors. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services leases the building.
MSOE said it has not yet finalized its plans for the building’s use but intends to rezone it for “college use,” consistent with zoning of other buildings on campus, according to a press release.
“This strategic acquisition will support our academic mission, further strengthening our ability to deliver a top-tier education and the development of the MSOE Mindset in our graduates,” said John Walz, president of MSOE. “As demand for our graduates grows, so too should our curricular and co-curricular offerings and campus infrastructure to meet their needs.”
The property was purchased by MSOE for $1,090,500, according to state records. Walz and university leadership are currently considering several potential academic uses for the building, in close consultation with MSOE’s Board of Regents, and will share plans as they are finalized.
A representative of MSOE declined to comment on when the lease with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will expire but said MSOE will honor the terms of the lease. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services could not be immediately reached Thursday to comment.
The building is in the northeast quadrant of the MSOE campus at the intersection of North Broadway and East Knapp Street. Occupying the other three corners of that intersection are MSOE’s Pamela and Hermann Viets Field, an NCAA Division III competition field for soccer, lacrosse and club sports; MSOE’s Kern Center, a 210,000-square-foot recreation, athletic, health and wellness facility; and a small parking lot for the university.
The owner and principal of Sunset Investors is Kendall G. Breunig, who graduated from MSOE with an Associate of Applied Science in Architectural and Building Construction Engineering Technology in 1978 and a bachelor’s degree in the same field in 1979. He received a master's degree in civil engineering from Marquette University in 1987 and was later awarded an Honorary Doctor of Engineering from MSOE in 2017. He served as a member of the MSOE Corporation before joining the Board of Regents in 2016 and was inducted to MSOE’s Alumni Wall of Distinction in 2021.
