2019 Mayor’s Design Awards names 23 winners

Twenty-three projects are the recipients of the 2019 Mayor’s Design Awards in Milwaukee.

Each year, the awards program recognizes projects throughout the city that contribute to the character of their surroundings, add value to their neighborhoods and contribute to the urban fabric. This year, the awards have been given to projects that include conversions of existing buildings, notable public spaces and a number of newly constructed building.

The awards are broken up into four categories:

• Small Gems, which add value to the city through excellent design while respecting the urban fabric and contribute to the character of their surroundings.
• Test of Time, which include restoration or reuse of properties in a way that preserves and enhances the character of their neighborhoods and reinforces the traditional neighborhood fabric.
• Timely Transformations, projects that have created or enhanced buildings, streets and outdoor spaces that engage the public and add vibrancy to the city.
• Design That Grabs You, which raise the bar for major development and contemporary architecture while respecting the context of their surroundings.

Small Gems

• The Reginald Baylor Studio renovation at 211 W. Florida St. The project adapted a 152-year-old brick building into an art studio. The renovation replaced the storefront framing and windows and transformed the inside into an office and gallery space.
• West End Conservatory project at 4716 W. Vliet St., that transformed a 111-year-old, 3,000-square-foot building into a music school for neighborhood residents. Work included facade renovations, a new color scheme and a wood base that gives the building a unique new style.
• Save A Lot renovation project at 2322 W. Oak St. replaced the former Lena’s store with a new street facade. Features include new curtain wall glazing, a new rectangular brick facade and new building materials and coloring that offer an updated aesthetic.
• Restoration of Glorioso’s Appetito, located on 1016 E. Brady St. The restoration and build-out of the old Glorioso’s grocery store restored the building’s facade by updating the color scheme, re-opened storefront windows and returned much of the natural brick finish.
• The Pete’s Pops project at 3809 W. Vliet St. developed a bright and playful storefront design. The space offers a flexible indoor/outdoor experience by offering the ability to open a large window to the street.

Test of Time

• Coakley building renovation and water tower at 400 S. Fifth St. The building, which dates back to 1911, serves as the headquarters for the moving and storage company, and features a 20-foot-by-20-foot artistic water tower on its roof.
• Welford Sanders Lofts, located at 2801 N. Fourth St., consists of five structures that cover half of a city block. The development revamped the multi-story complex into a mixed-use campus, which includes 59 mixed-income apartments and 38,000 square feet of office space.
• Guardian Fine Art Services & Warehouse project at 1635 W. St. Paul Ave. renovated the five-story, 74,000-square-foot building into the home of Guardian Fine Art Services and the Warehouse Museum, two arts groups. The development took 2.5 years to complete.
• Sherman Phoenix, located 3536 W. Fond du Lac Ave., transformed a historic bank building constructed in 1928 that was severely damaged during civil unrest sparked by a fatal police shooting of an unarmed black man in 2016. The building now is used as a community market for 29 tenants, offering food, retail and social services. The space includes a common area with community tables.
• The 42 project at 1134 N. Ninth St. redeveloped the former windowless Pabst distribution facility. The 185,000-square-foot building includes 40,000 square feet of offices, nearly 10,000 square feet of restaurant and event space and more than 42,000 square feet of brewery space.
• The Button Block building at 500 N. Water St., which was redeveloped into a 94-room Homewood Suites hotel. Features include a lower-level fitness and aquatic area, first-floor lounge and six floors of hotel rooms.

Timely Transformations

• Stone Creek Coffee building at 2650 N. Downer Ave., a repurposed corner building that had been vacant for 10 years. It marks Stone Creek’s 13th cafe and first on the city’s East Side.
• Sid Grinker restoration and construction project at 406 W. Walnut St. includes the construction of new workspace and leasable office space. The project creates a more open presence on the block between North 5th Street and Vel R. Phillips Avenue.
• The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District’s north and east basins, located at 3001 W. Congress St. and 4234 N. 30th St., respectively, were built to reduce flooding. They have also transformed two underused parcels into public spaces that include walking paths, seating areas and public art.
• The new Bader Philanthropies headquarters at 3300 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive renovated the historic building and includes a 3,000-square-foot addition. It was constructed over 19 months.
• Trestle Park at 501 E. Erie St. combined public right-of-way and a former railroad trestle into an acre of outdoor public space. The project also rehabilitated a 150-foot-long railroad trestle built in 1915.
• SmallPie Cafe (Bay View Triangle) at 2504 E. Oklahoma Ave., a renovation and modernization of an old gas filling and service station built in 1933. The triangular-shaped building sits on a 2,800-square-foot triangular lot border by streets on all sides.

Design That Grabs You

• The Quin, a five-story, 70-unit apartment building with first-floor retail and amenity space located at 324 S. Second St. Ground-floor parking is concealed behind a back-lit frosted glass storefront.
• Victory Manor at 5556 N. 68th St. is the latest development to be completed as part of the Westlawn Gardens community. The three-story, 55,000-square-foot, 60-unit apartment building is designed to be veterans preference housing.
• A.O. Smith’s new Corporate Technology Center at 11270 W. Park Place is designed to showcase the latest research innovations in water technology. Its exposed inner building systems are on display through vast windows.
• The Griot and new Black Holocaust Museum at 401 W. North Ave. is built on the footprint of the original museum location. Also included are 41 new apartments, all but six of which are for low-income residents.
• The Discovery World addition and remodel at 500 N. Harbor Drive consists of a 10,000-square-foot pavilion addition, the repurposing of a 150-seat theater space for new exhibits and consolidation of administrative and office areas. The new pavilion provides year-round space for special events and traveling exhibits.
• Fiserv Forum at 1111 Vel R. Phillips Ave., is the preeminent sports and entertainment arena in downtown Milwaukee. In addition to being the new home of the Milwaukee Bucks, it hosts a variety of other events throughout the year. It proved to be a key factor in the city being selected to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

The awards were presented on Thursday evening at the UW-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning.