Milwaukee-based real estate development company HKS Holdings LLC plans to convert the former Julien Shade Shop building in the city’s Historic Third Ward into an apartment building with first floor retail space.
HKS Holdings purchased the five-story, 49,340-square-foot building at 338-340 N. Milwaukee St., from Joan Julien, president of Sycamore Building and Investment Co. for $2.9 million in May. The Julien Shade Shop relocated to West Allis at that time.
HKS Holdings will ask the Historic Third Ward Association Board today for approval to convert the 109-year-old building into 31 apartments on the upper levels with commercial space on the first floor, which faces Milwaukee Street and St. Paul Avenue. A rooftop penthouse is planned that would include four additional apartments.
The building would be called Atelier. Eric Ponto, a partner with Milwaukee architectural firm Engberg Anderson, who is designing the redevelopment, said he hopes to begin construction in January.
Representatives from HKS Holdings did not comment on the proposal.
HKSÂ is the same firm that building the Kimpton Journeyman Hotel in the Third Ward. HKS also converted the Posner Building in downtown Milwaukee to apartments and developed the Global Water Center building.
