Barrett Lo Visionary Development announced today that it has selected J.H. Findorff & Son to be the general contractor for The Couture, the long-planned 44-story luxury apartment development that would be built at the downtown Milwaukee lakefront.
Rick Barrett, the founder and chief executive officer of Barrett Lo Visionary Development, told BizTimes Milwaukee last April that Findorff had been selected as the general contractor for The Couture. At that time, Barrett said construction for the tower was expected to begin in December.
Findorff led initial site preparation work for The Couture, including demolition of the former Milwaukee County Transit Center, southwest of Michigan Street and Lincoln Memorial Drive. But construction of the tower has yet to begin.
In January, BizTimes reported that Barrett Lo had reopened the bidding process for general contractor of The Couture.
Construction of The Couture has not begun yet because Barrett Lo is still trying to obtain financing for the project, which at one time was estimated to cost $120 million. The development firm is seeking a loan guarantee for the project by a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) insurance plan.
As part of the process of obtaining financing, Barrett Lo wanted to reevaluate the cost of the project and asked construction companies to rebid, according to sources.
Barrett could not be reached today for comment.
Findorff has worked with Barrett Lo before and led construction of The Moderne, a 30-story luxury apartment building in downtown Milwaukee.
In a news release issued today, Barrett said construction of The Couture is now expected to start “later this summer.”
“Findorff has been a great partner for us and we look forward to working with them,” Barrett said.
“We couldn’t be prouder to work on this historic project,” said Eric Wynn, general manager of southeast
Wisconsin and director of project management for Findorff. “We’ve partnered with Rick Barrett and his team for
years now, and we are excited to contribute to the next great building on our city’s skyline.”
