Construction work is expected to begin this month for the 200-room Marriott hotel project in downtown Milwaukee.
A formal "wall smashing" ceremony to celebrate the start of the project will be held on Nov. 17, said Evan Zeppos, spokesman for Jackson Street Management LLC, the development group for the $54 million project.
Engineers and other crews have been working in the building making final plans for the project, Zeppos said.
"Behind the scenes there’s been a ton of work going on," he said.
Jackson Street Management hopes to obtain building, demolition and asbestos abatement permits by the middle of this month, Zeppos said. Mobilization and asbestos abatement work could begin by the end of the month and demolition work could begin by early December, he said.
The hotel will be built around the Johnson Bank building, located southwest of Milwaukee Street and Wisconsin Avenue. Five buildings on the site will be demolished, except for the historic Wisconsin Avenue façade, which will be preserved and restored. The buildings along Milwaukee Street should be demolished by the end of January, Zeppos said.
The nine-story hotel will also have meeting and banquet space, a restaurant, bar and underground parking for 50 vehicles. Milwaukee jeweler Schwanke-Kasten plans to open a store in the hotel.
