First proposed in 2012, it took nine years for Milwaukee-based development firm
Barrett Lo Visionary Development to break ground on its 44-story
Couture project near the downtown Milwaukee lakefront. Construction
finally began in 2021.
That slow pace for the project is a thing of the past. The building's construction is now moving along at a rapid pace and the first residents in the luxury apartment tower are expected to move in by April of 2024, according to a spokesman for the developer. Multiple floors of apartments are expected to be completed and available for showings in November, he said.
Construction crews, led by general contractor
J.H. Findorff & Son Inc. are building approximately one floor per week. The tower core for the building has been poured up to level 32. Exterior glass has been installed up to level 15.
The building will have approximately 45,000 square feet of retail space on the first four floors. Barrett Lo Visionary Development chief executive officer
Rick Barrett is in active discussions with potential restaurant and other tenants.
The Couture will also have a transit center in the base of the building. The city of Milwaukee's Department of Public Works
announced recently that The Hop streetcar will begin operating its long-planned lakefront line, which will run through The Couture, on a limited basis on Sunday, Oct. 29.
Operation of The Hop’s lakefront line, known as the L Line, had been delayed for years because of the delays for the construction of The Couture. Now construction of The Couture has progressed to the point that the lakefront line can begin operating on a limited basis in late October.
The lakefront Hop station within the Couture’s transit plaza will remain closed until construction is complete.
[caption id="attachment_574915" align="aligncenter" width="1280"]
View of The Hop's L Line running through The Couture.[/caption]
