After nearly a decade, developer Kendall Breunig can finally see the finish line of the Pritzlaff Building redevelopment project near downtown Milwaukee.
Breunig, owner of Franklin-based Sunset Investors began work on a massive effort to revitalize the 260,000-square-foot complex of six connected buildings at 305 N. Plankinton in 2007.
Breuning’s vision to create retail, office and residential space for the mostly vacant former Hack’s Furniture site was tempered by the Great Recession that collapsed the real estate market shortly after he began the project.
But eventually he rebounded, and tenants followed. Today, the first and second floors are complete with retail and office tenants that include the Ward 4 business incubator, Miss Ruby Bridal Boutique, Gravity Marketing LLC and Yes Men Corp. There are also three banquet halls in the building.
There are currently 100 apartments under construction on floors three through seven of the building, which are expected to be completed in summer 2017.
Breuning will seek approval for a 238-space, four-story parking structure to replace the existing surface lot on the west side of the building this week from the Third Ward’s Architectural Review Board and the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals.
If approved, he hopes to break ground in March on the $6 million structure. Wauwatosa-based Selzer-Orsnt Company is the construction manager for the parking structure.
“We’re about half way through framing the apartments right now and we feel pretty good, the parking structure will be at the tail end of the project,” Breuning said. “It took a little longer than anticipated, but it’s one of the largest, most ornate cream city buildings in the city.”
