The historic former SS. Peter & Paul School building on Milwaukee’s East Side will be sold and converted into new uses.
The three-story school building at 2480 N. Cramer St. is set to be acquired by Wauwatosa-based senior housing developer Matter Development.
An affiliate of Matter Development has filed applications with the city to separate the school building from the rest of the SS Peter & Paul campus, and to rezone the site to allow residential and other uses.
Aaron Matter, founder and managing director of Matter Development, said the rezoning application is “just an early filing to determine a list of acceptable uses” in the building. He also made clear the other buildings will remain with SS Peter & Paul.
“We want to restore and repurpose the historic structure, but we haven’t determined the end-use,” Matter said in an email. “We’re letting the market tell us what it wants to be, which could be a commercial use, residential housing, or a combination of the two — all of which would need to fit the context of the neighborhood.”
A recent OnMilwaukee article stated the building would be converted into roughly 20 apartments with 10,000 square feet of commercial space. Matter said that plan is one of a few possibilities.
He said his group is working with city staff, Alderman Nik Kovac, whose district includes the property, and surrounding neighbors to determine the final plans.
The building includes and auditorium with a stage, and the church building is next door. This suggests that theater groups and event space would be “natural fits” for the development, Matter said.
The building was constructed in 1889, according to Wisconsin Historical Society records. It was designed in the Gothic Revival style by architect Erhard Brielmaier & Sons.
