A $20 million project to convert a historic but vacant building on Milwaukee’s Near West Side into a community and wellness hub is wrapping up. At a packed open house Tuesday, business, non-profit and political leaders unveiled Concordia 27, located at 801 N. 27th St., calling the project an embodiment of collaboration and community-informed development.
A $20 million project to convert a historic but vacant building on Milwaukee's Near West Side into a community and wellness hub is wrapping up.
At a packed open house Tuesday, business, non-profit and political leaders unveiled Concordia 27, located at 801 N. 27th St., calling the project an embodiment of collaboration and community-informed development.
"Concordia 27 was born from priorities we heard from neighbors," said Lindsey St. Arnold Bell, executive director of Near West Side Partners (NWSP). "What we heard was that neighbors wanted a vibrant place to gather where they can access vital resources, engage in new activities, where they can live with dignity."
The building’s first floor will include a community gathering space; sidewalk-facing commercial spaces for nonprofits; a commercial, demonstration and incubator kitchen in the skylit former West Point Garage at the back, and more.
The former retail spaces will be occupied by Milwaukee Center for Independence (MCFI), Scaling Wellness in Milwaukee (SWIM) and NWSP to provide minority entrepreneurial support, housing resources and nutrition and wellness services. There will also be a cafe and co-working space called Fruition.
MCFI will operate two commercial kitchens spanning 12,000 square feet in the building. The organization will operate a commercial demonstration kitchen in the building that will be used to provide job training for individuals with intellectual disabilities and those previously incarcerated. A larger production kitchen will augment the nonprofit’s work of preparing school lunches for area districts.
SWIM will occupy approximately 8,000 square feet of space spread over two floors. The organization seeks to build a trauma-responsive community that heals trauma and promotes resiliency. Its model calls for “training the trainers” to both process their own trauma and respond to the trauma of others. It will offer a special program for first responders.
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The redevelopment also includes 33 affordable housing units on the upper floors for people earning $15 per hour and less. Construction on the residential portion of the building is not fully completed and Concordia 27 developer Rick Wiegand is working on raising financing to finish the units.
Wiegand, a local real estate investor and developer who has redeveloped nearby properties including the Ambassador Hotel, purchased the Concordia 27 property nine years ago and worked through several redevelopment possibilities before settling on a community hub.
"This project took all I had physically, emotionally and financially," Wiegand said. "It's not just a building we preserve. It's what this building and everybody involved in it is going to be doing, but this would not have been possible without the commitment of literally hundreds of people."
The residential portion of the project received $2 million from Milwaukee County, and the overall project was supported by $5 million in state funding and $2 million in federal funding.
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Project leaders touted the redevelopment as a national model for advancing health and equity through real estate.
"Concordia represents a state and national model for providing services, affordable housing, community health, and so much more while revitalizing and repurposing beautiful historic buildings for the benefit of the Near West Side community," said Kathy Blumenfeld, Wisconsin Department of Administration secretary. "...It all starts with purpose and every nook and cranny of cranny of Concordia 27 is being used to provide multi-use resources for local residents and entrepreneurs."
Speakers also credited the late Mike Lovell, president of Marquette University, for being an important player in the project. Lovell led the formation of NWSP in 2014.
"When I think about a space like this, I know it's a great partnership for Marquette to be engaged in," said Kimo Ah Yun, provost and acting president at Marquette. "It's a place for our students to come and learn, to be an intern, for our faculty to do research. It's a place for everyone in the community to come and make Milwaukee better one small step at a time."
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Outside the building, a small group of protesters with the Party for Socialism and Liberation - Milwaukee gathered to voice their opposition to the project, calling it a gentrifying force in the neighborhood.
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