The development team leading the $70 million renovation and redevelopment of the Milwaukee Athletic Club has selected Janesville-based JP Cullen as the general contractor the project.
“JP Cullen specializes in complicated projects including extensive experience in historic renovation. We will have more to share about our new contractor in the weeks to come,” an email to the club’s membership said.
J. Jeffers & Co., Interstate Development Partners and Denver-based hotel owner and operator Sage Hospitality Group purchased the MAC building at 758 N. Broadway in April. The group is rehabilitating the 100-year-old building, replacing interior infrastructure, converting the eighth and ninth floor meeting rooms to hotel rooms and adding first-floor restaurant and retail concepts.
They are also updating club amenities, including a year-round rooftop member lounge, co-working space and rehabilitated basketball court and swimming pool.
The project received $9.5 million in state historic preservation tax credits in 2018.
Chicago-based Bulley & Andrews were originally selected for the project but the firm was fired after the development group was “dismayed, shocked and, frankly, irate” with the progress made in the project’s first few months, including missed deadlines, according to an Urban Milwaukee report in July.
In November, the MAC told members the project had received competitive bids from three general contractors and planned to make a selection within two or three weeks.
Work has continued on the project during the selection process. The latest member update says demolition is complete on the 11th, 10th, 8th and basement floors and is more than half done on the 5th and 9th floors.
Crews are removing four dumpsters worth of material from the building per day and demolition is on track to be done by the end of January, the latest update says.
It also notes the project received historic tax credit variances to install windows in the rooftop golf swing suites, formerly the racquetball courts.
