Nativity Jesuit Academy, a K4-8 school on the south side of Milwaukee, will open a new playfield and pedestrian mall in the fall.
The $1.4 million project, which will feature an artificial soccer field, basketball court and four-square courts for students, broke ground on Monday. This new space, located at 1515 S. 29th St., will be called “Nicholas Family Field” in honor of the Lori and David Nicholas Family Foundation’s funding for the project.
“At Nativity, we believe in educating the mind, body, and spirit, and that takes an entire community,” said Vanessa Solis, president of Nativity Jesuit Academy. “This greenspace is a testament to that. We are incredibly grateful to the Lori and David Nicholas Family Foundation for their unwavering commitment to the education and well-being of Nativity students. Their dedication will inspire future generations for years to come.”
Nativity Jesuit Academy’s students currently play in the school’s asphalt parking lot, so the future playfield offers a new space for them to be active.
The project will involve removing about 180 feet of pavement along South 29th Street. The new space will help improve public safety in the area through traffic calming and reducing vehicle speeds, Nativity Jesuit Academy said in a news release. The new plaza will also have concrete planters installed at both ends to prevent access from vehicles.
“Nativity Jesuit Academy is accomplishing some important goals, not just for its students, but for its neighborhood,” Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said. “I enthusiastically support new green spaces in the city, and, at the same time, promote traffic calming. I thank the school and its supporters.”
