NEWaukee says it will redevelop the historic Schlitz Tivoli Palm Garden building in Walker’s Point into a hub for social innovation and entrepreneurship.
According to a news release, NEWaukee is under contract to purchase the two-story, 16,000-square-foot building located at 504 W. National Ave.
There, a NEWaukee affiliate will develop The Beacon, a mixed-use center that will include 8,500 square feet of open office and meeting spaces, 6,000 square feet of flexible event space and a 1,500-square-foot café and bar. The project is expected to cost $3.4 million.
The building was formerly the Milwaukee Ballet’s training studio and offices for the Milwaukee Ballet before it moved into a new two-story, 52,000-square-foot building in the Historic Third Ward.
NEWaukee co-founders Angela Damiani and Jeremy Fojut have formed a new development company, Place Based Development, to oversee the project. They are also partnering with Milwaukee developer Melissa Goins and JoAnne Sabir, co-owner of The Juice Kitchen and co-developer of the Sherman Phoenix, to lead the project.
Sabir and Goins also operate Freedom Endeavors, a community hub located in The Griot apartments in the Bronzeville district. Goins developed The Griot.
Renovation work will be led by Cedarburg-based The Kubala Washatko Architects Inc. and Milwaukee-based Greenfire Management Services LLC.
“NEWaukee’s mission is to change the way people connect, creating a beacon of belonging in the communities we work with,” Damiani said in the release. “This project will be the physical embodiment of that mission.”
The Beacon is expected to open by 2021 and create dozens of jobs. NEWaukee aims for the project to feature a “true melting pot” of Milwaukee’s food, art, tech, music, maker and innovation cultures. It will include frequent programming, connectivity to the city’s amenities and wrap-around business services to support small business tenants.
NEWaukee, as well as its sister companies Newance and Rev Collective, plan to serve as anchor tenants in the building. The remaining office and retail space will be made available to other social enterprises and small businesses.
The development team has so far raised $615,000 for the project.
NEWaukee is a Milwaukee social architecture agency that hosts events such as the Night Market street festivals on West Wisconsin Avenue.
