A Milwaukee County-run senior center will move from Cudahy to South Milwaukee as part of the ongoing redevelopment of the former Bucyrus campus.
The
Lawrence P. Kelly Senior Center, currently located at 6100 S. Lake Drive, has seen a significant increase in participation in recent years as both the
South Shore YMCA in Cudahy and the Chester W. Grobschmidt Senior Center in South Milwaukee have closed, according to a press release from Milwaukee County.
The new facility will span 22,000 square feet—double the size of the current location—and will be housed in the Heritage Building on the Bucyrus campus, located northwest of Milwaukee Avenue and 10th Avenue.
The county noted that the project remains “in very early stages.”
Milwaukee developer Que El-Amin of Scott Crawford Inc. has led the redevelopment efforts for the Bucyrus campus since 2021, proposing several versions of the project with various partners over the years.
The
most recent plans call for the renovation of three existing buildings on the former Bucyrus campus: the Corporate Building, the Heritage Building and the Technical Building. It also includes a new structure featuring 40 townhomes that will now be constructed along 10th Avenue.
In addition to the senior center, the Heritage Building will be redeveloped as combined commercial space and 26 affordable apartments for families, plans show. The Technical Building will be renovated into 66 market-rate apartments. The Corporate Building will have its offices repurposed into 13 classrooms for Guidance Academy, a private school with capacity for 200 students between kindergarten and fifth grade. Guidance Academy is a private, Islamic K3-12th grade school at 1800 16th Ave. in South Milwaukee.
“As Milwaukee County’s aging population continues to grow, we must advance creative solutions to ensure our older adults have vibrant, accessible spaces with exceptional programming and amenities,” Milwaukee County Executive
David Crowley said in the release. “The Bucyrus-Erie site realizes that vison by doubling the space of the existing Kelly Senior Center, bringing this important amenity closer to affordable housing options, and allowing us to expand programming to better serve residents by creating a lively gathering space for members of the community."
Members of the Commission on Aging and South Milwaukee representatives did an initial tour of the proposed site and worked with the development team to ensure the future space would meet the needs of seniors, incorporating feedback from listening sessions and a tour of the Kelly Senior Center by the Bucyrus Campus architect in April 2025, according to the release.
This resulted in a request upon the architectural team to put together a development cost estimate of what would be needed for the rehabilitation. The project is expected to cost $1.1 million. The existing Kelly Senior Center in Cudahy needs an estimated $2.5 million in repairs and maintenance, according to the county.
“It has been a priority for the City of South Milwaukee to partner with Milwaukee County and create a long-term South Shore solution for senior citizen programming,” said South Milwaukee Mayor
James Shelenske, in the release. “It’s amazing to see new life breathed into this historic location, and we are pleased to contribute to this project.”
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