Milwaukee-based Renner Architects LLCÂ plans to build a three-story, 16,000-square-foot office building at 100 N. Jefferson St., just north of the corner of East Erie Street and East Summerfest Place, in the city’s Historic Third Ward.
In a phone interview with BizTimes, Renner Architects co-founder Peter Renner said the building design is not final, but includes a lobby and heated indoor parking on the ground floor as well as office space on the two upper levels. He designed the concept last summer and is now promoting it as a design-build project.
He recently placed a large sign advertising the project to potential buyers at the western end of the lot facing North Jefferson Street. The sign reads, “If you want a new Class A office building in the Historic Third Ward this is your opportunity.”
Renner said he would ultimately design the building to suit whoever would move in. He said the building is being marketed to companies interested in being located in the Third Ward neighborhood.
“The Third Ward’s hot,” Renner said. “Maybe there would be some kind of corporate entity or law office that would want to own their own building (there).”
Renner said his firm bought a narrow strip of land along Summerfest Place (formerly Polk Street) in 2013. Then in 2016, he swapped land with the owners of the Warehouse No. 1 office building, which borders his land to the north. The land-swap allowed Renner to square off the northeast portion of his parcel and the neighbors to square off their parking lot.
The office development is not the only thing Renner plans to build on the site. To the east, at 610-628 E. Summerfest Place, Renner is planning to build 13 townhouse condominium units. He first brought those plans before the Third Ward Architectural Review Board in late 2016. Renner said he is dealing with one more utility company before those condos could be built. He expects construction to start this spring.
Renner also developed the BreakWater, a 20-story tower on Milwaukee’s east side that includes 101 condominiums; Harbor Front on the Milwaukee River in the Third Ward and Hansen’s Landing across the river in Walker’s Point.
