Milwaukee developer Robert Joseph is planning to redevelop the Jennaro Bros. building on Broadway in the Historic Third Ward into an office building with first floor retail.
Joseph, owner of Joseph Property Development LLC, owns the 106-space parking lot north of the 26,400-square-foot four-story building at 322 N. Broadway.
The Jennaro building, was built in 1909 and is assessed by the city of Milwaukee for $867,000.
Joseph took control of the building on July 1. He is working with Rinka Chung Architecture on design plans and will present those plans to Third Ward Architectural Review Board in coming months.
“There will be some exciting changes coming,” Joseph said. “The location is fantastic. We are close to the market and we already have other assets in the neighborhood. This is the kind of project I love to do.”
Joseph is planning to have underground parking for approximately 15 vehicles and will convert floors two through four into office space. Each floor is approximately 6,600 square feet.
“The building is laid out very well for office users,” Joseph said. “Ideally, we’ll find tenants who want to utilize all 6,600 square feet of space.”
This is the third office building project planned in the Third Ward. Milwaukee-based development firm Irgens has purchased a 0.8-acre site at 143 N. Milwaukee St. and is planning to develop a five-story office building as soon as it secures its first tenant. In addition, a five-story addition is planned for the Mercantile Building, which would add about 30,000 square feet of office space to the building.
Joseph has done a number of redevelopments in the Third Ward including 301 Commission Row, 301-315 N. Broadway, The Gas & Light Building, 117 N. Jefferson St., The Landmark Building, 316 N. Milwaukee St., Chicago Street Lofts, 200 North Water St., and Lofts on Broadway, 191 N. Broadway St.
For several decades, fruit and vegetable wholesalers were located in the Third Ward. The Jennaro Brothers moved to 4050 N. Port Washington Road on Milwaukee’s north side in 2005.
In 2013, the company sold its buildings at 325-327 N. Broadway to Historic Third Ward Development LLC, a group formed by Lindsey Bovinet, chairman of Third Ward-based design firm Interior Systems Inc.
In April 2015, Bovinet bought a third Jennaro Brothers building at 331 N. Broadway.
Construction is currently underway at the buildings for a mixed-use development called Broadway Market Lofts.
