UWM plans $189 million renovation of former hospital complex

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is planning a $189.3 million redevelopment project that would unify its health sciences programs at one central location.

UWM’s health sciences programs, currently spread across five buildings, would be consolidated in the Northwest Quadrant of the campus — which is the 1.1 million-square-foot former Columbia Hospital complex that the university purchased in 2010. The project would ultimately increase student capacity in health science programs amid a demand for health care workers.

Gov. Tony Evers’ 2025-27 capital budget proposal includes the $189.3 million requested for UW-Milwaukee’s renovation project. If the funding receives legislative approval, construction on the project could begin in May 2026 for a July 2030 completion date, according to the capital budget.

According to UW-Milwaukee’s website, the project would renovate 323,900 square feet of space in the complex, which is located along East Hartford Avenue. Most of the project involves redeveloping Building B, with some updates in the basement of Building C. Building D will be renovated for information technology and classroom audio visual services, according to the governor’s capital budget.

This includes updating spaces for academic use, as well as replacing deteriorated architectural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, according to UW-Milwaukee’s website. Building code updates would be required. Old hospital patient rooms, treatment rooms and clinic spaces would also be removed, according to the capital budget.

“There’s really no programs over there,” said Kim Litwack, dean of UW-Milwaukee’s college of health professions and sciences. “There’s some offices. It looks like an old hospital. Imagine walking down a hospital corridor where you have 10 patient rooms on the right and 10 on the left. That’s pretty much what these hallways look like.”

About 2,000 students at UW-Milwaukee each year are enrolled in its 19 health sciences degree programs, which include biomedical sciences, physical therapy, occupational therapy and more. Once all health science programs are relocated to the Northwest Quadrant, the previous spaces can then be used for other purposes.

The university has been working to redevelop the former hospital complex in phases. The first phase involved the construction of the nursing simulation center in Building C of the Northwest Quadrant, as well as envelope repairs and window replacements for buildings B, C, and D. Building D was also renovated to support the School of Information Studies and the Student Health and Wellness Center. Building A was demolished and a new entrance for Building B was also constructed as part of the first phase.

So far, UW-Milwaukee has received $52 million in state funding for the Northwest Quadrant. In 2023, UW-Milwaukee received $5 million from the state for planning the proposed next stage of redevelopment.

Growing health science programs at UW-Milwaukee

Considering the growth of UW-Milwaukee’s health science programs and the need for that growth to continue, it is “more urgently necessary” for the programs to be integrated at the Northwest Quadrant, said Jay Kapellusch, associate dean of UW-Milwaukee’s college of health professions and sciences.

The current health science spaces limit class sizes and program offerings, so the increase in space allows for greater enrollment. The project would increase student capacity by about 10 to 15%, according to UW-Milwaukee’s website. It would also allow students earlier acceptance into degree programs, providing them the opportunity to graduate in less time.

“We need to grow those programs to provide enough graduates to serve the communities,” Kapellusch said.

UW-Milwaukee is unique within the Universities of Wisconsin system for its joint research and access missions, Kapellusch said. For southeastern Wisconsin, it’s important for UW-Milwaukee to provide access to affordable clinical education programs.

“It’s very important for us to maintain that access and the supply,” Kapellusch said. “And right now we are turning away interested and qualified students, many of whom would choose to stay in the region, and so this facility would help us do that.”

Renovating the Northwest Quadrant would offer students modernized facilities that are more consistent with what they’ll find in clinics, hospitals and community centers, Kapellusch said.

Bringing students together in the centralized space, as opposed to having them spread across five buildings, can help prepare students for the workforce, Litwack said.

“We want to prepare students who are workforce ready, who know how to practice in teams, and we need to bring them together to do that,” Litwack said. “The majority of our student graduates, probably 80 to 85%, remain in the state so that they become our workforce. And we need our workforce to be workforce ready in terms of their academic preparation and their ability to work as professionals, in teams. And that’s what this will accomplish.”