Milwaukee is tossing a lifeline to a familiar face on Historic Mitchell Street, backing a plan to overhaul the long-vacant former Grand department store at 1101-1113 W. Historic Mitchell St. instead of seeing it leveled. The two-story, more than 47,000-square-foot landmark, once on track for demolition, is now slated to become affordable apartments upstairs with commercial space at street level, giving both preservationists and the developer a clear route to rehab rather than teardown.
City pledges money to keep the building standing
City officials say they will put financial support behind a preservation-focused project, according to reporting by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The outlet reports that the funding is meant to plug a financing gap so renovation can move ahead instead of demolition. Exact figures and a full breakdown have not yet been released, but the move signals that City Hall is leaning toward adaptive reuse on Mitchell Street rather than clearing the site.
From raze to rehab: how the fight shifted
The property has been tied up in a lengthy clash between preservation advocates and a developer who originally sought to demolish the building and put up new apartments in its place. Urban Milwaukee reported that the Historic Preservation Commission first rejected a demolition request, only for the Common Council to later grant demolition approval with a major condition: the developer had to prove financing for the replacement project. That requirement was designed to prevent a scenario where the structure was torn down and nothing rose on the site afterward.
What the building is and why it matters
The block at 1101-1113 W. Historic Mitchell St. is listed as a contributing property within the West Mitchell Street Commercial Historic District and took on its Art Deco look in a 1930s remodel, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society. Commercial marketing materials show roughly 47,380 square feet of leasable space in the structure, a size that preservation supporters argue makes an adaptive reuse project workable, per LoopNet. That combination of historic architecture and significant commercial square footage is a big part of why the building drew so much attention.
What’s next for the corridor
The developer previously proposed a five-story, 55-unit replacement project dubbed “The Encore,” as reported by The Daily Reporter. With the city’s new financial backing for a rehabilitation approach, a preservation-centered version of the project is now on the table instead. The development still needs firmed-up financing, building permits, and historic approvals before any construction can begin, and recent filings suggest broader interest in Mitchell Street rehabs, including a proposal where a former Foot Locker could be trading sneakers for supper and upstairs rentals. City spokespeople and the developer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
