North Avenue Market

Community Gathering Space/Food Hall

Location: Milwaukee, WI
Status: Completed September 2022
Size: 9,423 sq. ft.

The North Avenue Market is a community gathering space/ food hall at the intersection of several neighborhoods on Milwaukee’s west side. The visionary for the project approached GCA with the challenge of converting an ordinary looking 1940’s bank building into a space that was warm, welcoming, and functional. GCA excels at taking overlooked “underdog” buildings and elevating them into community jewels. Our team accepted the challenge and worked very closely with the owner to develop the design over a period that spanned the 2020 worldwide pandemic.

The space features eight individual vendor stalls, a shared kitchen, speakeasy bar, co-working space, and community meeting space. The majority of the vendors are small business start-ups with an emphasis on diversity. The building is a true reflection of the community offering food options and design features that make everyone feel welcome. Handicap accessibility was also strongly considered within the building giving universal access to the various spaces and levels.

GCA teamed with O&O Studio for the brand and interior design of the space. This collaboration created a seamless experience that integrated the interior environment with the larger architectural moves that organized the spaces and build the connection from the indoors to the outdoors. The history of the building and neighborhood are on prominent display as we took care to preserve special features such as the original bank’s logo in the terrazzo floor. Every visit to the North Avenue Market offers something new and surprising while living up to its promise of inclusion and comfort.

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