South First – Mixed Use

Adaptive Reuse

Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Status: Under Construction

Built in 1889, the Holzinger Building and its circa 1909 neighbor the Milwaukee Bronze Casting Co. have stood for over 100 years as the Northern entrance to Walker’s Point. Over the past three decades, they had descended into neglect, during which holes in the roof had opened up letting snow and water into the interiors. Much of the wood framed structure had rotted to a point at which many would have considered the structure “too far gone” to save. A visionary client with a passion for the Walkers Point neighborhood stepped forward however and undertook the stabilization and rehabilitation of the venerable pair.

GCA assisted with stabilization through the insertion of a new braced steel structure in the interior of the building, a comprehensive historic masonry restoration, and the complete replacement of all of the roofing structure. The interiors were converted to a commercial use on the first floor with generous loft residential units above. A three-story steel gate to the building’s auto court filled in a missing gap along South 1st Street and provided an art infused element to the neighborhood. Saving these two historical buildings, and enhancing the vibrancy of the street was a great challenge, but also an honor. They are equipped to stand for another hundred years guarding the Northern entrance to Walker’s Point.