With construction on the new Ennead-designed Milwaukee Public Museum fully underway, and slated for completion in 2027, Milwaukee County is now thinking about what to do with the museum’s former building.
Milwaukee County Economic Development Division issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) earlier this month that sheds light on 800 West Wells Street’s future. The document states the county “is looking to engage a firm that can provide consulting services.” These consultants would be asked to survey the site and determine other feasible uses for it to make informed recommendations “for divestment.”
“Once the museum has vacated to their new building, Milwaukee County will divest the property and wishes to do so with an understanding of the current state and with future value and community benefit in mind,” the RFP continued. “The County would like a thorough understanding of the value of this property, including any advantages as well as any limitations or difficulties.”
The Milwaukee Public Museum’s current location at 800 West Wells Street was completed by Eschweiler, Eschweiler and Sielaff in 1962 on a block brimming with municipal and civic building. It consists of a large limestone facility that rises seven stories; four of these levels house galleries while the other spaces serve as administrative space and storage facilities. Its facade is remarkably plain with only a scant number of windows.
Soon, the museum’s 4.5 million specimens and artifacts centered on human and natural history will be relocated to the new facility by Ennead. This new facility will be built at the northeast corner of Sixth and McKinley Streets, about 15 minutes walking distance from the old facility.
The Milwaukee Public Museum began weighing its options to relocate in 2017. A two-year study found that staying put and relocating would each cost over $100 million. Ultimately, it was the upgrades from years of deferred maintenance that made relocating the more appealing option. Among these issues is a leaky basement.
In the RFP, the County outlined a few potential uses for the site: It listed demolition, adaptive reuse, and parcel separation as potential next lives for 800 West Wells Street. The City of Milwaukee Downtown Plan 2040 would prefer to see the site redeveloped for mixed-use. It envisions housing in addition to commercial spaces on the ground floor.
In addition to identifying a viable future for the building, future development will also need to consider the MacArthur parking structure and an existing connection to underground DOT tunnels.
The full RFP outlines the materials consultants are required to submit. The deadline for proposals os September 11 at 4:00 p.m. CDT.
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