Meeting rooms in the club’s 100-year-old building are being converted to hotel rooms and first-floor restaurant and retail concepts are being added. An update of club amenities, including a year-round rooftop member lounge, co-working space, a rehabilitated basketball court and swimming pool and golf-swing suites on converted rooftop racquetball courts, is also planned. The project has received $9.5 million in state historic-preservation tax credits.
The development team leading the $70 million renovation and redevelopment of the Milwaukee (Wis.) Athletic Club (MAC) has selected Janesville, Wis.-based JP Cullen as the general contractor for the project, BizTimes Milwaukee reported.
Jeffers & Co., Interstate Development Partners and Denver-based hotel owner and operator Sage Hospitality Group purchased the MAC building in April 2019. The group is rehabilitating the 100-year-old building, replacing interior infrastructure, converting the eighth- and ninth- floor meeting rooms to hotel rooms, and adding first-floor restaurant and retail concepts, BizTimes Milwaukee reported.
An update of club amenities is also planned, including a year-round rooftop member lounge, co-working space and rehabilitated basketball court and swimming pool.
The project received $9.5 million in state historic preservation tax credits, BizTimes Milwaukee reported.
Chicago-based Bulley & Andrews was originally selected as the project’s contractor, BizTimes Milwaukee reported, but the firm was fired after the development group was “dismayed, shocked and, frankly, irate” with the progress made in the project’s first few months, including missed deadlines, according to an Urban Milwaukee report in July 2019.
In November 2019, the MAC’s management told members that the project had received competitive bids from three general contractors and planned to make a selection within two or three weeks.
“JP Cullen specializes in complicated projects including extensive experience in historic renovation,” an e-mail to the club’s membership said in announcing that firm’s selection, BizTimes Milwaukee reported. “We will have more to share about our new contractor in the weeks to come.”
Work has continued on the project during the selection process, BizTimes Milwaukee reported. The latest member update said demolition was complete on the 11th, 10th, 8th and basement floors and more than halfway done on the 5th and 9th floors.
Crews are removing four dumpsters worth of material from the building per day and demolition is on track to be done by the end of January, the latest update said.
It also noted that the project had received historic tax credit variances to install windows in the rooftop golf-swing suites, which were formerly the racquetball courts.
C+RB previously reported on plans for improvements at the club prior to the sale of the building (https://clubandresortbusiness.com/milwaukee-wis-athletic-club-plans-renovations/) and for arrangements that were being made to provide temporary facilities for members during its restoration (https://clubandresortbusiness.com/temporary-facilities-arranged-for-milwaukee-ac-members-during-restoration/).
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