1433 North Water Street (Laacke & Joys Redevelopment)

Downtown Milwaukee’s renaissance is in full swing and the redevelopment of the former Laacke & Joy building is a testament to the tremendous revitalization. This historic building was mostly reused and transformed into a stunning Class A office that was specifically designed to meet ad agency Bader Rutter’s desired in a new headquarter’s location. The interior monumental repurposed steel staircase serves as a strong, vibrant interconnection between floors and inspires gatherings and meetings. Throughout demolition, Wangard Partners partnered with local companies, such as WasteCap, to recycle and reuse materials. The building also features geothermal HVAC and solar panels.

An important feature of this development is the continued development of the Milwaukee Riverwalk. Wangard Partners worked in partnership with the City of Milwaukee to securing funds for the Riverwalk, which was another important aspect for the main tenant’s culture and brand. Wangard Partners worked on multiple funding incentive packages including TIF, New Market Tax Credits, and PACE for this development.

• 115,673 RSF Class A office building to be built on the northern portion of the site
• 570’ of incredible river frontage and views along the new river walk
• Bike and kayak accessible. Potential for public boat slips
• Ample onsite and offsite parking
• Timber beams and exposed brick in the existing building – the “3rd Ward” feel within the CBD
• Seven time award-winning development
• Smart building features

Interested in leasing office space? Please check our Property Search page for leasing details here.

In support of the Veterans Affairs’ Jobless Initiative, Wangard Partners was selected to preserve and adapt an existing historic space to meet the current and future needs of Veterans in the area.The existing cream-city brick building was built in 1925 giving way to a historic site that was in need of revitalization within the King Drive BID #8 and within the Bronzeville District, which is adjacent to the northwest side of downtown Milwaukee. This area has extreme significance due to the famed civil rights leader as well as the world. In addition, the area has seen significant redevelopment over the last 15 years totaling over $200 million.

The .52-acre property features 25 surface parking spaces and room for a community garden. The project team received LEED Silver certification for this development. The project involved the renovation and adaptive re-use of the historic building, which was originally a cartage company (for horse-drawn carriage delivery services). As a historic building, the project was eligible for tax credits from the State of Wisconsin and from the federal government through the National Park Service.

The exposed brick walls and open steel truss structure was retained as elements in the design of the new space. Three major skylights along the center of the roof line were also retained in the new design.

Carroll University – School of Graduate Studies

An affiliate of Wangard sold a 52,000 SF 2-story office building to Carroll University for the purpose of building and expanding the graduate programs at the University.

Wangard served as owner’s representative to manage design and construction, converting the facility to Caroll’s new school for Graduate Studies. The process required the coordination of staff and the attention of many levels of detail in order to meet the requirements of each of the graduate programs. The result of this substantial building rehabilitation is a world-class facility suited to the unique needs of these graduate level programs.

875 East Wisconsin Avenue

875 East Wisconsin Avenue is the premier office building in the Downtown area. The property was acquired in June of 2006 and completed in 2003. 875 East Wisconsin encompasses great architecture, state-of-the-art construction and an irreplaceable location overlooking the Milwaukee Art Museum and Lake Michigan, all at the heart of the vibrant urban business district. The building attained 100% occupancy shortly after it was acquired in 2006. The tenant roster is indicative of the building’s prestige and includes some of the area’s most respected companies in the Midwest including Roundy’s Inc., Ernst & Young and Artisan Partners. Wangard acquired the property to offer qualified investors a fractional interest in the asset. We identified the asset, completed thorough property due diligence, the operations of the building and its tenants and arranged financing for the acquisition. We continue to manage the asset and ensure that the property remains a true Class “A” building that is fully occupied by quality tenants. Our goal is to provide stable and attractive returns to our investors.

High Pointe Office Centre

Milwaukee County was seeking a high quality development that would generate sale proceeds to the County, but also create long term value, tax revenue, and a solid job base for the area. Wangard met with municipal and county officials, including the City of Wauwatosa planning staff, to design a building that met the City’s and County’s development goals. Wangard worked hard to preserve a majority of the mature trees on the site and develop within the existing topography white maintaining an award winning architectural design. Wangard was the leasing agent for the High Pointe Office Centre and had the building 95% leased within 10 months of the building’s completion. The building is considered the finest in the Mayfair Road corridor. After our repurchase in 2007, many upgrades were completed. It has achieved the reputation as one of the most desirable west suburban office buildings and as the most energy efficient in 2009. In 2011, High Pointe received one of the highest certifications in the U.S. Green Building Council. Taking into account the building’s components and improving water and energy efficiency, materials and resources, and indoor environment quality, High Pointe received the LEED- EB Gold certification.

• 2011 LEED EB-GOLD Certification, for high efficiency and sustainable practices
• 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 ENERGY STAR Label by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for demonstrating superior energy performance.
• The 93 rating ranked High Pointe as the highest rated ENERGY STAR certified office building in Wisconsin in 2009.
• Community Award Civic Achievement – Landscape Beautification Award
• BOMA 360 Designation (2012 and 2016)

Regal Beloit Corporation

This new 45,000 SF office facility, serves as the International IT Headquarters for Regal Beloit Corporation. Wangard was awarded this assignment over the various alternatives and locations considered and evaluated by Regal Beloit. Through an efficient design and value engineering process the Wangard team was able to design and match the specifications of this facility to meet the specific needs of Regal Beloit. At our encouragement, this facility was designed to achieve LEED certified status from the USGBC.

With an aggressive schedule, construction started in June 2012 and was completed in December 2012. This development in Grafton, Wisconsin, sits on ±6.13 acres of land with easy access to I-43. Regal Beloit has relocated to the new facility from its current location just east of the site. Regal Beloit Corporation is one of the largest global manufacturers of commercial, industrial, and HVAC electric motors, electric generators and controls, and mechanical motion control products. The company sells its products to a diverse global customer base using more than 30 recognized brand names through a multi-channel distribution model across many markets.

In 2011, Regal Beloit ranked as the 815th largest American company by Fortune magazine.