Milwaukee Business Journal [Nov. 22, 2017]
The Milwaukee Athletic Club has hired prominent Milwaukee developers Joshua Jeffersand Tony Janowiec to partner on a $30 million renovation of the historic downtown Milwaukee building.
Work is slated to begin in fall 2018 on the building at the corner of North Broadway and East Mason Street. Once completed, the renovation will be the largest in the club's 135-year history, according to a statement from the Milwaukee Athletic Club.
Jeffers is president of J. Jeffers & Co. and is involved in several downtown Milwaukee developments. He recently announced plans for a $30 million, seven-story apartment and retail building at Broadway and East Clybourn Street, which could become the first ground-up development along the city’s new streetcar line. The new building would replace a parking lot south of the historic Mackie Building, which Jeffers restored.
Tony Janowiec, Interstate Development Partners, LLC, is part of the group that is advancing plans to renovate the Shops of Grand Avenue.
Plans for the Milwaukee Athletic Club include major renovations to create state-of-the-art multi-use athletic facilities, attractive and unique bar and dining areas, updated high-tech meeting, conference, banquet and event spaces, high-end boutique hotel rooms, and a one-of-a-kind four-season rooftop dining and event space.
According to the statement, the final scope and timeline of the project is yet to be determined. Local architectural firms, engineering firms, and interior designers "have served as critical early contributors on the project."
“The MAC has always been the go-to hub within the greater Milwaukee community for business, social, and athletic needs," said MAC board president David Kriete. "With this major of a project, and with a renewed and genuine emphasis placed on programming, service and the member experience, the MAC will once again shine bright and serve as a proud home to all members and their families.”
The club's building, which was constructed in 1917, features 55 guest hotel rooms and more than 15,000 square feet of meeting space.
“Tony and I are honored to work together with the Milwaukee Athletic Club to envision and execute a major historic rehabilitation of the club’s building and facilities," Jeffers said. "As stakeholders in downtown Milwaukee’s resurgence, we look forward to working with MAC leadership to set the club on track for another 135 years as a revered social institution, and a critical anchor in Milwaukee’s downtown.”