Developer Josh Jeffers’ new building planned for 511 N. Broadway has an anchor tenant.
Kansas City-based law firm Husch Blackwell announced this morning that it has signed a letter of intent to lease more than 71,000 square feet on the top three stories of the nine-story, 153,000-square foot building planned for the corner on Broadway and Clybourn for more than 15 years.
The mixed-use development, with retail space, commercial office space and parking, is slated to be ready by late 2020. It was designed by Engberg Anderson Architects, and work is expected to begin in spring.
At its Milwaukee office, at 555 E. Wells St., Husch Blackwell has about 100 lawyers and paralegals and 80 administrative staff. Husch Blackwell inherited the space two years ago when it merged with Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek, which had been in the space since 2003.
Despite the fact that it will be 25 percent smaller, the new space will allow the firm to add more employees, according to Husch Blackwell’s Milwaukee Office Managing Partner Jack Enea.
"We have put a lot of thought and deliberation into how to organize and design the new office," said Enea. "The most compelling argument for building an office from scratch was the ability to design it exactly to our own specifications. This allows for a better use of space, greater efficiency and cost management, and more amenities for our attorneys and staff."
The 511 N. Broadway site has long been a surface parking lot, though folks of "a certain age" will remember nightclubs like The Underground, Papagaio and Club New York occupying buildings there.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
