Groundbreaking on a new four-story, 46-room Nordic-inspired hotel in Sister Bay, in Door County, is expected to take place early next year.
The Dörr Hotel, designed inside and out by Chicago-based Zimmerman Weintraub Associates (ZWA), will offer views across Lake Michigan’s Green Bay, and 11 of the first-floor rooms will include private patios with access paths leading down to the water. Other rooms will be equipped with balconies overlooking the bay.
The design of the hotel – being developed by Jaco Management, based in Park Ridge, Illinois – was inspired by modern Scandinavian design and promises to include "familiar hygge elements," as well as neutral colors, natural wood finishes and other homey touches.
There will be a welcoming green courtyard out front and a lively rooftop patio with a fireplace, too.
"We are thrilled to have been awarded the opportunity to design The Dörr Hotel, a timeless yet intuitively modern boutique hotel, exquisitely situated within the pristine Village of Sister Bay in the iconic Door County region of Northeast Wisconsin," said ZWA co-founder Doug Zimmerman in a statement.
"The hotel’s proximity to the downtown business district with family entertainment, restaurants and access to the lake and local beaches makes for an exciting addition to the community, one that we’re proud to be part of."
Construction on the project had been set to begin earlier but was delayed when Sister Bay officials asked for changes to the design of the project.
The Dörr Hotel is expected to open by spring of 2020. A related retail development is planned to follow as phase two of the plan. Jaco also manages the Lure and Chop restaurant properties in Sister Bay.
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.
