Lower Farwell Avenue could soon look notably different if two new projects get built.
First, developers are seeking to build an 11-story hotel on the site of the two-story triangular building erected in 1987 at the junction of Farwell, Brady and Cambridge.
The workaday building was long home to a Kinko’s and FedEx store, and now houses Mega Media Xchange.
The hotel plan for the 18,200-square-foot site, 1709-23 N. Farwell Ave., includes a restaurant and bar at street level and a rooftop event space that would surely boast spectacular views of the lake and Downtown skyline.
The striking design for the structure, which would come to a glassy point from top to bottom at the corner, was created by Kahler Slater.
This would be the only hotel on the East Side.
No hotel brand affiliation has yet been announced by developers Michael Klein and Jeno Cataldo, who told the Journal Sentinel they hope to break ground this year.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee’s New Land Enterprises – who brought you Ascent, the world's tallest timber tower – is considering a 24- or 25-story apartment tower on a parking lot on Farwell and Curtis Place, reports Urban Milwaukee. That’s just around the corner from another proposed apartment building on the 1500 block of Prospect Avenue, which is currently wending its way through the approvals process.
The Farwell building would have 300 apartments and many amenities, though New Land’s Tim Gokhman did not disclose what those would be.
Both the Farwell projects would require zoning changes.
In other hotel news, after discussion at Monday’s Historic Preservation Commission meeting, plans for a new 161-room Tempo by Hilton hotel on the former Journal Company parking lot – and, earlier, the Republican House Hotel – on King Drive and Kilbourn Avenue are being tinkered to earn design approval from the commission.
That project, too, is being designed by Kahler Slater. Watch for new renderings to emerge soon.
Here’s how it looked before.
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.
