Side note:

Soft music plays.

Logos:

J.P.Morgan and Chase.

Text on screen:

'Milwaukee Fortress: Preserving the past while serving the future.'

Jonathan Beck:

Growing up, I was always into history.

On screen:

Text appears over a man in a suit, speaking from a restored building with an exposed brick wall:

Text on screen:

'Jonathan Beck, Development Project Manager, The Alexander Company.'

Jonathan Beck:

I was just almost mesmerized by a lot of the urban fabric and curious about the decay of a lot of it.

On screen:

Photos show a weathered five-story building with a stained concrete courtyard and rusted fire escapes. Inside the crumbling red-brick exterior, a broken piano leans against a support beam near a heap of building materials and trash.

Jonathan Beck:

And I used to be a newspaper boy and I would read about these types of developments. So I mean, I was familiar with the Alexander Company from when I was 10 years old.

Text on screen:

Text appears: 'The Alexander Company wanted to transform the Fortress building in Milwaukee and preserve its historic presence.'

On screen:

Now, the restored red-brick building stands on a modern street corner.

Jonathan Beck:

Alexander Company was both the developer and the architect in the Milwaukee Fortress building.

On screen:

A historic drawing shows the five-story building as a shoe factory surrounded by horse-drawn carriages and trolleys.

Jonathan Beck:

But it was one of the largest tanneries in the world making something like 9,000 pairs of shoes a day.

On screen:

Old footage shows hundreds of men pouring into the building, a sewing machine stitching a seam, and a worker polishing a finished pair of leather boots.

Jonathan Beck:

It got developed in phases between 1892 to 1912, and we always kind of had our eye on this project as a potential to repurpose into what it is now.

On screen:

Jonathan admires framed historic documents on the wall honoring the F. Mayer Boot and Shoe company.

Jonathan Beck:

We've done a lot of, some of the most complicated projects in the country. Generally when we're tackling these types of projects, we're both trying to figure out the financial puzzle and then also the design puzzle.

On screen:

Jonathan takes a call at his desk, and types on his laptop. Then, text appears over a man in a white dress shirt and blazer:

Text on screen:

'Shannon Metoxen, Milwaukee Division Manager, JP Cullen.'

Shannon Metoxen:

What's unique in these jobs is you really have to get in and understand these jobs. These aren't something that you just look at a print and you put a price to.

On screen:

A photo shows a crane over the building, covered in scaffolding. More photos show a long hall under construction, and workers framing doorways. Another builder walks through the courtyard.

Shannon Metoxen:

We spent a lot of time upfront walking the building.

On screen:

Text appears over a man with a beard and glasses:

Text on screen:

'James Madlom, CEO, Mueller Communications.'

James Madlom:

This is an opportunity to raise awareness of a site like this. Introduce the community of Milwaukee to the country, to this rich historic site.

On screen:

Another illustration shows the building in color, and a black and white photo shows a group of men and boys in a fabrication room. Now, a man in a grey suit:

Text on screen:

'Peter Zanghi, President, Milwaukee Preservation Alliance:'

Peter Zanghi:

Well any community, when they're going to look at a project like this, it's going to require a little bit more creativity on how to get it financed. This project would not have happened without historic tax credits, both at the federal and the state level.

On screen:

A man smiles in a blazer.

Text on screen:

'Tim Karp, Historic Tax Credit, JPMorgan Chase:'

Tim Karp:

It's a great economic development tool.

On screen:

Tim and Jonathan gaze out from the rooftop of the Fortress building, which overlooks downtown Milwaukee.

Tim Karp:

A lot of the projects we do are in areas that are changing or developing or undergoing some renaissance, and to help spur along that additional redevelopment is important to the firm.

Text on screen:

Text appears: 'The project has been successful, drawing visitors and helping spur neighborhood development. The 192,000-square-foot building includes: 132 market-rate apartments, 12,000 square feet of community amenities, and 25,000 square feet of commercial space.'

Tim Karp:

So seeing a building that's tired, has a lot of deferred maintenance, upgraded and come to new life is a really exciting part of all of our historic tax credit equity investments and is a really cool thing for us to see.

On screen:

Before and after images show a basement space transformed into a warmly-lit lounge and offices, and a crumbling brick room with arched windows restored and stylishly furnished. An abandoned office space with old carpeting becomes a modern foyer with polished wood floors. Peter:

Peter Zanghi:

We always hope that whatever kind of restoration goes on that that is serving a need in the community…

On screen:

Community members work in a cafe space, exercise in a gym, and talk over coffee in a courtyard. A brick-walled apartment space is filled with modern furniture and natural light.

Peter Zanghi:

…that it's acting as a catalyst, that it's drawing in a new investment that may not otherwise have been there.

On screen:

A modern sign on the corner of the building has an updated tower-shaped logo. Restored offices have stylish furniture, modern technology, and greenery.

Peter Zanghi:

We definitely don't want to see buildings just preserved in Amber. We want to see them reused for whatever the need is today while respecting its past.

On screen:

An archway leads to a dining room with geometric wallpaper, and open-concept apartments have large arched and gridded windows looking out over the city.

Peter Zanghi:

Everyone who's been in here just is really in amazement of how it was brought back. It's a pretty cool way to serve the community.

On screen:

More before and after photos show old wooden doorways opened up and transformed into connected living and office spaces. James:

James Madlom:

It's magical what you see in a historic project like this. These walls that have history and tell stories. They get to tell new stories in these spaces.

Logos:

J.P.Morgan and Chase.

Text on screen:

'Milwaukee Fortress: Preserving the past while serving the future.'

Side note:

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END

As the development project manager at The Alexander Company, which specializes in historic preservation and adaptive reuse, Jonathan Beck uses the Historic Tax Credit (HTC) program to preserve and transform buildings across the country.

The Fortress in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is a prime example. Located in the city’s Brewers Hill neighborhood, the neoclassical structure houses one- and two-bedroom lofts along with commercial space occupied by Mueller Communications and construction company JP Cullen.

But before it became home to market-rate apartments, the Fortress was a sprawling factory where workers produced thousands of shoes aday. Here’s a look at its storied past—and transformed present.

1880

Frederick Mayer opens the F. Mayer Boot and Shoe Company a few blocks from the Milwaukee River.

1892

Architect Herman P. Schnetzky oversees the shoe manufacturer’s first expansion; the building is extended upward and eastward to create a five-story structure.

1899

Architect Eugene Liebert extends the building eastward in the second expansion, which is needed to meet soaring demand. At its peak, the company produced more than 9,000 pairs of shoes each day.

1900­­­-1912

The building’s northern quadrant grows further in 1900, 1906 and 1912. The connected structures of the factory include its namesake tower, which resembles a medieval fortress.

1934

The F. Mayer Boot and Shoe Company shuts down, but the building remains in use for shoe manufacturing.

1938

Milwaukee’s leather industry declines, and the Fortress building is no longer used for shoemaking. A variety of groups occupy the space over the years, including artists, musicians, and a daycare and Montessori school.

2003

Beck first considers the Fortress’ development opportunities. “I was mesmerized by the Fortress and its urban fabric,” Beck said. He knew the surrounding neighborhood was ripe with opportunity, and the Fortress could attract renters. Given the financial constraints, however, the Fortress remained only an idea.

2013

The Wisconsin Legislature raises the state’s Historic Tax Credit rate to 20%—matching the federal HTC. “A lot of white elephant projects that were impossible to take on were now financially feasible,” Beck said.

2015

Discussions between The Alexander Company and the owner of the Fortress begin.

2016

Beck meets Tim Karp, Head of Historic Tax Credit at JPMorgan Chase. “Jonathan knew we were in the market and wanted to finance more HTC deals,” Karp said. “And The Alexander Company had a project in Milwaukee that sounded interesting.”

“When we’re tackling HTC projects, we’re trying to figure out the financial puzzle and the design puzzle,” Beck said.

2017

Financing—including an $8.3 million federal HTC investment from JPMorgan Chase—closes on the Fortress and construction begins. The Alexander Company serves as the developer and architect.

Keeping the building’s historic character

The Fortress features traditional and Cream City bricks— “one of the calling cards of the city,” said Peter Zanghi, President of the Milwaukee Preservation Alliance. And the reddish bricks at the front of the building weren’t originally red. They were painted with pig’s blood when the building was a tannery.

The Alexander Company also preserved more than 1,200 windows, plus the interior’s exposed brick walls and heavy-timber ceilings.

2019

The mixed-use property opens. Its first commercial tenant is JP Cullen, and the building includes 132 apartments and amenities such as a fenced-in dog run and a maker space. “Most historic projects we work on had a prior life, then underwent a period of neglect,” Karp said. “Seeing a building upgraded and given new life is really exciting.”

Karp isn’t the only one pleased with the transformation.

“We always hope that the restoration of any historic building acts as a catalyst, drawing in new investment that may not otherwise have been there,” Zanghi said. “The Brewers Hill neighborhood suffered from disinvestment. And now it's become one of the more desirable neighborhoods in the city. And this helps kickstart even more investment.”

2021

The Alexander Company adds its second commercial tenant, Mueller Communications, in 2021. The two businesses in the building have a close relationship with the project. JP Cullen helped restore the Fortress’ exterior, while Mueller Communications has worked to promote the preservation and conversion of the historic building.

“HTC projects are marathons—they’re not sprints,” Beck said. “From inception in 2015 to 2021, you’re looking at a six-year investment.”

“When people walk into this building and they’re able to see it reincarnated into a modern form—it’s incredible to see their reactions,” said James Madlom, CEO of Mueller Communications. “These walls have history and tell stories from the past. Now the space can tell new stories.”

 

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