It took three years and $62 million, but the Milwaukee Athletic Club in downtown Milwaukee has a completely new look after undergoing a massive renovation project. The club’s 100-plus year-old building at 758 N. Broadway had become highly inefficient over the years and the mechanical systems serving its 13 stories were out of date. However, the project was about more than updating the heating and air conditioning. Initially, the plan was to turn the building’s middle five floors into a 95-room hotel, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced a change of plans and eight of the floors were turned into 54 apartments. Elsewhere in the building, there are ballrooms with breathtaking chandeliers, restored murals from 1948, top-notch athletic and fitness facilities, and a rooftop bar and terrace.

Contractors

Facing a deadline related to the project’s financing, crews from Milwaukee-based construction firm C.G. Schmidt had to work double and weekend shifts to get the job done. The firm does a lot of work on school projects where work is done over the summer, so it was used to working on tight timelines. Still, to get a 16-month project done in 12 months required four full-time construction managers instead of the normal two. Around 350 construction workers contributed to the project, including 70 from C.G. Schmidt and another 200 to 300 tradesmen and women. Here are just some of the Wisconsin companies that worked on the project:

Graef USA | Architect/Engineering | Milwaukee
Kahler Slater | Architect | Milwaukee
ECS Midwest | Consultant | Brookfield
CG Schmidt | General Contractor | Milwaukee
Arbon Equipment Corp. | Industrial Doors and Docks | Milwaukee
Badger Swimpools | Swimming Pools | Prairie du Sac
Baseman Bros. | Gym and Sport Floors | Ixonia
Berglund Construction | Exterior Façade/Building Envelope Restoration | Milwaukee
Blair Fire Protection | Fire Protection Systems | Butler
Butters Fetting Co. | HVAC, Plumbing, Electric, Fire Protection | Milwaukee
Common Links Construction | Commercial Construction | Brookfield
Core Tech | Security and Surveillance | Milwaukee
Construction Supply & Erection | Structural and Architectural Metals | Germantown
Drexel Building Supply | Building Materials | Brookfield
Geis Building Products | Garage Doors | Brookfield
Hetzel Tile & Marble | Tile and Marble | Menomonee Falls
Horner Plumbing Co. | Plumbing | Pewaukee
Integrity Environmental Services | Abatement | Waukesha
Klein-Dickert Milwaukee | Glass | Pewaukee
L & A Crystal | Polished Concrete | Mequon
Langer Roofing & Sheet Metal | Roofing | Milwaukee
Munson Inc. | Fencing and Paving | Glendale
Next Electric | Electrician | Waukesha
Performance Contracting Inc. | Acoustical Ceilings, Specialty Walls and Ceilings | Sun Prairie
Regency Janitorial Service | Professional Cleaning Services | New Berlin
Schindler Elevator Corp. | Elevators | Menomonee Falls
Veit & Company Inc. | Specialty Contracting and Waste Management | New Berlin