According to a county report cited in a Dec. 14 article, demolishing the museum building for a cost of $12.5 to $13.5 million “is more feasible than selling the building for adaptive reuse”
The estimated value of the vacant site would be from “$7.4 million to $9 million” according to this report. If so, the county would lose at least $3.5 million.
As a real estate broker who has sold downtown properties, I respectfully disagree. A building with 417,000 square feet located in the heart of western downtown, even if massive repairs are required, is worth saving. Possible new uses would include office space (ideally located for law firms), a boutique hotel with conference center and a major entertainment center. The University of Wisconsin Extension or Milwaukee Area Technical College may also find use for classroom space in the building…