The Brief
- As crews demolished a strip mall in Brown Deer to make way for new development, they unknowingly unleashed a flood of memories as the former Treasure Island facade was exposed.
- Treasure Island was a large discount retailer with an infamous roof. The unique style was designed by a Milwaukee architecture firm.
- The design would soon be exported across the country. And if you look close enough, signs of the shuttered stores still remain.
BROWN DEER, Wis. – Take a look in any direction around the FOX6 TV station, and it is clear Brown Deer is growing. The village is amidst multiple major developments that will soon bring new apartments, shopping, and restaurants to Milwaukee’s North Shore. No project is bigger than what’s being called Riverside Landing.
A hidden treasure
What we know:
“All told, it’s going to be probably a four-year build-out,” said Brown Deer‘s development director Nate Piotrowski. “It’s such a huge piece of land at really the gateway to Brown Deer.”
As crews demolish what was once here, something unexpected happened.
“I said to my husband, ‘Oh my God, I have to stop and get a picture of that,’” said Lynn Hunsicker.…