In 2006, while taking my final ARE tests, I was involved in my last project in Milwaukee. 

The Convent Hill Apartments + Gardens, is a 10 story, low income mixed use facility located in downtown Milwaukee. This 128,000 SF facility is comprised of 120 apartments, with additional community room, offices and retail on each end of the site. 

The client team was comprised of the local housing authority & the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as there was federal funding involved. 

My final act of employment at Zimmerman Architects was to deliver this project for permit review, before I relocated to the Twin Cities to take a position at MS&R, ltd (Now MSR Design). 

The site is challenging, with 16 feet of slope from west to east – which made ‘street level’ a problem at the retail level. In addition to that, there is a porte cochere for access to off-street parking that pins the overall building in place for vehicle access & deliveries. 

Multiple agencies, difficult site, project budget problems, redesign for the entire way (if I recall – it ran up to a week before deadline that the unit count was still in a state of flux). This one, was difficult. Apparently – those difficulties continued after my departure from the firm and the project.