The Wendell Sanders Historic Lofts are being constructed at the current site of the Milwaukee Enterprise Center, 2821 N. 4th St. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)

State and local officials will join community leaders and industry partners for a combined ribbon cutting/ground breaking ceremony at Welford Sanders Historic Lofts to celebrate the opening of renovated office space and to kick off construction of the residential portion of the project. Several special announcements regarding the project will also be made at the event, which is taking place during the community’s Juneteenth Day celebration.

Welford Sanders Historic Lofts is a $21 million historic renovation of an underutilized and deteriorating 190,000 sq. ft. industrial building built in 1916 as a Nunn Bush shoe factory. The project is named in memory of former Martin Luther King Drive Economic Development Corporation executive director, Welford Sanders, who passed away unexpectedly in May 2015. The redeveloped building includes renovation of approximately 38,000 sq. ft. of office space (formerly the Milwaukee Enterprise Center) and the creation of 59 new loft style housing units.

The project is a joint venture between MLKEDC and Wisconsin Redevelopment and was made financially possible in part through three State of Wisconsin agencies: Wisconsin Historical Society, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) and Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA). In addition, the City of Milwaukee, through the leadership of Alderwoman Milele Coggs, provided TIF funding and a significant HOME grant.

Where: 
2821 N. 4th Street Milwaukee

When:
Monday, June 19, 2017
3:30 p.m.—Event starts
4:00 p.m.—Comments/program begins
4:30 p.m.—Ribbon cutting
4:40-6:30 p.m.—Tours of commercial facility