Construction has begun on a $4.8 million project to transform the former Jackson Center nursing home building at 1840 N. Sixth St. in Milwaukee into a 79-room Days Inn & Suites hotel, an investor for the project said. The nursing home closed in 2002.

Two investors, Karl Rajani and Pat Kasthurirangaian, are renovating the 40-year-old, three-story, 30,018-square-foot building. The project will include the addition of a fourth floor to the building and a tower at the main entrance, Kasthurirangaian said. Milwaukee-based Arquitectura Inc. is the architect of record on the project. The Wisconsin Business Development Finance Corp. recently approved a $1.4 million loan, backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration, for the project.

The hotel is expected to open in the summer of 2009, Kasthurirangaian said. The Days Inn & Suites hotel will fill a need for lower priced hotel rooms in the downtown Milwaukee area, Kathurirangaian said. Most of the rooms in the hotel will be available for $75 to $100 a night, he said. "There are only a couple of mid-priced hotels in downtown Milwaukee," he said. "Most  of the proposed and existing hotels downtown are priced $150 to $200 and up a night. There is a huge market for the $75 to $100 a night range."

Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C. recently added 15,000 square feet of space to its headquarters office in Cathedral Place, 555 E. Wells St. in downtown Milwaukee.

The law firm now occupies 88,259 total square feet of space on the 16th through 19th floors of the building.

The new space provides room for 26 attorney offices, 10 paralegal offices and 14 secretary offices. The firm acquired the additional space as part of its five-year strategic plan

"Many of the firm's practice groups are poised for growth based on market demands," said Traci Mortensen, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek’s chief operating officer.

"Milwaukee has been a great place for our firm to find the talented attorneys it needs to be successful. The area also continues to be a viable place to do business, which is why WHD continues to invest its resources here."

With the expansion, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek now occupies 75 percent of the 16th floor. There are plans to acquire the remaining space in 2010 when it becomes available, Mortensen said.

The Milwaukee area's industrial space vacancy rate dipped slightly to 7.4 percent at the end of the first quarter of 2008, down from 7.6 percent at the end of the first quarter in 2007, according to a recent report from Boston-based Colliers International. The company's local affiliate is Milwaukee-based Colliers Barry.

The Milwaukee area's industrial real estate market is faring better than the national market, according to the Colliers report. The nation's industrial space vacancy rate increased from 7.9 percent at the end of the first quarter in 2007 to 8.13 percent at the end of the first quarter this year.

"The good news is that the southeastern Wisconsin market has held its own and even seen a slight decrease in the vacancy rate," said James T. Barry III, president and chief executive officer of Colliers Barry. "We are still seeing an increasing price-per-square-foot in the sale of industrial buildings in metro Milwaukee, but lease rates remain relatively stagnant - particularly in Class A industrial. Our hope is that the U.S. will be in a recovery cycle in the second half of 2008 and that this will portend well for Milwaukee."

The Iron Horse Hotel, which is being built at 500 W. Florida St., Milwaukee, by developer Tim Dixon, announced recently that it will open in July, the same month that the nearby Harley-Davidson Museum is scheduled to open.

The hotel, which will include amenities to accommodate motorcycle riders, will also be open in time for the 105th Harley-Davidson Anniversary celebration, which will be held in Milwaukee from Aug. 28-31.

The hotel also announced that it has launched a web site at: www.theironhorsehotel.com.

The 102-room hotel is being built in a six-story, 95,788-square-foot, 101-year-old former warehouse building.

South 27th Street corridor named Boomgaard District
Franklin and Oak Creek officials have endorsed the name Boomgaard District for the area surrounding the South 27th Street Corridor. The street forms the boundry for the two cities. The word "boomgaard" is Dutch for "orchard." Apple orchards were once prevalent in what is now Franklin and Oak Creek. Many of the orchard owners sold their apples along the highway roadside of what is now South 27th Street.
"The 'Boomgaard District' name is as unique as the collaborative efforts between Franklin and Oak Creek," said Oak Creek Mayor Dick Bolender. "The uniqueness of the name will set this development apart from others not only regionally, but nationally." "The name 'Boomgaard District' is well-suited for the South 27th Street Corridor development,” said Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor. "The name helps preserve the history of the area, yet also symbolizes the shared vision that our two cities have for current and future development."
Milwaukee-based Zizzo Group Advertising and Public Relations, an integrated marketing firm, was retained by the Joint South 27th Street Corridor Steering Committee to assist with brand identity for the corridor. The Boomgaard District is already home to Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co.'s Franklin campus, Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare Franklin hospital. Other development under construction in the corridor includes a Staybridge Suites hotel and the Liberty Corporate Preserve.

West Bend launches commercial property web site
The City of West Bend, the West Bend Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Downtown West Bend Association recently launched the new inSITE web page. The web site provides a listing of available commercial and industrial properties within the City of West Bend.
The inSITE service may be accessed from each of the organization's web sites or directly at: http://www.ci.west-bend.wi.us/inSITE/ . 
The service will also be made available for property owners to use to list development opportunities in the City of West Bend. 

Eppstein Uhen named Architect of the Year
Milwaukee-based Eppstein Uhen Architects was recently named the Architect of the Year by the American Subcontractors Association of Wisconsin.