Milwaukee is known for its beautiful historic buildings. The East Side neighborhood boasts numerous Victorian-style houses. At the same time, the Historic Third Ward district is home to repurposed warehouses that now house trendy restaurants, businesses, and luxury condos.
As a company with nearly a century of electrical construction experience and 30 years of employee ownership in Milwaukee, Lemberg Construction is proud to have contributed to preserving and restoring many historical buildings throughout our city.
Below, we showcase four historic Milwaukee buildings we helped bring back to life with our electrical construction services. Keep reading to get an inside look at how we’re helping preserve Milwaukee’s unique history, one building at a time!
1. The Bucyrus Club
Lemberg had a special opportunity to participate in renovating the historic Bucyrus-Erie plant in South Milwaukee. The project involved a complete electrical remodel of the original building, which was once used by Bucyrus-Erie, an industrial builder that made steam engines and shovels in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The building is significant to Milwaukee’s history, having served as a major employer for over 120 years. After Bucyrus-Erie outgrew the building and moved to larger facilities across the railroad tracks, the original factory was converted into a social club and cafe for its employees.
The building then underwent a third transformation into a combination banquet hall and museum named The Bucyrus Club. Lemberg was brought in to offer our expert electrical wiring services for the 28,100-square-foot building. The result is a unique event space, restaurant and deli, and a museum highlighting the building's history, all designed to pay homage to the building's industrial roots.
Learn more about this unique and fun project!
2. Journal Square
Lemberg's electrical construction team was happy to provide their expert electrical wiring services to help renovate the former Milwaukee Journal Sentinel headquarters into what is now known as Journal Square.
The renovation project included a complete redevelopment of the 6-story landmark building into 141 individual living apartments with underground parking and a ground floor dedicated to commercial space.
The original building was built in 1924, symbolizing nearly a century of journalism history in Milwaukee. The original construction cost about $1 million, and the newspaper spent another million on the machinery required to print and produce the newspaper. The historical integrity of the building, including the ornate woodwork and murals, was preserved during the renovation.
Get more details about how Lemberg helped make this unique gem of a building home to many Milwaukee residents!
3. Iron Horse Hotel
Originally built in 1907 as a factory and warehouse for a bedding manufacturer, it’s easy to picture The Iron Horse Hotel in its original glory with its preserved blend of brick and steel architecture.
The Walker's Point iconic hotel was designed to live and breathe Milwaukee as it was and as it is now. It intertwines modern-day Milwaukee ‘grit’ with its historical past, allowing guests and visitors to experience the city like a local.
Lemberg’s Signs and Lighting design team was more than eager to create the hotel’s custom red neon sign, which is mounted along the top edge of the building. We also provided custom lighting and signage throughout the interior of the building, all helping to give this building a vibrant second life!
Looking for the best custom commercial sign for your business? Click here!
4. Eagleknit Innovation Hub
The Eagleknit Innovation Hub building was originally home to Eagle Knitting Mills, a company that produced knitted caps known for their style, comfort, and quality. The company opened its door in 1928 but unfortunately closed in 1991. Although, not all was lost!
With the help of Lemberg’s electrical contracting services, the building was renovated into a collaborative working space for Milwaukee-based startups, community organizations, tech companies and creative agencies. With the exposed cream city brick, wood floors, and large steel windows, the authentic history and architecture of the building are not only preserved but highlighted within the hub’s interior design.
Learn more about the Eagleknit Innovation Hub renovation here!
Preserving Milwaukee’s History One Building at a Time
Even with the apparent influx of new business startups, restaurants, and living spaces, there are still many abandoned historical buildings throughout Milwaukee waiting to be given a second life, many of which sit alongside the beautiful shore of Lake Michigan.
These vacant buildings offer exciting opportunities for redevelopment and repurposing, creating new spaces for businesses, artists, and residents to thrive. Lemberg is proud to provide the expert electrical construction, data communications, energy management, custom sign design and installation, and 24-hour electrical services needed to help bring these vacant buildings back to life.
Milwaukee is a city built on a unique foundation of hard work, integrity, and loyalty. We have been a part of Milwaukee's history for 95 years, and we look forward to continuing to build and preserve the city we call home for many years to come.
Click here to learn more about Lemberg’s 95-year history as a Milwaukee business!
Looking for more information on Lemberg’s electrical construction services? Schedule a call today!
