This morning, there was a topping off ceremony at the new Hyatt Place Hotel, 800 W. Juneau Ave., being built on the roughly one-acre triangle bounded by Winnebago Street, Juneau Avenue, 9th Street and the roundabout.
Construction began in spring on the six-story, 150-room Hyatt hotel being developed by Deerfield, Illinois-based Janko Group. It is expected to open by July.
"We are excited to offer corporate travelers, sports fans, vacationers and ‘staycationers’ an attractive hotel option in a prime location surrounded by several of the city’s main attractions," said John Brooke, Janko Hospitality COO, in a statement.
The hotel will boast a bar and lounge, 2,000 square feet of flexible meeting rooms, a fitness center and an outdoor terrace.
"The Hyatt Place hotel at The Brewery is yet another example of the growth, energy and innovation our city is experiencing," said Alex Lasry, vice president of strategy and operations for the Milwaukee Bucks, according to a Janko press release.
"We are glad fans, and even visiting rivals, have so many great options to stay before or after games."
The Hyatt Place brand was launched 12 years ago and there are now nearly 300 of them. The Milwaukee hotel was designed by Chicago-based Norr Architects.
It seems as though the former Pabst Brewery site is one big construction zone, with a former brewery building being converted to apartments, the former Pabst distribution center being reborn as a new home to Milwaukee Brewing Company and Vim & Vigor apartments and retail rising fast (pictured below).
"I’ve been over in this area a lot lately," said Mayor Tom Barrett according to the release saying. "All of the recent development and investment in the city is truly incredible."
Of course, just east, the new Bucks arena is also taking shape rapidly.
And that's not even mentioning recent developments that have already opened at The Brewery – like this one, and this one. Or this project, announced earlier this week, a block away.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
