Legal firm Godfrey & Kahn will be the anchor tenant in a new downtown Milwaukee office building scheduled to break ground sometime this year.
The project is a joint venture between developers Irgens Development Partners, LLC and Van Buren Management, Inc. The new mixed-use development, to be known as Washington Square, will be located in the current parking lots bounded by East Mason, North Jefferson and North Jackson streets. The site is across from the Pfister Hotel and Mason Street Grill, and adjacent to The Milwaukee Club.
“We have been working with the Irgens’ team for several years to find a new home for the firm and we really like this particular location,” said Nic Wahl, Godfrey & Kahn’s incoming managing partner and firm lead on the new building project. “This is an exceptional project, and we’re very excited to be a part of it.”
The mixed-use development is anticipated to be at least 22 stories high with office, retail and parking components. Ultimately, the size of the building will depend on how many other large potential tenants agree to lease space in the building.
“Godfrey & Kahn is a business-savvy law firm that recognizes the efficiencies and value that this project will bring to the firm,” said Jackie Walsh, executive vice president of Irgens Development Partners, LLC. “We have been quietly negotiating with several other high-profile companies and are hopeful that they, too, will come to the same conclusion.”
Irgens Development Partners, LLC and Van Buren Management, Inc. anticipate construction will take approximately two years to complete.
“While we have been working on this project for a while, we have been reluctant to make any announcements given all of the speculation in the marketplace,” said Walsh. “However, this is a significant step forward in this multi-step process and we are extremely pleased to have a firm with the reputation of Godfrey & Kahn on board.”
“With high-caliber developers like Irgens and Van Buren leading the way, we are confident the project will live up to the high expectations everyone has had for a new downtown office building,” said Wahl.
