MILWAUKEE — The ThriveOn King project in Milwaukee's Bronzeville neighborhood is moving closer to completion.
The former Gimbels-Schuster's building at Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Drive and Garfield Avenue is being redeveloped into a space that serves the immediate community.
"It was a bit of a fixer-upper," said Ken Robertson, chief operating and financial officer for the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.
GMF is part of the ThriveOn Collaboration alongside the Medical College of Wisconsin and Royal Capital.
"The pieces fit together really neatly. Our focus is on creating this healthier more equitable neighborhood," Roberston said.
The new space will preserve historic pieces of the original building. It will be the headquarters of GMF and have offices for MCW programs.
At more than 400,000 square feet the historic redevelopment is a major undertaking, but there are signs of progress all around.
There will be about 90 units of mixed-income housing and a community hub including Malaika Early Learning Center, Versiti Blood Center, JobsWork MKE, gathering spaces and a healthy food option.
"The community hub's really our secret sauce here. These are services the community has asked for," Robertson said.
Robertson explained the key to pulling this project off has been getting people who live and work in the neighborhood involved.
Dalvery Blackwell and Travis Landry are just some of those voices that joined an advisory council. Blackwell is a homeowner in the area. Landry has worked in the community his whole life and said his aunt worked in the building during its department store era.
"The engagement started immediately," Blackwell said.
"It makes you feel valued and make you feel like the work you're doing don't go in vain," Landry explained.
As the ThriveOn King site moves closer to completion, excitement is building over what this investment means for the area.
"You feel this is my home. This is where I've invested my time and energy and I'm a part of something very amazing," Blackwell said.
"It's going to make a huge difference. It's going to be more stability to our community that needs it," Landry added.
Robertson says most of the pieces to the project are expected to be completed by the end of the year.
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