Collapsing wall sends debris into road at future Milwaukee Public Museum site

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Developers from Emem Group on Monday said a collapsing wall spilled debris into the westbound lane of W. McKinley Avenue for an hour while crews were demolishing a building at 1310 N. 6th Street to make way for the new Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM).

No one was injured in the collapse and no personal property was damaged, Emem Group President and CEO Michael Emem told The Daily Reporter. The sidewalk was shut down in advance before crews knocked down the southern wall.

The South wall of 1310 N. 6th Street, formerly a Gustave A. Larson HVAC distribution building, collapsed during demolition and left piles of bricks and debris in part of the avenue, pictures on social media showed.

It took less than an hour to clean up the rubble and work on the site continued after, Emem added.

Emem Group is providing site development services for the lot the new museum will be built on.

As previously reported by The Daily Reporter, Rams Contracting, Ltd. was contracted to demolish the existing building, MPM Chief Planning Officer Katie Sanders said at a news conference.

As of publication, Rams has not responded to The Daily Reporter’s request for comment.

The building was the second of three buildings to be torn down to make way for the new future museum, which is leaving its home at 800 Wells Street and relocating at North 6th and West Vliet streets. It will cost a total of $240 million to purchase the land, construct the new building and relocate its collections.