PHOTOS: Northwestern Mutual’s North Office is transformed from inside out

Since October, Gilbane Building Co. and CG Schmidt crews have demolished and recycled office fixtures floor after floor of Northwestern Mutual’s 18-story North Office in downtown Milwaukee. They set the groundwork for outside renovations, a step in the $500 million transformation slated to open in 2027.

Built in 1990, the 540,000-square-foot North Office will be repurposed with the same feeling of the nearby Tower and Commons, according to project officials. With the project comes a pedestrian plaza at the intersection of Mason and Cass Streets, and more ample connection to the tower and parking structure.

Everything in the office space, including furniture, carpet and ceilings, have been recycled or repurposed, according to Tracy Lutterman, the assistant director construction management at Northwestern Mutual. That includes giving furniture to the Community Warehouse and Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore. Reusing parts of the old building also puts a sustainable touch on the project.

After spaces in the upper floors were cleared out, the existing steel framework was reinforced, and a weather wall was installed to protect the concrete core. A new glass curtain wall will be installed to match the look of the Tower and Commons.

A 70-foot moveable mast climber outside will allow workers to perform outer renovations without risk of falling, said Greg Ratzburg, project safety manager for Gilbane.

Gilbane’s Jeff Jahnke, the senior general superintendent, and Vince Senese, project executive, led the media tour on the building’s first, seventh and 18th floors on Thursday.

On the northwest corner of the North Office lot stands a 385-foot tall Potain crane with a 262-foot gib. According to project officials, the crane was in the same spot Gilbane had it when they built the first office in 1990.

Other elements of the building will remain, such as the concrete core in the podium first floor and the door to nearby Mason Street. New fixtures such as escalators will be installed by project completion.

The city of Milwaukee supported the project with a $30 million tax increment financing plan. In turn, Northwestern Mutual aims to have more than 5,000 employees working downtown by 2030.

With a massive project comes a long list of partners; Connecticut-based Pickard Chilton, which designed the Tower and Commons, is the design architect for the North Office. Kendall/Heaton Associates is the architect of record.

Milwaukee-based GRAEF will serve as the civil engineer. EUA will provide interior design services, and the project’s development manager is Houston-based Hines.

Northwestern Mutual has a 25% commitment for small business enterprises (SBEs) for construction and supply costs. The company will use SBEs for at least 18% of professional services costs for construction. Under the city Residence Preference Program, 40% of construction work will be done by unemployed or underemployed residents.