Milwaukee developer plans to convert historic office into 60 apartments

A Milwaukee developer will turn empty offices into 60 apartments in the historic Mitchell Building starting this summer.

J. Jeffers & Co. announced on Tuesday it will renovate the nearly 150-year-old office building at 207 E. Michigan St., which has been continuously occupied by offices, businesses and a bank since it was built.

The company will use state and federal historic tax credits to fuel a restoration project starting in the building’s interior. Exterior restoration is expected to start in spring 2026.

“This infusion of investment and much-needed housing is a win for downtown Milwaukee,” said Lafayette Crump, the city of Milwaukee Commissioner of City Development. “We believe every neighborhood should have a mix of uses and opportunities, so including more residential downtown, as this project from J. Jeffers & Co. accomplishes, is quite welcome,” he added.

“We’ll preserve and incorporate many distinctive features of this beautiful building into the apartment units,” said Joshua Jeffers, owner and founder of J. Jeffers & Co. “Many units will showcase walk-in bank vaults, as well as 16-to-18-foot-high ceilings, enormous 10-by-4-foot windows and original hardwood floors,” he added.

The developer has already performed structural repairs to the foundation of the Mitchell Building. The building shares a skywalk with the Mackie Building, located at 225 E. Michigan St., another J. Jeffers & Co. historic renovation. The Mackie Building was also the former office for The Daily Reporter.