Medical College of Wisconsin breaks ground on student housing complex

The Medical College of Wisconsin in July started construction of a 266-unit apartment building, the first on-campus student housing complex within the school’s campus in Wauwatosa.

Findorff will serve as construction manager of “Trailmark at MCW,” a four-story, around 150,800-square-foot apartment complex that will be located on the northeast corner of West Watertown Plank Road and North 87^th Street. The project is expected to wrap up in spring 2028.

Around 1,540 medical, graduate and pharmacy school students are enrolled at campuses in the Milwaukee area, Green Bay and Wausau, according to MCW.

The campus enrolls students from around the U.S. and the world, MCW officials said. Building on-campus housing will enhance their experience and create a strong sense of community, they added.

“Trailmark at MCW reflects the Medical College of Wisconsin’s commitment to forging pathways that will shape the future of science, healthcare and discovery,” said Dr. Shekar Kurpad, CEO and president of MCW, in a statement. “It also serves to inspire MCW learners – our future physicians, pharmacists, scientists and healthcare professionals – to go and leave their own mark on the world.”

The apartment complex will help attract and retain students, Matthew Lester, executive vice president and COO at MCW, said in a statement.

Wauwatosa-based AG Architecture is the designer and architect of Trailmark at MCW. Milwaukee-based The Sigma Group is the project environmental engineer and Fox Point-based General Capital Group is the project developer.

In August 2025, Mortenson completed construction of a 161,000-square-foot cancer research center at the MCW campus. Officials said this was the first facility dedicated to cancer research and prevention in eastern Wisconsin and has space for up to 300 researchers.

In June 2026, Tim and Barbara Michels and the Michels Family Foundation donated $27 million to the MCW cancer center, the largest personal gift to the center. After receiving the gift, MCW named the facility the “Medical College of Wisconsin Michels Center for Cancer Discovery.”

Wauwatosa has recently been the center of different types of development; in July, Milwaukee-based Irgens and Greenfire Management Services broke ground on a 204-unit apartment complex near North Mayfair Road and West Wisconsin Avenue. In addition to residential, commercial and healthcare construction, the city is also nearing a final option to revamp the public library and city hall, a project that could cost $107 million.