Milwaukee County nears deal for former medical examiner’s office

A Milwaukee-based developer could be the next selection to redevelop the future former Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office building in the city’s downtown.

The Milwaukee County Department of Administrative Services – Economic Development and Real Estate Services Division on Wednesday shared that it had the intent to award an agreement to Milwaukee-based BBE Investment & Development, LLC, to buy and develop the office at 933 W. Highland Ave. in Milwaukee. The county issued a request for proposals in March.

The intent to award gives unsuccessful bidders a chance to protest the winning bid, according to Milwaukee County ordinances.

BBE Investment & Development is led by Zuwena Cotton. In 2022, Cotton proposed plans for a five-story apartment building to replace an Art Deco commercial building in Milwaukee’s Historic Mitchell Street area. Those plans have been reworked over the years.

Cotton’s firm also owns the Historic 10^th Street Residences at 1004 N. 10th St. after buying the building out of receivership, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

BBE Investment & Development officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The medical examiner’s office is gearing up to move into the new Forensic Science and Protective Medicine Facility at the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center campus in Wauwatosa.

The new location will be home to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management, the State of Wisconsin’s Milwaukee Crime Lab and an organ and tissue bank for Versiti.

C.D. Smith Construction completed the facility in spring 2026 and state and county agencies are moving this summer on a rolling basis, a Milwaukee County spokesperson said.

There will be an official opening in early fall when all tenants are moved in. It’s likely the Medical Examiner’s Office will move in this month.

The former medical examiner building is on a 1.07-acre parcel and was originally built in 1931. The 58,000-square-foot structure was converted by the county in 1989.