The conversion of an old building for new uses isn’t exactly commonplace, but it is becoming more frequent in Northeast Wisconsin.
Usually, though, such conversions are for single uses — converting old paper mills into apartments, or converting buildings into offices, retail space or restaurants.
Green Bay’s $12.2 million Watermark project combines apartments, office, retail and a restaurant, plus a children’s museum, into one project, the largest adaptive-reuse project in Brown County. The project, on Washington Street between Pine Street and Finley Court, is connected to Green Bay’s CityDeck, a quarter-mile boardwalk connecting the Walnut Street Bridge and the Ray Nitschke Bridge on Main Street.
Vetter Denk Development of Milwaukee, the developer of the project, describes Watermark as having a "live/work/play/civic dynamic." Watermark will include the new Children’s Museum of Green Bay; the Hagermeister Park family restaurant, named for the first home of the Green Bay Packers, and additional retail space; Class A office space; loft apartments; and enclosed parking.
"Watermark fits perfectly into the development of the CityDeck," says Jeff Mirkes of Downtown Green Bay Inc. "I’m really excited about the three floors of office space — I look at it as three floors of office space with personality, the kind of space where the creative class wants to be."
"It will create a center; that’s really the key thing — a town square, so to speak," says Vetter Denk’s John Vetter. "Its success is that it’ll have a great civic component, the children’s museum, and connected to the CityDeck, it’ll be the new center for downtown Green Bay."
"In most urban areas, to have a successful downtown you need to have three things — a work element, a ‘live’ element, and a ‘play’ element," says Tim Rinn, director of business development for Ganther Construction Architecture of Oshkosh, the construction manager for the project. "Most downtowns have a work element, but at five o’clock on a Friday these people leave, so you need a ‘live’ element and a ‘play’ element. You need these elements to keep the connection to the city."
From Riverfront to Watermark
The Watermark project began with the construction of the Riverfront Lofts condominiums in 2004. After that project was completed, Vetter–Denk acquired properties north of the Riverfront Lofts.
When Vetter visited Green Bay early in the 2000s, he "noticed how underutilized the waterfront was. We saw really two things — one was a really fantastic natural resource with the Fox River and the fact it was completely underutilized. When we got to Green Bay, the highest and best use of the waterfront was parking. That was the most obvious to us, and the ability to reactivate downtown."
The children’s museum, at the corner of Pine and Washington streets, has several proposed new exhibits — a water play area, an interactive 25-foot oak tree, a 20-foot fishing boat, a fire safety house and fire truck, an arts and crafts area, an ice cream parlor, and a miniature town, including a grocery store and a bank.
The children’s museum began at Bay Park Square Mall in Ashwaubenon in 1992, then moved to Washington Commons in 1998. The museum closed its Washington Commons site in 2006 while work began on its new location.
The project includes three waterfront retail spaces from 2,480 square feet to 4,300 square feet on its first floor, and more than 45,000 square feet of office space on the second through fourth floors. The fifth and sixth floors will feature 25 loft condominiums of 860 to 1,850 square feet, with prices starting at $139,900.
"I think interest in residential is beginning to blossom, as important amenities start taking shape," says Mirkes. "The Fox River is a plus; the views are starting to be discovered."
Hagermeister Park will be a family restaurant, owned by the owner of The Bar in Green Bay, with a courtyard connection to the CityDeck.
Mirkes describes the CityDeck as a "world-class boardwalk" and "an important gathering area" for downtown. The official CityDeck kickoff event, called "La Vida Local," will be held Oct. 4.
