1001 N. Water
Milwaukee, WI- Mass Timber, Mixed Use
- New Land Enterprises
The 1001 N. Water project proposes a landmark multi-tower tall timber development in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, integrating six distinct uses within a prime urban location. The design explores bold geometries, shaping the towers dynamically while ensuring that, at ground level, the development also advanced key urban planning goals. The result is a carefully considered response to context, transitioning seamlessly between the smaller-scale buildings to the north and the high-rises to the south and east. This helps create a vibrant twenty-four-hour neighborhood that activates the streetscape and a nexus of social activity.
A network of covered arcades extends the pedestrian experience of N. Water Street into the site, creating a sheltered promenade between shops, restaurants, gardens, and public amenities. Drawing from the canvas canopies of storefronts that once animated N. Water Street, the promenade reinterprets this tradition as a contemporary arcade, establishing new connections through the site.
Above the street, three interlocking volumes organize office, hotel, and residential uses. A signature 12-story mass-timber office tower anchors the project, its massing carved and folded to frame views of the city and create generous outdoor terraces and balconies at every level.
A 240-room hotel engages the arcade promenade with its primary entrance aligned with the Highland Avenue pedestrian bridge to the Deer District and Fiserv Forum, reinforcing the project’s role as a connection between major downtown destinations. The hotel includes a spa, restaurants, bars, and a 7,500-square-foot mass-timber rooftop event space. The residential component provides 192 workforce housing units, with a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes. Organized around a 700-stall parking structure, the residences conceal parking from the street and create an active edge along N. Water Street.
Together, the three volumes establish a distinct identity for the site while responding to the material character of historic N. Water Street. Masonry, metal, glass, and mass timber give each volume a distinct expression while drawing from N. Water Street’s industrial heritage. The residential façade responds to the scale and rhythm of surrounding masonry buildings, while the gridded hotel and sculptural office tower introduce contemporary interpretations of downtown Milwaukee’s architectural language.