Welford Sanders Lofts, Milwaukee, WI

59 units, Historic Rehab

Welford Sanders Historic Lofts is the historic redevelopment of an underutilized and deteriorating historic industrial building located in the Harambee neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. With the adaptive reuse rehabilitation, the property was transformed into a mixed-use building while maintaining the integrity of the Harambee community.

Welford Sanders Historic Lofts includes 54 two-bedroom units, four three-bedroom units and one four-bedroom unit in one five- and six-story building along with approximately 38,000 square feet of commercial space occupied by community service organizations providing social services to the residents. The property is restricted to residents earning up to 60% of the area median income (AMI).

R4 Capital provided the tax credit equity financing.

Tenancy

Family

Unique aspects

• Built in three phases starting in 1915, the building originally housed a Nunn-Bush Shoe factory. In the 1980’s the building became the Milwaukee Area Technical College’s (MATC) Milwaukee Enterprise Center serving as a small business incubator.
• Developers of the Welford Sanders Historic Lofts utilized a construction crew comprised of 40% unemployed or underemployed individuals, many of whom came from the very neighborhood where the development came to fruition.
• Winner of the 2019 MANDI “State Farm Building Blocks Award” for a real estate project that advances the community.
In 2019 it received a Preservation Award “Honoring the best in preservation in Wisconsin” from the Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation.