Altius Building Company announced today that they have earned TWO Associated Builders and Contractors – Wisconsin Chapter (ABC-WI) Projects of Distinction GOLD awards for their work on The Oriental Theatre historic preservation in Milwaukee, WI, and the GreenLink Residences & Public House 55 in Brown Deer, WI.
“Altius is thrilled to receive both awards! The Oriental Theatre was a historic preservation that spanned several years and phases – a true relic within the community. GreenLink Residences & Public House 55 took a blight of a former DPW and turned it into a bustling town center within the historic, original village. The preciseness of the restoration and the transformation of both projects was remarkable and something we are very proud to have been a partner.”
– Scott Drees, President & CEO – Altius Building Company
Built in 1927 the historic Oriental Theatre needed substantial updating and renovations to bring it into the modern times while keeping and respecting it’s history. Phased restorations included the addition of a women’s restroom on the main floor, larger men’s restroom, a family restroom, janitors’ closet, retail store space, storefront, new projection, sound equipment, new seats for Theater C (West House), acoustical wall treatments, floor repair, a new concession stand, improvements to the Main House (new seating, flooring and balcony), East Theater, ceiling plaster restoration, and acoustical, branding display and lighting renovations. The preservation of this Milwaukee relic took the combined talent of MKE Film (owner), The Kubala Washatko Architects (designer), Gina Spang (owner’s representative) and Altius Building Company (construction manager). The restoration achieved preserving the original “temple of Oriental art” design that was brought forth by architectural firm Dick & Bauer in 1927. The east Indian “palace” aesthetic is still very much evident upon walking into the theatre and is one that creates a lasting impression for all who visit.
“Working in a historic venue involved a great deal of project nuance and discovery, and the Oriental Theatre has been no exception. Likewise, each phase has involved restoring or replicating historic surfaces and fixtures, which involved coordinating a great variety of general and niche contractors. For many of the phases they worked around our operating hours, collaborating with us so that we could remain true to timeline, without disrupting our normal operations as a cinema. In 2020, we had the added complexity of having to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impacts it had on safety protocols and supply chains, which Altius navigated with plenary professionalism.”
– Kristen Heller, Chief Operating Officer – Milwaukee Film
F Street Development Group engaged Altius Building Company to manage the construction of a new multifamily development in Brown Deer. After the Village’s Department of Public Works vacated their former operations, F Street and the Village identified the site for additional housing units and a community gathering space. The GreenLink Residences redevelopment included the complete demolition of the existing DPW building as well as construction of three new buildings. The buildings feature a beer garden (Public House 55 Taproom) as well as two, multi-story multifamily buildings – 134 units total (Building A is four stories including a clubhouse with pool and grill patio and Building B is three stories featuring a fitness room) all within the heart of the original downtown village. Working collaboratively with the Village of Brown Deer was F Street Development (Milwaukee) as the owner and developer as well as RINKA+ (Milwaukee) as the designer and Altius Building Company (Brookfield) as the construction manager.
“GreenLink Residences & Public House 55 are two catalytic developments in Brown Deer’s historic, Original Village neighborhood… since opening earlier this past spring, both have been embraced by the community and lauded for quality construction and beautiful aesthetics.”
– Nate Piotrowski, Community Development Director – Village of Brown Deer
“Projects of Distinction demonstrate the excellence in construction services by ABC of Wisconsin members,” said John Mielke, president of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Wisconsin. “These unique projects are evaluated by a panel of architects, engineers and educators in the construction industry and allow Wisconsin’s merit contractors to demonstrate their professionalism, craftsmanship and safety.”
Interested in learning more about our projects and company happenings? Get the inside scoop and join our newsletter. We promise not to hassle you!