The Passeggio: A New Gathering Place on Brady Street

Residents and visitors along Milwaukee's historic Brady Street will soon have a new place to congregate and socialize when Beyer Construction puts the finishing touches on The Passeggio.

With just about 10 months allocated from concept to completion, we designed a fast track schedule to bring the Italian-style complex of two buildings and a large, inviting courtyard in on time.

A one-story building facing Brady Street is designed to look as if it has three separate facades. A two-story structure along Arlington Street will appear to have two facades. The $1.5 million development will feature retail businesses on the lower level and apartments upstairs.

"Passeggio" is Italian for passageway and it helps describe what project owner Julilly Kohler of JWK Real Estate Development is trying to accomplish. "It's to create a sense of place where people feel comfortable walking and gathering," she says.
On a visit to Italy two years ago, Ms. Kohler was intrigued with an evening ritual she encountered in small towns. After work, the townsfolk go home, freshen up, and get together from about 5:30 to 7:00 for a sundown stroll or "passeggiata."

"Everybody has this wonderful communal time together where they meet and gossip and flirt, and exchange news of the day," Kohler says.

While The Passeggio aims to be a focal point, it won't dominate. Project architects, Engberg Anderson Design Partnership, Inc., designed the wood frame buildings to blend in with the neighborhood's residential appearance.

As for the construction, Kohler is pleased with the progress. "Rick Senk has to be one of the world's great construction field managers," she says. "He's really held the project together. We thought it was going to be simple and it turned out to be extremely complex."

While the Passeggio will be a focal point on Brady Street, it won't dominate. The wood frame buildings will blend in with the neighborhoods residential appearance.