Toussaint Square

Location: Milwaukee, WI. Gateway District

Toussaint Square is a $3.8 million mixed-use development in the North Avenue Gateway District, one of Milwaukee’s oldest central city neighborhoods. After years of neglect, this neighborhood is experiencing a rebirth through partnerships of local African American entrepreneurs, the Neighborhood Business Improvement District and the City of Milwaukee Department of Community Development. Developed by the North Avenue Community Development Corporation, a non-profit corporation, Toussaint Square blends a renovated existing mixed-use building with a new three-story building to create 24 units of affordable housing and 12,000 sf of office/retail and live/work space. The project goal is to retain local retail businesses and residents by providing quality housing for local residents who, upon reaching a certain level of affluence, desire improved housing. Without these opportunities for housing and economic development, local residents with increased means tend to leave the area. Toussaint Square is designed to fit within the context of existing North Avenue architecture yet expresses the contemporary energy of a revitalized community. It compliments other new and existing developments in the Gateway District including an elementary school, new Boys and Girls Club, new major-chain grocery store and several smaller scale housing redevelopment projects. Much of North Avenue’s architectural model is mixed-use (apartments over retail) in two and three-story structures. Many of the buildings have elaborate brick work, shallow balconies served by french doors and other eclectic features that create a rich visual context for the community. The design of Toussaint Square has responded to these objectives by maintaining the apartment over retail model. The development offers two and three bedroom apartments with design features and finishes of exceptional quality similar to newly built market-rate housing. It incorporates live/work units that are specifically aimed at retaining businesses in the neighborhood. The first floor spaces have street level entries to retail spaces with a secure interior stair that connects the store to the living unit. These retail spaces are scaled to be affordable to local businesses.

Transect Zone(s): T5 center.
Status: Complete
Project or Plan's Scale: Block
Features: Affordable/subsidized housing, Live/work, Mixed uses.
Total built area (in sq. ft.):
Total project cost (in local currency):
Retail area (in sq. ft.): 12000
Office area (in sq. ft.):
Industrial area (in sq. ft.):
Number of hotel units:
Number of residential units (include live/work): 24
Parks & green space (in acres):
Residential types: Mid-rise/loft, Live/work.
Project team designers: Engberg Anderson Design Partnership, Inc.
Project team developers: North Avenue Community Development Corporation

Previous site status:

Starting/Ending date of construction/implementation: -