A new development proposed for a near West Side site that was long home to the Pan American Club could bring much-needed affordable rentals to the city.
Brewers Lofts, a plan by TEAM Management, would redevelop the old 1960 motor lodge building at the back of the site – built atop a 1958 parking garage – and add a new building at the front of the site.
That's where the one-story 1947 building that long housed the Pan American Club, 3816 W. Wisconsin Ave., was located.
The internationally themed cocktail lounge and restaurant was one of the first, if not the first, to offer a shuttle to the nearby stadium.
The Pan Am Club closed permanently in 1968.
Years later, the 75-room motel was converted into 75 apartments.
The new plan, according to Urban Milwaukee, would create 25 much larger apartments in the four-story building.
Meanwhile, a new building in front, closer to Wisconsin Avenue, would add another 54 one-, two- and three-bedroom units.
There would be retail at street level of this building – which would also be home to TEAM Management's offices, which currently occupies the former Pan Am Club structure – and the project includes 90 parking spots.
The architect is Wauwatosa-based Galbraith Carnahan.
While a small piece of Milwaukee nightlife history would be erased by the plan, it's a small price to pay for the additional apartments in a city that needs more residential units, especially affordable ones.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
