MSOE breaks ground on athletic field and parking complex
Milwaukee School of Engineering began construction of an athletic field and parking complex in the vacant Park East area adjacent to campus. On March 20, the university completed its purchase of land at the northwest corner of Broadway and Knapp St., immediately north of the Kern Center.
An official groundbreaking ceremony was held May 4, 2012.
The athletic field will be constructed on top of an in-ground, 780-car parking facility. A small, ground-level public park will be developed and maintained by MSOE. The athletic field will be used for collegiate soccer and lacrosse and youth sports. As an extension of the Kern Center, it further supports MSOE’s commitment to student wellness and development as a whole person.
This project not only benefits MSOE, but also provides an important catalyst for additional development in the Park East. It will create an attractive green space in the Park East and provide much-needed parking, both of which will prove beneficial for other commercial development.
The $30 million project will have a significant impact on the Park East Corridor, as the first major development of its kind in the area. The development is largely supported with a very generous donation from Drs. Robert and Patricia Kern. Uihlein-Wilson Architects are the project developers.
Impact on downtown Milwaukee
MSOE’s investment will provide an important catalyst for additional development in the Park East area. Approximately 150 people will be employed during the construction of the facility. It creates an attractive green space and provides much-needed parking, both of which are likely to prove attractive for other commercial development. Of the 780 parking spaces, approximately 500 may be leased to business and the public, thereby generating taxable revenue. There also will be space for a small restaurant and/or coffee house adjacent to the park in the lower levels of the parking facility, offering potential for additional tax revenue.
This project will provide shared parking opportunities for the Park East area, while maintaining the existing street grid with an accessible, contemporary construction design. The development will serve as an attractive addition that provides much-needed green space and parking in the area and creates an inviting amenity that complements the urban residential and retail mix prescribed for the area.
About the Kerns
Drs. Robert and Patricia Kern founded Generac Power Systems of Waukesha, Wis. in 1959 out of their garage with one employee, and grew it into a 2,000-person operation with a number of facilities in Wisconsin, the Midwest and overseas. The company produces generators for industrial and consumer markets. The Kerns sold the business in 2006. They are longtime supporters of MSOE and benefactors of MSOE’s scholarship programs. Through their phenomenal support of the Kern Center, which opened in 2004, the Kerns have provided first-class wellness, exercise and sports facilities for all MSOE students, alumni, faculty and staff. Robert Kern has served the university as a member of the Board of Regents since 1992, and he holds an Honorary Doctor of Engineering from MSOE. Patricia Kern holds an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from MSOE.