Milwaukee’s former University Club building, which closed at the end of 2023 due to deferred maintenance and declining membership, is about to get a makeover. Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co., which acquired the historic property last June, has announced that it will transform the property into Hotel Laureum, a boutique hotel that the Milwaukee-based company said will preserve the heritage of the Downtown landmark while adding to the city’s expanding hospitality scene.
The building at 924 E. Wells St., which was designed by John Russell Pope, opened in 1927 at the top of a lakeshore bluff to serve the University Club, which launched in 1898. The club merged with Tripoli Country Club in 2017 but closed down soon after, and the building was put up for sale.
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Hotel Laureum’s interior will be designed to take advantage of the building’s unobstructed views of Lake Michigan. It derives its name from the Latin word “laureus,” meaning “of the laurel” – a symbol of victory and honor.
Managed by Charlestowne Hotels, the hotel will offer 35 elegantly appointed guest rooms on the third, fourth and fifth floors, full-service restaurants and bars on the first and sixth floors, and versatile event spaces and private dining on the first and second floors, according to an update on the provided by a Northwestern Mutual spokesperson.
Construction is set to begin in January. Work to address deferred maintenance and major building system upgrades already has included interior demolition, brick façade repair and cleaning, window replacement, a new copper roof, elevator replacement, new electrical, and new heating and air conditioning systems.
The anticipated grand opening is spring 2027 – in time for Northwestern Mutual’s 147th annual meeting, which is expected to bring 11,000 attendees to the city and generate significant economic impact.
“Hotel Laureum will create an elevated hospitality experience that pays homage to the city’s heritage while paving the way for the future,” Tom Zale, vice president of Real Estate at Northwestern Mutual, said in a statement.
Zale noted that the hotel property is located adjacent to Northwestern Mutual’s Downtown campus, which will soon include the 18-story North Building at 818 E. Mason St., a $500 million project also set for completion in 2027 that is projected to eventually bring an additional 2,000 employees to the Downtown site following the eventual closure of the company’s sprawling Franklin complex.
Northwestern Mutual’s development team on Hotel Laureum includes: Charleston, South Carolina-based Charlestowne Hotels (management and operations); Oxeland Group of West Allis (construction manager and general contractor); Kahler Slater of Milwaukee (architect of record); Irvine, California-based KTGY (interior design); and DeMichele Co. of Milwaukee (owner’s representative).
Northwestern Mutual’s other Downtown real estate investment projects include 7Seventy7, a 35-story apartment high rise at 777 N. Van Buren St. that was completed in 2018.
