Construction on Milwaukee high-rise 'The Couture' reaches next phase of development

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Work on Milwaukee's next skyscraper is taking a big step toward coming out of the ground and going vertical.

The next phase of construction on The Couture began Wednesday morning, March 16.

Concrete is being poured to create the foundation. When complete, this will be a 44-story tower right on the city's lakefront.

Construction began in May 2021.

The $188 million project is expected to have 322 high-end apartments, restaurant and retail space and transit.

Mayor Cavalier Johnson touted the project for creating jobs for the entire community.

"This project is going to take one million construction hours and 400,000 of those hours are going to go to people who live in the most depressed neighborhoods in Milwaukee," said Mayor Johnson.

"The streetcar and the businesses and the retail that will be coming into the building is still undefined," said developer Rick Barrett. "We're negotiating with different parties on exactly what we're putting into the building."

The Couture's developer says the full buildout will happen in stages.

He expects keys to be in doors by fall 2023.