MU buying up buildings bordering campus

[deerchaser]

I don't know if this is something with any substance or not, but it could spur some investigation.

My roommate is working on MU's summer crew--fixing up and cleaning dorms, etc.  Apparently Wednesday night MU went and bought the Newbridge (the real rundown apartment building that Hegarty's is connected to) because UWM was planning on buying and renovating it into housing for their nursing students who have clinicals and ?class? at Sinai.  My roommate reports that someone got word of UWM's plan and wanted no part of them being that close MU's campus so they swooped in and bought the property.  His understanding is that the building will be torn down because it would cost less than renovations (how this didn't affect UWM's choice is a mystery to me).  I don't know if Hegarty's is technically part of the building but it would be quite a shame to lose yet another bar on our fine campus.  Just a little heads up.

[snakesinthesnoilet]

i think there might be two different buildings that are connected/make up that corner with Heggarty's.  The one right on the corner is over 100 years old and is somehow not condemned and MU would be doing everything a favor by tearing it down and building a new dorm.  The other apartments that Heg's is part of are not too bad from what I remember (atleast not as bad as some other apartments and houses on campus).  I'm hoping the building you are referring to is the older of the two.  If this is the case, Heg's should not be affected since it is actually a different apartment building, or atleast it seems like two completely different buildings just by the conditions.  With that said, I'm guessing Heg's will be alive for years to come!!!

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

Wow wow. Very interesting. My roomate and I were planning to live in the property next to Haggerty's (we're both staying an extra year for graduate school) and we were told on Thursday of Senior Week that they were closing down Newbridge "for two years for renovations" - the entire complex - after we had already signed our lease weeks earlier. They gave us some excuse/line about not getting the right permit before or they finally got approval to fix something etc etc. We were moved into 20th and Clyborne.

My guess is UWM (if this rumor is true) will still be looking for property around MU / the hospital. Any guesses on what else they might try to pick up?

[herboturbo]

Speaking of Hegs and the property around there someone was telling me that MU was buying or already has bought the Catholic Knights building next door.  Any truth to this??

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Speaking of Hegs and the property around there someone was telling me that MU was buying or already has bought the Catholic Knights building next door.  Any truth to this??

no idea, but that would make sense for a dorm or grad student housing.  But aren't there condos there now?

[IAmMarquette]

CK is now an apartment building. I looked into living there after graduation, but settled on the East Side instead.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

so it wouldn't be that hard to end leases and turn it into dorms.  Ziggy is right again ! 

[spiral97]

FYI - split this thread off of the MU bars thread to save all your sorry butts from the wrath of the hill.

[mu_hilltopper]

I was looking for the "split" function .. perhaps my rage blinded me.

That doesn't let these guys off the hook for owing me 1 paragraph on the wiki for their favorite bar.

[spiral97]

sorry guys.. I tried.. get to work!

(this good cop bad cop thing could work out topper )

[bma725]

If MU ever does anything with it, it would be a shock.  They have been buying buildings around campus for years, and never really done anything to them.  Look at Gilman and Frenn apartment, the Holton building(between Gilman and Frenn), the building by O'Donnell known as Corporate Headquarters etc.  MU bought all of those back in the mid 1990s, and did nothing.  In fact the did so little with them that they didn't even know all of the apartments that Gilman building contained.  They bought it in the 1990s and didn't discover until 2004 that there were apartments behind the shops. 

They may do something with these new buildings but it would be a shock if they did it quickly.

[marqfan22]

My suggestion would some outdoor tennis/basketball courts for the students to use.  It's a shame that a college campus doesn't have this.  My high school just built some nice tennis courts, yet my university doesn't have any.  A little backward.

[RawdogDX]

ok, i'll believe that UWM was interested in the property.  I'll believe they may have been interested in it first.  But to say that MU bought it becuse they didn't want UWM to own the building seems a little far fetched.  I'm sure they bought it because they have plans for it, not to just give UWM the shaft.

[bma725]

ok, i'll believe that UWM was interested in the property.  I'll believe they may have been interested in it first.  But to say that MU bought it becuse they didn't want UWM to own the building seems a little far fetched.  I'm sure they bought it because they have plans for it, not to just give UWM the shaft.

Not necessarily, they've bought buildings before so that other people wouldn't use them.  They bought the corporate headquarters(old Blood Center building) on Wells to keep the Rescue Mission from doing so.....and then they didn't anything with it other than store old trash cans in a small room in the basement.

[snakesinthesnoilet]

if you are speaking about the building on the corner of 18th and Wells (across from the Rescue Mission), that building has been torn down and turned into a field similar to Schroeder field. 

[bma725]

if you are speaking about the building on the corner of 18th and Wells (across from the Rescue Mission), that building has been torn down and turned into a field similar to Schroeder field. 

And it took them nearly a decade to do that.

[GOO]

I find it funny how arguments get framed on message boards.  MU bought this building because UWM was interested?  I doubt it.  MU bought it because they found out it was for sale at a reasonable price (or slightly inflated price) and it is located adjacent to campus and on Wells...  I would have to think that MU would want this building regardless of who else was interested.  They have been buying up buildings in this area for over a decade and will continue to do so.  There is a long term plan in place, even if it doesn't say exactly what will be located on certain parcels.  Any major institution or business that is growing in an urban area will look to acquire real estate even if they aren't sure what they will do with it.  My guess is there is a long term plan for Wells between 15th and 12th or so and my guess is that Marquette wants to acquire these buildings regardless of who else is interested in owning them.  Abbott labs just acquired 500 acres in Kenosha.  I'm sure they don't know exactly what they will do with it, but they need options for the future.  This is common for major institutions and MU is no different.  Heck, if MU didn't buy it and UWM did, I would be asking why they didn't acquire it if it was on the market and adjacent to campus.

[snakesinthesnoilet]

Here's the official news release:

3. Marquette purchases building at 12th and Wells

Marquette University has purchased the Newbridge Apartments at the corner of 12th and Wells. The transaction was completed last week, at a reasonable cost. 
Marquette’s location, the changing dynamics of university life and the desire to enhance the campus environment make it prudent for the university to monitor property opportunities in our campus area. The Newbridge became available for purchase and presented an opportunity to solidify the campus’s northern border.

The current plan is to leave the property vacant, because it will be easier to make major renovations if funding becomes available. Students who signed leases for the apartments have been offered housing in other properties owned by the seller or in university housing.
 
While the building houses Jim Hegarty’s Pub, 1120 W. Wells St., the pub will continue to be owned by St. James Estates and will remain open.
 
In the context of the university’s overall long-term planning, there is always discussion about multiple projects, new initiatives and general growth that require additional space. 

[RawdogDX]

ok, i'll believe that UWM was interested in the property.  I'll believe they may have been interested in it first.  But to say that MU bought it becuse they didn't want UWM to own the building seems a little far fetched.  I'm sure they bought it because they have plans for it, not to just give UWM the shaft.

Not necessarily, they've bought buildings before so that other people wouldn't use them.  They bought the corporate headquarters(old Blood Center building) on Wells to keep the Rescue Mission from doing so.....and then they didn't anything with it other than store old trash cans in a small room in the basement.

Are you seriously comparing a UWM dorm to a rescure mission? ... ok, well on second thought...

[muwarrior87]

Speaking of Hegs and the property around there someone was telling me that MU was buying or already has bought the Catholic Knights building next door.  Any truth to this??

I'm almost positive they haven't. The guy that is/did own that building whould never sell to MU from what I've heard. It's too big for a dorm...It'd hold over twice the capacity of McCormick and that would be too much for the RA's of the building (i am one on campus) to handle.  I'd say grad apartments and/or upper classmen could live there.  As for the basketball/tennis court idea earlier for that location, I like that idea.  I'm not a big fan of the fact that it's either 35th and Wisconsin or the lake front when ppl want to play tennis outdoors.  It would be nice to have something outside on/right by campus...but I don't know if MU would even consider that.