Art firm seeks new Walker’s Point studio

Design Fugitives will renovate 3-story building

A growing Milwaukee firm that designs and creates atrium sculptures, wall coverings and other architectural-scale art for offices, apartments and other places plans to buy and renovate a Walker’s Point building for its new studio.

Design Fugitives LLC wants to purchase a three-story, 24,900square-foot commercial building at 212 E. Mineral St. for $632,000 and do renovations costing $318,000, according to information filed with the Milwaukee Economic Development Corp.

Design Fugitives would move to its new location from 160 S. 2nd St., another Walker’s Point building where the company is leasing space.

The firm is seeking a $380,000 loan from the MEDC, a nonprofit business lender, to help finance the $950,000 project. The primary lender would be Tri City National Bank.

MEDC’s Loan and Finance Committee is to consider the loan request at its Tuesday meeting.

Design Fugitives, owned by Paul Mattek, Justin White and Tuan Tran, has six full-time and two part-time employees. It plans to add seven full-time and two part-time employees over the next two years, according to MEDC.

Design Fugitives was launched in 2009, according to the company’s website.

Mattek, White and Tran, who couldn’t be immediately reached Monday for more information, all hold master’s degrees in architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Architecture and Urban Planning.

The firm focuses on creating suspended atrium sculptures, three-dimensional wall coverings, ecclesiastic art and LED fixtures.

Its portfolio includes a hanging atrium sculpture at the 833 East office building, which opened last year at 833 E. Michigan St.; a light mobile at Johnson Controls Inc.’s Glendale headquarters; and lobby wall panels at Echelon apartments, which were completed last year in Wauwatosa.

Tom Daykin can be reached at tdaykin@jrn.com