Business incubator coming to former brewery

Film industry boost could include school

A business incubator for the film industry is in the works for downtown Milwaukee’s former Pabst brewery.

The business incubator, which could include a film school, is planned for two adjacent former brewery buildings along N. 11th St. overlooking I-43, according to developer Joshua Jeffers.

Jeffers’ group sold the buildings, 1037 W. McKinley Ave., for $3.2 million to Jonja Holdings LLC, according to state real estate records posted Tuesday.

Jonja is an affiliate of CSA Commercial Inc., which is owned by Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele.

Abele and Oscar-winning filmmaker John Ridley, a Mequon native, released a joint statement that confirmed the project but provided no additional information.

“We have been working together for a while on a project that we hope will have a positive impact on the community we both love,” it said.

Abele and Ridley said they “look forward to sharing more news in the coming months as the details of this project come together.”

Jeffers bought the buildings in February for $2.6 million from Cardinal Stritch University.

The university has since moved its College of Education and Leadership from the former Pabst site to the university’s main campus in Fox Point.

Jeffers planned to convert the three-story buildings into the 43-unit BrewLab Lofts apartments.

Building permits were issued this summer for that project. But Jeffers was approached by CSA Commercial about selling the property.

“They brought us an offer we sort of couldn’t refuse,” Jeffers said, noting the quick $600,000 gain on his purchase from just seven months ago.

Jeffers didn’t know details about the planned film business incubator but said it would likely have a relationship with the Milwaukee Film Festival.

Abele and Ridley are both on the board of Milwaukee Film Inc., the nonprofit group that operates the annual festival.

Milwaukee Film in June announced it had signed a longterm lease for the Oriental Theatre, with Abele providing $2 million to help finance that agreement. The group also has an interest in eventually operat-

ing the Downer Theatre.

Ridley is a writer and director. His work includes the screenplay for “12 Years a Slave,” for which Ridley won an Oscar

in 2014.

Abele’s other business interests include Ward4 Milwaukee, which provides shared work space for startup firms. Ward4 is located in the Pritzlaff buildings, 333 N. Plankinton Ave.

The planned film business incubator would be “a really great catalytic

thing for Milwaukee,” Jeffers said.

It also would the be latest in the final series of projects at the 21-acre former Pabst site, now known as The Brewery. The former brewery’s redevelopment includes hotels, apartments, offices, restaurants and breweries.