The Avenue (Milwaukee)
An urban shopping and mixed-use center occupying three blocks in Milwaukee's Westown neighborhood.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Avenue is an urban shopping and mixed-use center in the Westown neighborhood of downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It occupies roughly three city blocks and developed from the retail complex originally known as Grand Avenue Mall, later The Shops of Grand Avenue. The center opened in 1982 at a time when many downtown retail projects in major American cities were struggling or closing. Its development was intended to preserve a substantial retail destination in the central city while combining national chains with locally oriented stores serving downtown residents, workers, and visitors. The project was developed by Rouse-Milwaukee, LLC, a subsidiary of The Rouse Company. At opening, Grand Avenue contained more than 80 specialty stores and promoted what was described as one of Wisconsin's largest food courts. Its design incorporated historic elements associated with the Plankinton Arcade, including the circular atrium and the statue of John Plankinton. The arcade occupied a site connected to Milwaukee's former Plankinton House Hotel and helped give the center an architectural and historical identity beyond that of a conventional suburban mall. The Avenue's retail footprint has changed substantially over time. Former department-store and big-box tenants included Gimbels, later Marshall Field's, as well as Old Navy, OfficeMax, Linens 'n Things, and T.J. Maxx. Gimbels became Marshall Field's in 1986, and the department-store location closed in 1997. T.J. Maxx and Linens 'n Things were added in 2002. The complex was also connected by a skywalk to the former Marshall Field's building, which was later redeveloped as the ASQ Center and includes a Residence Inn; that building is connected to, but not formally part of, The Avenue. Ownership and occupancy pressures shaped the center's later history. Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation purchased The Shops of Grand Avenue in 2005 for $31.7 million. The economic downturn and broader weakness in the Milwaukee metropolitan retail market contributed to the loss of important tenants by 2009. The property was foreclosed on in 2012 and offered at auction in 2013. Alliance Capital Invest acquired it with a reported $16.5 million bid. After attempts to improve the property's performance, a local ownership group purchased the center for a reported $24.6 million in December 2015. In December 2018, the property announced a repositioning and adopted the name The Avenue. The plan shifted part of the complex away from traditional retail toward office, food-and-beverage, and residential uses. The former third-floor food court was planned for conversion into office space for GRAEF-USA Incorporated. A new ground-floor food hall, 3rd Street Market Hall, was announced for late 2019, and the 52-unit Plankinton Clover Apartments were planned to replace some former retail space. These changes reflect the center's role as an adaptive-reuse and downtown-revitalization project rather than solely as a conventional enclosed mall. The Avenue has been described as the only major indoor shopping facility within the city of Milwaukee after the closure of Capitol Court in 2000 and Northridge Mall in 2003. Its current identity therefore combines remaining retail activity, historic downtown architecture, office occupancy, food-service development, and planned or completed residential conversion. The reference material identifies T.J. Maxx as an operating retail anchor and GRAEF-USA Incorporated as an office occupant, while also noting vacant spaces formerly occupied by Old Navy, OfficeMax, and Linens 'n Things.
History
The Avenue began as Grand Avenue, a downtown Milwaukee shopping center that opened in 1982. It was developed by Rouse-Milwaukee, LLC, a subsidiary of The Rouse Company, during a period when many American downtown retail centers faced competition from suburban malls and declining urban foot traffic. The project sought to maintain a central-city retail destination by combining national chains with locally owned specialty stores. At opening it contained more than 80 specialty stores and a large food court. The complex occupies three blocks in Westown and incorporates portions of the former Plankinton Arcade. Historic features include a circular atrium and a statue of John Plankinton. The arcade was built on the site of the Plankinton House Hotel and remains an important part of the center's architectural character. The property also had a skywalk connection to the former Gimbels and Marshall Field's building on its eastern edge. Gimbels became Marshall Field's in 1986, and the department store closed in 1997. The building was later redeveloped as the ASQ Center, which includes a Residence Inn, but it is not formally part of The Avenue. The center continued to adjust its tenant mix. T.J. Maxx and Linens 'n Things were added in 2002. Over time, other prominent occupants included Old Navy and OfficeMax. By the late 2000s, however, the center had lost several important tenants amid the economic downturn and weakness in the regional retail environment. Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation bought the property in 2005 for a reported $31.7 million. The property entered foreclosure in 2012 and was auctioned in October 2013, when Alliance Capital Invest acquired it with a reported $16.5 million bid. A local ownership group bought it in December 2015 for a reported $24.6 million. A major repositioning was announced in December 2018. The property adopted the name The Avenue and presented a mixed-use strategy intended to reduce reliance on conventional retail. The former third-floor food court was designated for conversion into office space for GRAEF-USA Incorporated. The plans also called for a ground-floor food hall named 3rd Street Market Hall and 52 Plankinton Clover Apartments replacing part of the former retail area. Through this shift, the center became a downtown adaptive-reuse project combining retail, dining, offices, and housing. The Avenue has remained significant within Milwaukee's city limits because the closures of Capitol Court in 2000 and Northridge Mall in 2003 left it as the city's only major indoor shopping facility, according to the cited reference material. The complex's identity consequently rests on both its remaining commercial tenants and its ability to reuse historic and underperforming retail space for new downtown functions.
- 2018
The property is renamed The Avenue
[1]New plans are announced for a mixed-use redevelopment incorporating offices, food service, and apartments.
- 2015
A local ownership group purchases the center
[1]The property is sold to a local ownership group for a reported $24.6 million.
- 2013
Alliance Capital Invest wins the auction
[1]Alliance Capital Invest acquires the property at auction with a reported $16.5 million bid.
- 2012
The property enters foreclosure
[1]The shopping center is foreclosed amid continuing performance and occupancy challenges.
- 2005
Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation acquires the property
[1]The property changes ownership in a reported $31.7 million transaction.
- 2002
Large-format tenants are added
[1]T.J. Maxx and Linens 'n Things join the center.
- 2000
Capitol Court closes
[1]The closure strengthens Grand Avenue's position as Milwaukee's principal major indoor shopping facility within the city.
- 1997
Marshall Field's location closes
[1]The major department-store location closes; its building is later redeveloped as the ASQ Center.
- 1986
Gimbels becomes Marshall Field's
[1]The department-store location on the east side of the complex changes from Gimbels to Marshall Field's.
- 1982
Grand Avenue opens
[1]The downtown shopping center opens with more than 80 specialty stores and a large food court.
Products and positioning
A downtown Milwaukee shopping and mixed-use destination combining urban retail, food and beverage, office occupancy, residential redevelopment, and historic architectural features.
Discount department store · 2002
T.J. Maxx
T.J. Maxx is identified in the reference material as an operating retail anchor at The Avenue. Its presence represents the center's continuing discount-apparel and general-merchandise function after the departure of several former department-store and specialty tenants.
Food hall · 2019
3rd Street Market Hall
3rd Street Market Hall was announced as a new ground-floor food hall intended to replace part of the traditional mall food-court model. The redevelopment plan positioned dining and food-and-beverage activity as a central component of The Avenue's mixed-use repositioning.
Residential apartments
Plankinton Clover Apartments
The planned Plankinton Clover Apartments comprise 52 residential units. The project was designed to replace some former retail space and add a residential use to the downtown complex as part of its broader adaptive-reuse strategy.
Office space
GRAEF-USA office space
The former third-floor food court was designated for conversion into office space for GRAEF-USA Incorporated. This conversion illustrates the center's move toward a combination of commercial office occupancy and retail rather than dependence on a traditional enclosed-mall tenant mix.
Brand decisions
2019
Plan the launch of 3rd Street Market HallProduct launchBackground
The redevelopment strategy sought to replace part of the former mall food-court format with a new ground-floor dining destination.
Action taken
A food hall named 3rd Street Market Hall was announced for late 2019.
Aftermath
The reference material does not provide a later operating update or performance result.
2018
Reposition the shopping center as The AvenueStrategyBackground
The property had experienced tenant losses, foreclosure, multiple ownership changes, and difficulty sustaining its earlier conventional mall model.
Action taken
Ownership announced the new The Avenue name and a mixed-use plan involving office conversion, a food hall, and residential apartments.
Aftermath
The plan shifted the property's identity toward downtown adaptive reuse and a combination of retail, dining, office, and residential functions.
Recent events
- 2018
The Avenue name and mixed-use redevelopment plans are announced[1]
Product launch
The property announced a new identity as The Avenue and plans to convert former retail areas into office space, a food hall, and residential apartments.
- 2015
Local ownership group acquires the shopping center[1]
M&A
A local ownership group purchased the property for a reported $24.6 million in December 2015 after the previous owner struggled to improve its performance.
- 2013
The Shops of Grand Avenue is foreclosed and later sold at auction[1]
Bankruptcy
After foreclosure in 2012, the property was auctioned in October 2013. Alliance Capital Invest won with a reported $16.5 million bid.
- 2009
Major tenant losses affect the shopping center[1]
Other
The economic downturn and its effects on the Milwaukee metropolitan retail market contributed to the loss of several key tenants.
- 2005
Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation purchases The Shops of Grand Avenue[1]
M&A
New York-based Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation acquired the shopping center for a reported $31.7 million.
- 2002
T.J. Maxx and Linens 'n Things join the center[1]
Other
The center added T.J. Maxx and Linens 'n Things as additional large-format retail tenants.
- 1982
Grand Avenue opens as a downtown Milwaukee shopping center[1]
Other
The retail complex opened with more than 80 specialty stores and a large food court, establishing a major enclosed shopping destination in downtown Milwaukee.
Sources2 sources
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