Significant changes have taken place at Northwestern Mutual’s North Office project since February.

Teams from Gilbane Building Co., C.G. Schmidt, and Veit & Co. have dismantled the exterior of the 540,000-square-foot office building and are expanding the floorplates to create a curvature that aligns with the Tower and Commons Building across Mason Street in downtown Milwaukee. While the majority of the $500 million budget focuses on the 18-story tower, work is also underway on a lobby and pedestrian plaza that will span the former Cass Street.

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Demolition began from the top down eight months ago, and crews are now building from the ground up, according to Tracy Lutterman, assistant director of construction management at Northwestern Mutual. “The entire ‘skin’ of the building has been removed and structural beams are visible from the outside, covered with a weather wall to protect elevators and equipment,” she noted. A new glass façade will be installed over the building, similar to the Tower and Commons. Media representatives were given a tour 19 floors up to view the rooftop and the city skyline, where a new mechanical penthouse will be constructed following the removal of several chillers.

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Crews are currently building a lobby that will align with the Mason Street entrance to the Tower and Commons. This four-story addition will include a pedestrian bridge connecting to the main tower and the parking structure to the west. The parking structure will receive a partial facelift, with the remainder painted, according to project officials.

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The new lobby will feature escalators and a conservatory with skylights. Currently, about 200 construction workers are on site each day, with that number expected to peak at around 350 daily in the spring of 2025, Lutterman added.

The project commenced in fall 2023 and is anticipated to be completed by 2027. Once finished, Northwestern Mutual plans to relocate 2,000 employees from its former campus in Franklin to downtown.

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During demolition, Northwestern Mutual recycled or donated carpeting and office equipment, diverting 1.3 million pounds of waste and donating furniture to community partners. “It all went to great use, and we’ve reused some of it ourselves too,” Lutterman remarked.

Project partners include Pickard Chilton, Kendall/Heaton Associates, EUA, and Hines.