Soldiers Home

On September 20, 2019, a groundbreaking ceremony was held to kick off the rehabilitation and restoration of six buildings at the Milwaukee Soldiers Home (Soldiers Home), a National Historic Landmark District, located on the grounds of the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center. Organizations and individuals throughout the nation have joined together to make this project a reality. 

Established just after the Civil War, the Milwaukee VA Soldiers Home is a 90-plus acre district that rests on the grounds of the Clement J. Zablocki Medical Center. The Soldiers Home’s recuperative village and landscape were designed to be a place of refuge for Civil War soldiers to aid their recuperation and help ease their transition back to civilian life. One of only 43 National Historic Landmarks in Wisconsin, it contains some of the oldest and most historic buildings in the VA system.

The six historic buildings to be rehabilitated include Old Main (Building 2) - the most prominent and recognizable building on the campus, the Administration Building (Building 1), the Catholic Chaplain’s Quarters (Building 14), and three duplexes (Buildings 18, 19 and 62). These buildings will be renovated into a total of 101 units of housing with supportive services for veterans and their families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

“We have a shared responsibility to meet the needs of veterans who have served and sacrificed for us,” said Senator Tammy Baldwin. “This project tells an important story about our past and will help write a new chapter about serving homeless, at-risk veteran and improving their quality of life.”

The project is made possible through an Enhanced Use Lease (EUL) program with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Through an EUL, six buildings in the District will be leased long-term to The Alexander Company, who will take on the cost of rehabilitation. The law authorizing EULs requires that the buildings be used to provide housing for veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The VA selected The Alexander Company and the City of Milwaukee Housing Authority’s proposal after a competitive RFP process in 2016.

The redevelopment partnership includes the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM), which will operate the buildings after renovations are complete. Since 2005, HACM has provided housing to homeless veterans on the VA grounds at the historic Surgeon’s Quarters building, which HACM remediated and restored into an award-winning single room occupancy facility.

“Once again, it takes a village to raise a village,” said Tony Perez, Secretary-Executive Director of HACM. “The intentionality of the VA, the commitment of HUD and WHEDA, and Mayor Barrett’s drive in supporting HACM’s participation, and the involvement of investors, philanthropic-minded corporations and individuals are why we’re here today. We thank all of them and The Alexander Company for envisioning this endeavor.”

“Teamwork, coordination, and shared vision have brought us to this important juncture,” Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said. “We are honoring both our veterans and our history with this work at the Soldiers Home, and the City of Milwaukee is proud to be a partner in that effort.”

The Alexander Company is Wisconsin-based and has over 35 years of experience in historic preservation and adaptive reuse developments. Project architecture will be led by The Alexander Company and Uihlein/Wilson – Ramlow/Stein Architects. JP Cullen will manage construction of all structures. Supportive services will be managed by the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, and include onsite education, employment assistance, financial assistance, counseling, and transportation services. Construction is expected to come to completion in the first quarter of 2021.