When Northridge Mall opened on Milwaukee's northwest side in 1972, it quickly became a popular destination for shopping, dining and moviegoing. Now, after sitting vacant for more than two decades, the long-abandoned complex is being brought to its knees.

"The city had hoped the former owner would have maintained the property and kept it in productive use," said Benji Timm, real estate project manager of the city of Milwaukee's department of city development. "However, the property was left to deteriorate and became a nuisance and a danger to the community. The city had to step in, manage the issues and was involved in a seven-year legal battle that ended in tax foreclosure."

The ongoing demolition will pave the way for a redevelopment of the neglected Granville area. Clearing for "Granville Station" includes several phases, including the securing and cleaning out of the buildings, asbestos abatement, earthwork and utility re-alignment work.

Veit & Company photo

The extensive teardown began in 2024 and is expected to wrap up in late 2025. Asbestos abatement also continues.

"It's the largest and most complex part of the project," said Timm. "The buildings had to be cleared of all debris, furniture and partitions prior to the starting the abatement process. Essentially, large portions of the mall need to be under containment during the abatement process.

"Demolition of mall buildings is taking place as an area is cleared and the abatement workers are safely out of the way. Abatement and demolition are happening simultaneously."

Earthwork, site grading and interim stormwater plan implementation began this summer. Getting the site ready for ground up development requires the re-alignment of water, sewer and gas infrastructure. The city's planning department is working with the community, real estate brokers and developers on determining the future use or uses for the site.

According to Timm, having public input is extremely important.

"The former mall holds such a prominent place in people's hearts and minds. There's a lot of nostalgia associated with it, and that leads to a lot of public interest in what comes next. The mall is probably one of the most storied locations for people who grew up between the mid-1970s and early-2000s. Everyone has a story, a memory or some sort of affiliation with Northridge.

"One of the things our planning department is trying to do is capture those memories. Our goal is to work with the community to create a framework that leads to long-term success for the area. The city is committed to keeping residents continuously engaged and involved. This includes public meetings, press releases and keeping our website consistently updated."

Timm noted officials are keeping their options open.

"Many things are on the table — mixed-use, residential, a business park. The retail market has changed so dramatically since the mall was in its prime that a sole retail development is unlikely and probably unwise."

The building footprint is 560,000 sq. ft. The structure is two stories, except for the atriums, totaling just more than 1,000,000 sq. ft. of floor space.

"The massive structural steel girder beams surrounding the perimeter of the main mall, some of which are six feet tall, will require careful coordination with our team of operators to safely tear down," said Paul Wyszkowski, Veit & Company, Inc. project manager. "The most challenging section will be the final portion of the demolition, where we will be demolishing within four feet of the active Menards store on the west side of the site.

"Also, to meet the schedule, the demolition of the anchor stores began after they were abated, but abatement was still ongoing at the main mall, requiring careful coordination and additional safety measures."

One unexpected issue that needed to be addressed was mostly unforeseen asbestos materials. This was the result of the age and size of the building and many hidden crevasses.

Veit & Company photo

Crews began the demolition of the main mall structure starting from the northeast side, earlier this year. Heavy equipment being used on the project includes Cat 336, 340, 352 and 374 excavators, as well as several attachments that include processors, shears, grapples and magnets.

Also on site is a Cat 966 loader, as well as several skid steers and aerial lifts. Veit mobilized a crusher once enough materials were accumulated to begin breaking down onsite concrete materials for reuse at the project.

As for the elements, "We have been fortunate to have had a relatively mild winter for the Wisconsin region," said Wyszkowski. "There were a handful of bitterly cold days where Veit elected to shut down the site to avoid weather-related complications, and a couple of snow plowing days. Otherwise, the weather has been favorable."

Once the different structures collapse, the debris must be dealt with.

"The majority of the materials will be recycled," said Wyszkowski "Over 100 pallets of common brick have been salvaged from the site, metal materials are being recycled at local scrap yards and all concrete materials will be crushed on-site and reused for the final grading plan and future development.

"Waste materials will be brought to a local landfill for disposal. We estimate that over 90 percent of the building materials by weight will be recycled or salvaged."

While Veit's experienced operators have dealt with much more technically challenging demolitions, tackling the sheer volume of materials that need to be demolished and either loaded out or processed on-site can be tedious. The abatement has been extremely time-consuming, as most of the structure had asbestos-containing fireproofing.

Wyszkowski said the Veit team is honored to play a part in the city's redevelopment effort.

"It's been impactful knowing that everyone is so supportive of the project. Veit prides itself on providing the best service it can, and to have a positive impact on the communities it serves.

"The mall has been shuttered for nearly 20 years. It has been a drain on community resources and an eyesore due to vandalism. It's great to see the investment put forth by the city to attract further investment to the area."

The former mall featured two food courts, a movie theater and three anchor stores that included a Boston Store. It was demolished down to the slab by HM Brandt, prior to the start of the current teardown.

"Demo began last year on the Boston Store and lasted about eight weeks," said Michael Brandt, who serves as vice president of the family-owned company. "It was the first phase of demo and was all done mechanically. We used big machines to take apart the structure, which was heavy iron and concrete. Prior to our work, the inside was cleaned out."

Equipment included a 670 Hitachi backhoe; a 450 John Deere excavator with a processor to crush concrete; a 946 Liebherr shear; a 350 John Deere excavator with a rotating hydraulic grapple; a 936 Liebherr excavator with a rotating grapple; a 920 Liebherr excavator; and several New Holland skid loaders.

Crews also used a jaw crusher and an impact crusher, as well as a conveyor, a generator and a water source to control the dust.

Veit & Company photo

Brandt quickly pointed out that keeping everyone out of harm's way was the number one priority.

"You always stress safety first, along with organization and cleanliness. And every job site has to be planned in just the right way. You have to know what you're going to do every day, because there's no room for error."

Being involved in the demolition was somewhat surreal for Brandt, who recalled visiting the mall as a child, accompanied by his mother. He later spent time there with friends.

"It was the place to go. Christmas was especially nice. It was unbelievable the way it was decorated. There are so many memories."

Timm said the project, which is on schedule and on budget, has been a long time in the making.

"For some staff, the Northridge saga has unfolded over 20 years. We got involved with the first phase of development in 2003 when Menards moved in. It's very exciting to get to this point and work with a blank slate.

"Development opportunities of this size and scale come along very rarely in developed urban areas. Both city staff and residents are excited to see what comes next." CEG