LOS ANGELES (AP) The tallest building west of the Mississippi River opened its doors on Friday in once-stodgy downtown Los Angeles, which is sprouting a crop of new skyscrapers.

Here are some things to know about the Wilshire Grand Center:

HOW TALL IS TALL?

The 73-story building has a huge spire that brings its height to 1,100 feet (335 meters), topping the nearby U.S. Bank Tower by more than 80 feet. The Bank Tower had held the height record since 1989.

Critics might argue that a spire rising nearly 200 feet above the top of the building should not count, but it meets the criteria of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, which lists the world's tallest buildings based on the "architectural top of the building." A 2-foot lightning rod at the very top, however, doesn't count.

The skyscraper is still dwarfed by buildings on the East Coast and overseas. In the United States, One World Trade Center is 1,776 feet tall, making it the sixth-largest completed building in the world. The tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, rises 2,717 feet, or more than a half-mile high.

NO FLATTOP, PLEASE

The tower features a 100-foot-tall, sail-shaped crown built of glass and steel. It is the first modern high-rise in Los Angeles without a flat roof. Since 1974, high-rise buildings had to have helicopter pads in case of fires or other emergencies. The Wilshire Center obtained Fire Department permission to use other safety features, including a special landing platform and a dedicated elevator for firefighters. The city ended the flat-roof requirement in 2015.

LIGHTS, ACTION, ENTERTAINMENT

The building's spine and sail have programmable LEDs that can provide colorful illumination and visuals.

Ripples of rainbow illumination glowed and flowed all the way up the building's 73 stories on Friday night in its inaugural lighting.

The tower also includes an 889-room InterContinental hotel where rooms will go for about $400 a night; some 350,000 square feet (32,516 square meters) of office space; a shopping mall and an observation deck.

Restaurants range from the open-air, rooftop Spire 73 offering "chic fire pits" and signature cocktails to La Boucherie, with stratospheric steak prices and a wine list with 1,200 selections.

CONSTRUCTION

The building, located in the Financial District, cost about $1.2 billion to build. Construction began in 2014.

It reached a milestone that year when 21,200 cubic yards (16,208 cubic meters) of concrete, weighing 82 million pounds (37 million kilograms), were poured over a span of 18 hours to create the foundation. That broke the Guinness World Record for a continuous pour set during the 1999 construction of The Venetian hotel and casino in Las Vegas.

The record was eclipsed again this April when a foundation for a mall was poured in the United Arab Emirates.

Construction work on the tower was shut down for two days last year when an electrician killed himself by jumping from the 53rd floor.

The tower includes a massive, stabilizing central core and braces designed to act as shock absorbers to withstand gusty Santa Ana winds and earthquakes. Southern California has dozens of faults, and the building is designed to withstand about a magnitude-7.5 temblor.

JOBS, JOBS, JOBS

The building construction provided about 11,000 jobs. Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis says the tower and its many tenants will provide about 1,750 permanent jobs and the tourism and business it may bring could provide another 122,000 jobs indirectly.

ANOTHER BRICK IN THE SPRAWL

The Wilshire Grand Center is part of a construction boom in the resurgent downtown area that for decades emptied out at night as commuters headed for the suburbs.

The opening of the Staples Center arena in 1999 helped anchor redevelopment projects in the surrounding area. The Walt Disney Concert Hall, an internationally known architectural landmark designed by Frank Gehry, opened in 2003.

Vacant office buildings have become pricey lofts and apartments, a new art museum opened and with changes to density and zoning laws, plans are moving ahead to create gigantic complexes of residences, hotels and shopping districts. About 150 building projects are in the works, including some 20 skyscrapers of 35 stories or more.

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Tallest building west of Mississippi River opens in LA - Quad-Cities Online

The city has launched an initiative to attract developers who want to build new office projects in East New York, Brooklyn, which was rezoned last year as part of Mayor Bill de Blasios plan to build and preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing over the next decade.

The New York City Economic Development Corporation released a request for proposals today seeking firms that want to build new office space or substantially renovate an existing commercial building in the working class neighborhood. The citys Human Resources Administration is looking for 250,000 square feet in the area, but it will commit to leasing anywhere from 50,000 to 300,000 square feet in a building, functioning as an anchor tenant. Ideally, the agency would fill no more than 50 percent of the project, according to the RFP. Its looking for a 20-year lease, with renewal options of five years each. The proposal is meant to support the mayors newly released jobs plan, which aims to create 100,000 good-paying jobs in the next ten years.

While the city might consider mixed-use developments with apartments, the real goal is to catalyze as much private sector office space in East New York as possible, said EDC spokesman Anthony Hogrebe. We believe there is some interest in building commercial space in East New York, and having an anchor tenant is one of the biggest obstacles to doing that.

Hogrebe said the city would be willing to help developers secure financing for a commercial project. HRA would enter into a lease agreement with the property owner before construction begins, and it could occupy one or multiple buildings.

Real estate values in the hood have heated up since the city kicked off the rezoning process in 2015. But building new office space is a tall order in an area where residential development struggles to get off the ground without financial incentives and zoning bonuses from the city.

Experts who know the market say the city would have to be willing to relax zoning requirements and offer commercial tax breaks.

East New York has a lot of commercially zoned land that is under-utilized because of certain parking requirements needed for office development, said Michael Hernandez, an associate vice president who handles industrial and office sales at TerraCRG. If the city can help with parking requirements and with being an anchor tenant, its going to be great, especially with the residential rezoning that just took place there. Itll give more commercial developers more incentive to take on these projects in East New York.

Other brokers wondered if developers would be able to find parcels in the area large enough to accommodate half a million square feet of commercial development.

Its hard to identify a lot that would give you the amount of FAR [floor area ratio] you would need, said Jonathan Berman, a director of investment sales at Ariel Property Advisors. I dont know where you would fit all that square footage in. You need to be near a subway, and you need a big footprint. In northern East New York, the only area I can think of is where Conduit [Boulevard] spills into Atlantic Avenue.

Timothy King, a managing partner at CPEX Real Estate, said the city might have to consider using eminent domain to assemble a large site. He compared the East New York development proposal to MetroTech Center in Downtown Brooklyn, which the city created by seizing 16 acres worth of private property through eminent domain.

When the city decided to rezone parts of Downtown Brooklyn and create a special zoning district, and Metrotech was built, the idea was to relocate office tenants from high priced Manhattan real estate to here, he explained. It was a struggle at first, but eventually it took off.

When the city struck a deal with Forest City Ratner to develop MetroTech, city agencies agreed to help anchor the sprawling commercial complex. Some still occupy the project, including the New York City College of Technology (aka City Tech) and the New York City Fire Department.

And King noted that it will generate huge economic benefits for the neighborhood, creating jobs and attracting more retail and services.

In year one or two it may still be a backwater, and employees may not be crazy about going there because there arent lots of services or amenities, he said. But as thousands of workers occupy the space, there will start to be shopping and dining. Youll start to see retail of all types coming in. There will be dozens of landlords and developers scrambling to have something near thisa fast food restaurant, a doc in a box, a shoe store that people who work and live there can take advantage of.

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City Urges Developers to Build Office Buildings in East New York - Commercial Observer

A downtown apartment project stalled for months may finally start construction later this summer, but it would be without building owner Community Solutions, Inc. and its nationally-recognized founder, West Hartford native Rosanne Haggerty.

Developer RBH Group, of Newark, N.J., is purchasing the long-vacant office building at 370 Asylum St. near the western end of Bushnell Park as part of a $20 million rental conversion that would be heavily marketed to teachers.

The six-story Capitol Center building was donated to the nonprofit Community Solutions in 2011 by the foundation of Stamford industrialist Milton B. Hollander and his late wife, Betty Ruth.

Haggerty hoped to develop the building into mixed-income rentals much the same as another nonprofit she founded, Common Ground, had done with success on the next block, at 410 Asylum, which was also donated by the Hollanders and now bears their name. Both nonprofits have worked on developing permanent housing for the homeless and working poor.

Community Solutions embarked on converting Capitol Center in 2013. But after two failed attempts to put together financing, the nonprofit in 2015 sought out RBH as a partner. Community Solutions later agreed to sell the building and step back from the project, retaining only a stake that could give a share of future profits.

"I believe they felt a good project was happening and so, for them, it was mission accomplished," said Ron Beit, RBH's founding partner and chief executive.

Haggerty did not respond to multiple requests by phone and email for comment. A spokesman for Community Solutions also did not respond.

Beit said RBH's financing a combination of public and private funds is nearly complete, but it is under pressure to start construction. The Capital Region Development Authority is lending $4 million, but the authority says it is reluctant to sit much longer since RBH has been involved for about 18 months.

"This project has been one long slog," Michael W. Freimuth, CRDA's executive director, said, "it either starts this summer or we'll have little choice but to redirect our funds."

Beit said rising construction costs have made it increasingly difficult to live within the $20 million and has stretched out closing on financing.

Community Solutions also ran into problems with financing but it was tied more to wanting a higher number of units affordable to low- and moderate-income tenants. CRDA, a key source of taxpayer-backed funding for downtown housing projects, was focused on increasing market-rate rentals and could support the mix sought by Community Solutions.

The conversion now envisioned by RBH is for 60 studio, one- and two-bedroom units, with 70 percent market-rate and 30-percent based on income.

The inspiration for redeveloping Capitol Center comes from RBH's "Teachers Village" in Newark, N.J. The development transformed a rundown part of downtown Newark with the construction of school and affordable rentals, aimed at teachers. The goal was to create a community of teachers who instruct at nearby schools and collaborate where they live.

In Hartford, "Teachers Corner" would be on a far more modest scale, but with the same intent, with the preference for apartment leasing going to Hartford teachers, both public and private, Beit said. Some of the space will be used for space where teachers could pursue further education, he said.

Beit said he envisions plenty of demand in a city where the public schools employs 1,710 teachers. The starting salary for a first-year teacher with a bachelor's degree was $48,946 for the 2016-2017 school year, according to the Hartford Public Schools. The average salary was $76,694, the school system said.

Estimated rents for a studio would range from $747 for an affordable unit to $1,184 for a market-rate unit; $747 to $1,493 for a one-bedroom rental; and $882 to $1,751 for a two-bedroom apartment, Beit said. Parking, under the building, is not included.

Beit said he expects the units to be ready for occupancy for the 2018-2019 school year, with pre-leasing to begin this spring, an aggressive construction schedule.

Community Solutions still is pursuing the $32 million conversion of the historic Swift & Sons gold leafing factory in the city's North End.

The factory would be used as a Community Food and Job Creation Hub that will serve three neighborhoods in the northern half of the city. The space is expected to include commissary space for Bear's Smokehouse, an indoor aquaponics farm growing produce, food incubator space and a community health clinic.

Haggerty and Common Ground had gained national attention after converting a dilapidated hotel in New York's Time Square in the early 1990s to permanent housing for the homeless, part of a redevelopment wave that took Times Square from seedy to family friendly.

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Work On Apartments For Teachers May Begin In Summer - Hartford Courant

After more than a year of planning and construction, the opening of the new Osprey Packs headquarters in Cortez is within sight, facilities manager Lisa Bunker said on Wednesday.

Construction on the roughly 28,000-square-foot building at 800 N. Park St. started in September, and project supervisor Jack Stuart said he expects it to be finished by late August. The Osprey Base Camp will have enough space to accommodate 120 employees, although only 90 plan to move their offices there this year. Bunker estimates the project will cost about $7.5 million by the time its done.

The main purpose of the new building, Bunker said, is to celebrate the company and brand Cortez as its official world headquarters. Behind the building will be an amphitheater with two winglike trellises sweeping its sides, designed to look like the Osprey logo from above. Bunker said she and company leadership hope to host concerts and other public events in this area once its finished. Inside the building, 13 antique Singer sewing machines will be part of a display documenting the companys history, and the break room and conference room will be relocated to a sleek second-floor area called the Nest.

The building will include a showroom and offices for the companys marketing, design, human resources, customer service, administration and other departments. Bunker said many of the offices will have an open layout with comfortable chairs and large design spaces.

Were really trying to build collaboration spaces, she said. From my point of view, creative thinking and problem solving rarely happens over a conference room table.

Even though the building is located in one of Cortezs busiest traffic areas, the design calls for trees and shrubbery to be planted around it to obscure workers view of the street, and Stuart said some raised banks around the back of the building will help block some of the traffic noise.

Bunker said she believes the new building will be something to be proud of for the entire company.

Only about eight to 10 employees will remain in Ospreys current headquarters, which will get a remodel so it can become the new warranty and repair shop for the company.

In charge of the construction project is Jaynes Corp., the same company building the new Montezuma County Combined Courthouse across Park Street. That project is expected to be complete in August. Other Jaynes projects in Montezuma County include the Cortez Recreation Center and the Dolores State Bank.

The exterior of the Base Camp is almost complete, although some walls still need to be finished on the outside. Right now, most of the construction work is focused on interior flooring, drywall and other finishing touches, Bunker said. Stuart said he expects work on the parking lot and courtyards to begin just after the Fourth of July.

Weve got another tough couple of months ahead of us, to get it ready for the Osprey folks, he said.

Still, Osprey employees have already started packing furniture, display items and office supplies at their current headquarters. A date hasnt been set for the buildings grand opening yet, but Bunker said she expects it will be sometime in September.

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New Osprey Packs headquarters nears completion - The Journal

Preserving and marking the sites of ancient Native American burial mounds, which are prevalent in the Midwest where ancient tribes such as the Adena lived until 1 A.D, is crucial for acknowledging the depth of the scars colonialism has left on our society. However, a simple marker or plaque beside a mound can only do so much a deeper understanding of different indigenous cultures is needed if we are to truly empathize with and respect people who lived here before Europeans laid their first camps.

Imagine this situation: an Adena mound is located on the construction site of an office complex. The contractor has bought all the supplies, has promised their employees work and has promised their client an office building. Construction commences, and in the process of digging out the basement someone finds a skull. Federal law requires the contractor to call law enforcement and establish a crime scene. Then a coroner works with ethnoforensics specialists to excavate, halting the project for, say, a year.

By the time they finish, the contractor has to pay his builders for the work they were shorted and is eager to speed along the building process so the client doesn't hire somebody else for their next job. Ethnoforensics say some remains some tools, an arm or a leg might still be there, but they extracted what they could to comply with the law in a timely manner.

The land on which the mound once sat is then partially covered with an office building, and the other portion has been flattened to create a clean-cut lawn. The remains found in the mound are safe inside a local historical society, guarded by the meticulous hands of conservation specialists in a temperature-controlled room, but the land from whence it came bears no mark of the objects ever being there. And nothing marks the site that was once a sacred tomb.

Something kind of similar (kind of) happened in 2012 with Richard III of England, whose remains were found under a church parking lot. I don't think construction workers knew what they were building on when they were laying pavement, but the fiasco became a media sensation, and now there are memes about it.

It's funny when the thing being defiled is perceived by the dominant culture as larger than life has the privilege of, well, royalty.

It's not so funny when the people whose legacy is being defiled are the ancestors of a demographic that has been, and continues to be, consistently undervalued and mistreated by dominant American culture. So, what should we do about it?

One option is a plaque. A memorial. More extensive museums. But, surprise, it's not that simple.

What even is a mound? I don't know the answer, and I've visited museums and read chapters and book articles about them. I know they contain bones and "token objects," according to one of the four plaques at Shrum Mound, but I don't know what any of this meant for the Adena people. How long after someone died were they buried? Who in the tribe helped to build the mound? What kinds of rituals, if any, were held around the mounds? Why were certain tools items of use buried along with the deceased people? Some of this information may be unavailable, just because that's the nature of studying ancient societies. Then again, maybe we just destroyed all the evidence.

When I visited Shrum Mound, I could obviously see it, but I couldn't feel the depth of its meaning in my own bones the way I could in St. Paul's Cathedral. I needed a better translation of Adena culture than what the plaque could give me. Because of this, my visit to Shrum Mound in some ways felt trivial. I saw a giant bulge in the earth, but I didn't know quite what to make of it. It's impossible to connect with these ancient communities when there are no markers, but even when there are markers, I can't glean as much as I need from them to feel any such connection.

What I know I share with the Adena people is the land. Without conflating indigenous people and "nature," which can be a dehumanizing and dangerous thing to do, I've been trying to learn more about the landscape I've dwelled upon all my life, as I know it offered powerful resources to ancient communities who hunted, gathered and farmed on it. My new field guide about wildflowers in Ohio will give me a Westernized, classification-focused education. Though I can't say for sure, it's likely a much different understanding of local flora than what the Adena had. Still, it's a start.

Flipping through its sturdy pages, I take note of which are native and which were introduced from abroad (mostly Europe), as those are the plants the Adena most likely used. I learned the Oswego people used the red-flowered plant Monarda didyma, a type of mint, for tea (the plant is now colloquially called Oswego Tea). Though I'm not familiar with its red flowers, I see the light purple blooms of its relative, Monarda fistulosa, everywhere around here. That plant, colloquially named Wild Bergamot, has been cultivated for European commercial teas. I haven't yet made the tea, but I hope to try it soon and taste what the Adena might have.

Regan Detwiler can be reached at regandet@umich.edu

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Regan Detwiler: The first settlers, part three - The Michigan Daily

It's happening here: Mission Bay's blockbuster corner has billions of dollars of projects under construction or planned San Francisco Business Times While the Golden State Warriors build out a massive arena-office-retail development on one corner, UCSF will start construction soon on buildings on two other corners all of this while the city plans three major infrastructure projects that alone ...

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It's happening here: Mission Bay's blockbuster corner has billions of dollars of projects under construction or planned - San Francisco Business Times

SPEARFISH, S.D. (KOTA TV) - Several businesses in Spearfish are upgrading to new facilities and more office space is being built to accommodate the growing business community.

Were excited to see our community continue to grow, said Kory Menken, SEDC Executive Director. We receive frequent inquiries about the available commercial space. These additions will help to provide more opportunity for existing and new businesses.

Construction projects are underway Spearfish Business & Industry Park. North Star Construction is turning dirt on an approximately 7,000 square foot facility on Seaton Circle. The building will house four commercial rental spaces in addition to North Star Construction. Dennis Forgey Construction is building an approximately 7,000 square foot structure in the business park.

SEDC is building an additional 10,000 square feet of its Atlas Building for traditional office and light industrial use.

A multi-purpose commercial building is being built in downtown Spearfish at the intersection of Main Street and Jackson Boulevard.

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Construction of commercial buildings continues in Spearfish - Kotatv

By Mikey Campbell Thursday, June 22, 2017, 03:02 pm PT (06:02 pm ET)

Uploaded to YouTube on Tuesday, and subsequently picked up by BusinessInsider, the Planet Labs footage offers a unique perspective of the massive Apple Park project.

The video provides snapshot views from space that date back to September 2015, about six months after construction began. As seen in the 18-second clip below, half of the main office building at Apple Park, then dubbed "Campus 2," was already built up to roof level.

Planet Labs' footage covers the entire construction area, including twin research and development buildings that were just starting to take shape at the end of 2015. Also seen near the bottom of the screen is the round above-ground entryway into the 1,000-seat Steve Jobs Theater.

Toward the upper-right of the video is Apple's wellness facility, which boasts a two-story yoga room clad in stone that has been distressed to resemble the exterior of late company cofounder Jobs' favorite hotel in Yosemite.

Apple's attention to detail is readily apparent in the Planet Labs time-lapse. The company made great efforts to reproduce the Bay Area of Jobs' childhood with carefully selected indigenous trees, winding walking paths and rolling manmade hills.

Built on the grounds of a former HP facility, the $5 billion Apple Park will ultimately house more than 12,000 workers. Employees are already migrating into certain areas of Apple Park, including the R&D facility, in a process that is expected to take six months to complete.

Recent drone footage of the complex released earlier this month showed progress on the main building's cafeteria. A good amount of landscaping remains and contractors are currently working to complete the small lake that will sit inside the main ring.

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Satellite footage condenses two years of Apple Park construction into 18-second clip - AppleInsider (press release) (blog)

The new office building sits outside of the flood zone on the opposite side of Concord Avenue from the marina.

By Matt Lobosco |

MIDDLETOWN After years of fighting to recover from Super Storm Sandy, the Leonardo boating community took a huge step in its recovery from the storm.

On Saturday, June 10, officials from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) joined boaters, local officials and summer visitors to celebrate National Marina Day by unveiling the marinas new office building. The day-long event began with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the building and included kayak tours, and craft and food vendors.

Open since 1963, Leonardo State Marina is one of New Jerseys six state marinas. The 17-acre facility along the shores of Sandy Hook Bay provides 176 berths for boaters as well as numerous educational programs for young people during the summer. However, several structures which provided services crucial to the operation of the marina were completely destroyed by Sandy, including its garage, its office, and its public restrooms.

Now the marina has a brand new building to provide virtually all the services lost from the storm. Along with restoring office space for the marina staff, the building provides new showers, bathrooms, a lobby area and a multipurpose room including a kitchenette, tables and chairs.

The one-story structure stands across from the marina on the other side of Concord Avenue, which runs the length of the harbor.

(Left to right) Robert DeCotiis of Master Consulting Engineers, Ed Mulvane of the Department of Property Management and Construction, Ron Sebring of Ronald A. Sebring Associates, LLC, Monmouth County Freeholder Serena DiMaso, DEP Assistant Commissioner Rich Boornazian and Superintendent of Parks and Forestry Maggie Mitchell gather to cut the ribbon to signify the official opening of the new office building.

This marina has been here for years. If you took a ride up the coast here, the boats all got lifted up and corralled and a lot of them were out of the water. This place was devastated, said Richard Boornazian, DEP assistant commissioner. We think this is a vibrant community. So its not only a service, its an amenity to have this marina here. This is a great boating community and we want to keep it here.

Boornazian said he was at the marina two days after the storm and could not believe the devastation. He emphasized his excitement over the hard work of the staff and the enthusiasm of the community for getting the office built. For as destructive as Sandy was, the staff and the town saw this as an opportunity to make the marina even better.

Maggie Mitchell, superintendent of the parks and forestry division of the DEP, shared Boornazians outlook. Opening this building and getting this open benefits everyone in the community, she said.

Ronald Sebring, owner of Ronald A. Sebring Associates, LLC and creator of the blueprint for architecture of the office building, echoed the feelings of the marina staff about the opportunity brought on by this project. He said he believed the facilities that existed prior to Sandy had many issues that were essentially being covered with Band-Aids. Sebring said the facilities in my mind needed updating and Sandy brought an opportunity to fix those issues.

Perhaps the new building can serve as a small silver lining in what has been a difficult recovery from Sandy. After five years of looking for a source of stimulation and excitement, the Leonardo community appears galvanized by the construction of the marinas new office building.

This is a great community. I love the way things turned out. This building will last for a very long time, Boornazian said.

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Leonardo Marina Shows Off Its New Office Building - The Two River Times

Construction of the $450 million, 32-story Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons is now substantially complete, the company said today.

The Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons office building in downtown Milwaukee.

Which means most construction is done, even inside, the company said.

Previously the building was under the control of the general contractor team of Gilbane and C.G. Schmidt. Now it is under the control of Northwestern Mutual.

The 1.1 million-square-foot building on the companys corporate headquarters campus in downtown Milwaukee is scheduled to open for business on Aug. 21.

Now we have the keys and we can shift our focus to getting the building ready for occupancy in late August, the company said. Teams that take care of the building and serve our employees (like building operations, security, cleaning, and restaurant personnel) are now working inside learning the building and becoming familiar with new equipment.

The general employee population wont be allowed inside until the building officially opens on Aug. 21.

Construction of the $450 million, 32-story Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons is now substantially complete, the company said today.

The Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons office building in downtown Milwaukee.

Which means most construction is done, even inside, the company said.

Previously the building was under the control of the general contractor team of Gilbane and C.G. Schmidt. Now it is under the control of Northwestern Mutual.

The 1.1 million-square-foot building on the companys corporate headquarters campus in downtown Milwaukee is scheduled to open for business on Aug. 21.

Now we have the keys and we can shift our focus to getting the building ready for occupancy in late August, the company said. Teams that take care of the building and serve our employees (like building operations, security, cleaning, and restaurant personnel) are now working inside learning the building and becoming familiar with new equipment.

The general employee population wont be allowed inside until the building officially opens on Aug. 21.

See more here:
Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons construction substantially complete - BizTimes.com (Milwaukee)