Back in the early 1970’s Hunzinger Construction Company was the concrete contractor for the new skyscraper being built on the far eastern edge of downtown Milwaukee with spectacular views of Lake Michigan. That building was the US Bank Building located at 777 East Wisconsin Avenue. Hunzinger has had the opportunity to work there numerous times over the years, building their parking deck, completing bank renovations and serving as general contractor for a variety of office tenants.
Hunzinger recently completed an impressive office build out at the US Bank Building on the 31st Floor for the firm of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. Hunzinger was selected to serve as general contractor for this growing law firm’s 3,300 square foot interior Class A office build out designed by Kahler Slater, Inc. of Milwaukee.
“We always appreciate the opportunity to work within the US Bank Building,” said Project Manager Ryan O’Toole, who heads up Hunzinger’s Commercial Interiors Division. “Working on the 31st floor is awesome because the views are fantastic but space can be tight. The construction challenge for this job was to get the needed materials in, and garbage out, without disturbing the building tenants. We were very careful to schedule all our deliveries before 8 AM or after 6PM and coordinated our use of the loading dock and freight with US Bank daily. To meet the owner and the tenant’s need, we were able to shave two weeks off an already short nine week schedule. We completed the job in just seven weeks so that the tenant could move out of their old offices on May 1st. We always strive to meet the owner’s needs and we wanted to accommodate their shorter turn about time,” O’Toole continued.
“Meeting the fast-track schedule, took proactive planning and execution on our part and a big effort from our subs. We had a very strong team of subcontractors that work collaboratively within our project management approach. Our subs were Jahn & Sons Drywall, Sprinkmann Sons, Thomas A Mason installed the flooring, wall covering and paint, Staff Electric completed the electrical and fire alarm work and Grunau was the plumbing, fire protection and HVAC Contractor,” O’Toole reflected. “It’s very gratifying when you exceed your client’s expectations and I believe the law firm loves their new space,”
Hunzinger self-performed the demolition and provided all carpentry work for the project. The building had very limited space for storage, dumpsters and off-loading and there were tight rules and regulations regarding loading and working hours. We took our role to ensure that all contractors on the project adhered to the owner’s requirements very seriously. Lend Lease served as the Owner’s Representative for US Bank Corporate Real Estate.