Project Overview

Berglund Construction performed an extensive restoration project at Northwestern Mutual’s building in Milwaukee, WI. The project included removing all granite at the 8th floor of the 10-story building and replacing it with a replica GFRC system.

The building’s facade is made of Harwich white granite and was originally constructed in 1914. This restoration required removing approximately 600 LF of a solid granite cornice that measured six feet tall. In total, the debris that was removed weighed approximately 6 million pounds. The owner challenged Berglund to removal all of it without the use of a crane, and Berglund’s innovative team proved capable of meeting the challenge. Berglund’s tradesmen installed a monorail system around the entire building to move debris and put new pieces in place. At peak, Berglund’s work force topped 65 tradesmen.

The building remained occupied during construction, and Berglund’s team worked with care to ensure the users did not experience disruption.