Could 22, 2025
Meet the Black woman-led actual property growth agency that is working to rebuild Milwaukee’s historic Bronzeville neighborhood.
Maures Improvement Group, certainly one of Wisconsin’s first Black women-owned actual property growth corporations, is celebrating the launch of Bronzeville Estates, a serious step within the revitalization of Milwaukee’s historic Bronzeville neighborhood.
On Could 1, Melissa Nicole Allen unveiled Bronzeville Estates at her agency’s new headquarters on Milwaukee’s historic Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
In an intimate ceremony hosted by her 9-year-old daughter, Evelyn, Allen spoke about her ardour for reclaiming house within the traditionally Black neighborhood and the way her revitalization mission serves as a logo of resilience and renewal within the coronary heart of town’s Black enterprise district.
“There’s vitality and a really deep figuring out that involves me after I want to pursue one thing,” Allen informed the group of household, mates, media, and native authorities leaders.
Bronzeville was as soon as a vibrant cultural and financial heart for Milwaukee’s African-American neighborhood, but it surely was tragically wiped out by the development of Interstate 43. The mission displaced greater than 8,000 residents, shuttered companies, and fractured the guts of a once-thriving neighborhood.
The affect of that period continues to be felt immediately, however Allen’s women-led revitalization mission marks a daring renewal of possession and identification in a metropolis the place Black excellence runs deep.
“In 2005, town of Milwaukee designated a brand new Bronzeville. And so assets have been gathered, there was infrastructure being constructed, and so numerous work went into setting the groundwork,” Brad Pruitt, government director at America’s Black Holocaust Museum, tells BLACK ENTERPRISE. “However till this younger lady determined to place some activation into these ideas and growth, it was a reasonably paced course of.”
Pushed by a deep love for her metropolis, Allen set out years in the past to revive the very neighborhood that formed her. Since founding Maures Improvement Group in 2006, the mother of three has invested over $100 million and developed greater than 400 housing items in underserved areas of Milwaukee.
Her portfolio highlights her dedication to restoring communities one growth at a time. Take the Allen constructing, positioned subsequent to her agency’s new workplace. The 2-story property homes two business areas on the bottom flooring and two residential items above, seamlessly merging practicality with a people-first design.
Allen’s redevelopment of the Mill Highway Library turned the location right into a vibrant mixed-use house that includes a 17,000-square-foot Milwaukee Public Library and 65 housing items for mixed-income households. She additionally leased a part of a business property she owns to assist the redevelopment of America’s Black Holocaust Museum, an impactful must-see establishment based by a Civil Rights activist who survived an tried lynching at 16 years previous.
Then there’s Bronzeville Estates, a 30-unit residential growth constructed to encourage satisfaction, foster dialogue, and honor legacy. The mission, together with many others within the space, has native leaders applauding Allen’s efforts to assist return Bronzeville to its former financial vibrancy.
Now, as Maures Improvement Group transforms Milwaukee’s actual property panorama with a give attention to fairness, satisfaction, and lasting affect, its mission stays rooted within the philosophy of “leveraging bricks and mortar to convey satisfaction and hope to folks.”
“The requirements inside the trade usually are not arrange for someone who’s from city environments to have the ability to achieve success,” Allen tells BLACK ENTERPRISE. “After 19 years, Bronzeville Estates is much more essential as a result of it’s the primary one the place I’m the lead developer on a transaction. Does that imply I hit the million mark…. the 5 million mark? No, however come on. Let’s get us there. Let’s get us there.”
With the landmark Bronzeville redevelopment, Allen marks a new chapter in Milwaukee’s Black historical past, making strides as certainly one of Wisconsin’s trailblazing Black girls builders. The grand opening of Bronzeville Estates stands as a strong step in her mission to uplift underserved communities and construct sustainable, thriving areas.
Subsequent up: Maures Improvement Group gears up for its twentieth anniversary in 2026 and plans to interrupt floor on a brand new lodge. All in step with how Milwaukee is protecting the momentum of Black Excellence going sturdy.
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