Third Ward Hotel (224 E. Chicago St.)

NCG Hospitality is planning to convert the 1917 former Monarch Manufacturing building at 224 E. Chicago St. in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward into an upscale boutique hotel. Originally announced as a 133-room AC Hotel by Marriott, the project was repositioned in March 2026 as an unbranded property pending historic tax-credit compliance, with no brand, room count or construction start yet confirmed.

The place

224 E. Chicago Street in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward, inside the three-story, roughly 83,260-square-foot former Monarch Manufacturing Co. building.

The concept

Built in 1917 for Monarch Manufacturing Co., an apparel maker that reportedly produced leather jackets for the U.S. Air Force, the building later housed Rubin's Furniture and most recently an RH Outlet store, which closed on March 1, 2026 — it has never operated as a hotel. NCG Hospitality originally secured approval to convert the building into a 133-room AC Hotel by Marriott, but in March 2026 repositioned the project as an unbranded 'upscale boutique hotel' pending compliance with historic-preservation tax-credit requirements. No hotel brand and no confirmed room count have been announced since the repositioning; the 133-room figure reflects the earlier AC Hotel plan and should be treated as unconfirmed for the current project.

Dining & wellness

NC — no restaurant, bar or brand has been announced; the project is still pre-construction and pre-brand.