Somerville Architects & Engineers breaks ground on its new office building on Riverside Drive in Allouez, July 29, 2024. PC: Fox 11 Online
ALLOUEZ, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — An architectural and engineering firm that’s been a staple in the greater Green Bay area for decades is breaking ground on its new space.
Founded in 1946, Somerville Architects & Engineers began its journey with an office in downtown Green Bay. Since then, the employee-owned company has spent time in several different locations on Allouez’s Riverside Drive.
Somerville says that although the space it has called home for the last 30 years has served the firm well, it is excited to continue its legacy in Allouez by constructing a new, state-of-the-art office building.
Officials broke ground Monday on the $12 million project. It is located at 2120 Riverside Drive, in one of Allouez’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts — created to attract and support private businesses.
“It feels wonderful. This has been a long time in the planning. We actually purchased this property 10 years ago,” said Matt Schachtner, president and principal architect with Somerville Architects & Engineers. “It’s great to have a new home for ourselves, for our staff, and really to help with retention and recruitment of talented individuals.”
Once it’s complete, the building will be approximately 35,000 square feet and be able to accommodate more than 60 employees. Construction is projected to be finished in mid-July 2025.
“I think we struck a good balance here. It’s a modern design, but yet timeless, so it doesn’t become dated. Also, making sure it was sustainable in the way it addressed sunlight coming in the building,” Schachtner added.
In its nearly 80 years in business, Somerville has been involved in over 7,800 projects throughout Wisconsin and beyond. Some of the firm’s best-known projects include the original Lambeau Field, the NICU at Bellin Health, the Brown County STEM Innovation Center and the new Menominee Indian High School.
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