The Valleskey Garage creates a functional yet beautiful space for vehicle storage and second-floor welding, as well as contributing to the renaissance of craft in its south side Milwaukee neighborhood. Spatially-conscious neighborhood lots that include simple backyard cottage-style residences inform the structure’s size and shape. These lots offer a level of backyard privacy and vertically-layered space – a surveillanced refuge within the city – that the modern city often lacks. Local planning and zoning laws no longer allow such residential architectural infusions to small, narrow lots; the project seeks to create a contemporary rendering of the ideals of the original neighborhood structures: A secure homestead with small-scale spatial richness – using conventional materials, scaled-back dimensions, and an artisan-based use. The simple exterior will grow in complexity and ornamentation over time as the owner creates functional and decorative metal pieces in the loft welding workshop. As the owner creates, the building transforms and gains identity, and so does the neighborhood.

Construction images coming soon!