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Ascension Medical Group - Third Ward Clinic

Bringing accessible healthcare services to a historic urban neighborhood + business district

Located in the heart of Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward District, Ascension relocated their current downtown clinic to a building built in 1893, supporting adaptive reuse of an existing structure while providing patients with walkable convenience and modern primary care services amongst historic charm.

The one-of-a-kind clinic is used as a showcase and recruitment tool for incoming staff that want to join the Ascension team. Given the historic nature of the building, the design team was challenged with providing innovative clinical design solutions that incorporates flexible space, while still meeting required healthcare standards. The clinic circulation was planned to allow ample daylight into the shared spaces, while also providing light diffusing art panels to ensure patient privacy. Design strategies exposed and repaired historic Cream City brick and refinished existing wood coffered ceiling moldings as the main design features in the multi-use waiting space. With an eye towards sustainability and cost, the project team salvaged and re-used existing finishes, and used carbon neutral carpet tile and LVT. The carpeted corridors allow for better acoustic comfort and control within the clinical space. The clinical artwork was sourced from local artists and the Milwaukee Fire History Museum.