The Blues Factory

05/18/2016

PORT WASHINGTON, May 18, 2016 -- The City of Port Washington Common Council last night voted unanimously to accept The Blues Factory Inc.'s $250,000 purchase offer for the waterfront municipal parking lot where the local business group plans to open a $4.75 million cultural and entertainment multiplex for the 2017 centennial celebration of the remarkable story of The Wisconsin Chair Co. and its famed Paramount record label.

The 17,224 square-foot parcel in the City's downtown marina district is the former site of the chair factory and its pioneering phonograph subsidiary that recorded legendary blues and jazz artists as well as early country western and other American roots music. The land sale remains contingent on City approval of a developer's agreement including $1 million in TIF financing expected to be on the Council's June 7 agenda.

"We're thrilled to be working together with the community to create a permanent home for this great American story on the very spot where the Paramount label was born," said Christopher Long, The Blues Factory's President & CEO. “We are confident The Blues Factory will deliver exactly what the City of Port Washington had called for in this redevelopment opportunity: a multi-faceted, unique year-round attraction that will function as an economic catalyst in bringing people to the downtown, generating tax base increment, and helping downtown businesses be even more successful on a year-round basis.”

11/07/2015

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tom Daykin features The Blues Factory in his big picture look at the exciting waterfront development now underway in Port Washington. Great to see this recognition of the inspiring vision of Mayor Tom Mlada and the Common Council to embrace smart growth in order to revitalize downtown as a year-around regional destination. Kudos to the City!

Developments including condos, apartments, and a restaurant and performance venue inspired by Paramount Records, could make Port Washington’s downtown harbor area a year-round destination, officials say.

11/07/2015

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel look at Port Washington development spotlights The Blues Factory!

In this week's Land & Space video, Tom Daykin reports on how new development, including housing and a planned blues-theme restaurant, could make Port Washington's downtown lakefront a year-round destination.

10/15/2015

TBF Logo Wins Gold!

Our super marketing partners at Cramer-Krasselt took home the gold at the 2015 Milwaukee 99 Awards Show for their inspired work in creating The Blues Factory's way cool corporate logo. Agencies of all sizes enter their best work from the past year and are judged by top creatives from around the country. It’s a celebration of creativity, celebrating great work from Milwaukee. Congrats to Chris, Nick, Zack and the rest of the TBF team at C-K Milwaukee!

09/26/2015

The Blues Factory will host a public informational meeting at the Niederkorn Library Community Room in Port Washington this coming Wednesday Sept. 30 from 5:30 – 7:30pm. CEO Chris Long will present an overview of the project and then invite questions and comments. Mayor Mlada will be on hand to discuss City development overall if his schedule permits. Please feel free to spread the word to anyone who might be interested. Hope to see you there!

09/02/2015

Great news! The Blues Factory's proposal to build a permanent home for the story of the Wisconsin Chair Co. and Paramount Records on the Port Washington waterfront where the story was born won unanimous Common Council approval last night. Thanks and kudos to Mayor Tom Mlada and the Council for their enthusiastic support of TBF. The Council vote is a major milestone on the road to opening TBF in spring 2017 in time for the Paramount Centennial celebration and TBF's inaugural summer roots music festival at the beautiful Port waterfront. Next step is putting together the developer's agreement with the City and bringing other investors and our restaurant partner on board. Thanks for stopping by and check back for project updates.

08/21/2015

We're one step closer to making our vision to celebrate Paramount Records on the spot the label was born a reality by the 2017 Centennial. The Port Washington City Plan Commission last night unanimously endorsed The Blues Factory's building design concept by The Kubala Washatko Architects (TKWA) of Cedarburg for the waterfront municipal parking lot where the Wisconsin Chair Co. once stood. This follows Monday night's approval of the TBF proposal for the property by the City's Community Development Authority. The Common Council is scheduled to act on our project Sept. 1. See the City's FAQ about TBF at http://tinyurl.com/oxsgg7m

08/18/2015

The Blues Factory presented our building concept to the Port Washington Community Development Authority and the community last night. The creative team at The Kubala Washatko Architects have incorporated the historic use of the property by the Wisconsin Chair Co. and contemporary notes in a bold and beautiful design for the marina development we've proposed to the City.

08/18/2015

Welcome to The Blues Factory on Facebook! Today we went live with our vision to bring the amazing story of the Wisconsin Chair Co. and Paramount records home to the very spot where the legendary early blues and jazz label was born nearly a century ago. The Blues Factory building concept from our design partners at The Kubala Washatko Architects fuses historic and contemporary themes. Our planned $4.75 million complex on the Port Washington waterfront includes Paramount Hall, a nonprofit cultural and education center where the story will come to life for residents and visitors; the Ozaukee Theatre, a live performance space and community-use facility; The Blues Factory banquet and event space overlooking beautiful Lake Michigan; and a lakefront restaurant and bar with wraparound outdoor seating. We expect to break ground in April 2016 and open our doors in April 2017, kicking off the local and regional Paramount Centennial celebration. The Port Washington Common Council plans to act on TBF's proposal in early September. Follow our story here and at www.thebluesfactory.com.

08/16/2015

The Wisconsin Chair Company in Port Washington, WI

08/15/2015

TBF Featured Artist: Altered Five Blues Band. Learn about this rising Milwaukee band and their music at www.thebluesfactory.com