Mayfair Mall — Wauwatosa, Wis.

Development Team
OWNER: General Growth Properties, Wauwatosa, Wis.
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Hunzinger Construction Co., Brookfield, Wis.
ARCHITECT: Carroll & Associates, Palatine, Ill.
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Harwood Engineering, Milwaukee
ELECTRIC: Lemberg Electric Co. Inc., Wauwatosa, Wis.

In 1999, Brookfield, Wis.-based Hunzinger Construction undertook an extensive renovation of Mayfair Mall, a structure the company had originally built in 1958.

Project elements included the addition of about 170,000 sq. ft. of interior shopping space on the first and second levels for 30 to 40 stores. The food court was doubled from its previous seating capacity. And, 12,000 sq. ft. was added to a Talbot's store and 8,500 sq. ft. to a P.F. Chang's China Bistro restaurant streetscape.

Keeping Business Going

A key challenge was working in a retail space that was never closed. Contractors, materials and equipment were strategically placed and then moved as the project progressed. Traffic control for vehicles and people was nonstop.

Because the mall was never closed, structural steel was set in the off hours, but city ordinances forbade excessive noise after 7 p.m.

As a result, most erection was completed in a specially designated area with a large crane. Interior ironwork was installed after the mall closed and was completed for the 6 a.m. opening. The entire hard-tiled first floor was removed and replaced during the six-hour nightly shifts.

The Talbot's addition included demolition of the existing southwest entrance of the mall, demolition of existing tenant spaces, demolition and relocation of the air intake and the 20-ton unit that services that shaft, foundation work and interior and exterior concrete work.

The Chang's addition consisted of repositioning the mall skyline for future restaurants. An access road to the front of the restaurant was relocated, as were utilities and curbs.

The majority of renovation and expansion took place over the high-traffic holiday season, when patrons' safety was paramount. Traffic patterns were monitored 24 hours a day. Safeguards were constantly constructed and relocated to keep pace with construction.

After 90 percent of the steel was set, 6 ft. of snow arrived. Laborers with shovels worked day and night for a month. Snow was even pushed off the edge of the building, scooped into dump trucks and hauled away.

Even though a cold spring kept the exterior work from starting on time, the mall's grand opening happened as planned.

The jury said, "The challenges of keeping a mall working and ensuring the safety of the patron takes a lot of teamwork. The team hit a grand slam with this project. It is now being used as a benchmark by which other malls in the area are being measured. This was a monumental undertaking - adding a second floor over an existing floor."

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