Linville Gustavson Architecture
A new restaurant, public market and coffee shop are on track to open in the historic Milwaukee Road Depot, 640 W. Washington Ave. What’s been dubbed Washington Market is the latest project from Gil Altschul, the restaurateur behind Gib’s Bar and Grampa’s Pizzeria.
“It’s a beautiful building. We want to see it fully utilized in a positive way,” says Altschul. “This will hopefully add something that we think is lacking in that part of the city.”
Plans for the project call for a public market on the boarding platform of the defunct train station, built in 1903. A half-dozen vendor stalls will be added in between the platform’s pillars and then subleased to independent sellers.
“It’ll be like a smaller version of Seattle’s Pike Place Market,” says Altschul. “Produce. Flowers. Seafood. Maybe ice cream. Pastries. I’m in early talks with a butcher.” Glass walls will be installed to enclose the platform, allowing the market to operate year-round.
Bandit, a taco restaurant with a heavy bar focus, will open in the station’s baggage depot. “A big part of this plan will be grinding our own masa and making our own tortillas every day,” says Altschul. Details of the cocktails aren't finalized, but don’t be surprised if tap margaritas and paloma slushies are on the menu. The two-story brick structure sits directly behind the main depot (which will continue to house Motorless Motion Bicycles). Before the train station was closed in the 1960s, the baggage depot stored — what else? — luggage. It’s currently an office for veterinary pharmaceutical company Nexcyon.
The exterior will largely go untouched. The interior will be remodeled to emphasize the original architectural details of the 113-year-old building.
The project will incorporate the five-car passenger train parked alongside the train depot. The locomotive will be moved closer to West Washington and converted into Bandit To Go, a takeout arm for the restaurant that will serve on Badger football game days and during events at the Kohl Center.
Two of the passenger cars will be fitted with wet bars and rented for private parties. (The cars will be separated from the locomotive and rolled further down the tracks.) The remaining two passenger cars are being moved off the site entirely. The result will be an unobstructed view of the Milwaukee Road Depot from West Washington and the Southwest Commuter bike path.
“A big part of making the property more attractive was opening up the ‘face’ of the train depot,” Altschul says. “It’ll be lit up at night, which will look great with the glass walls that run the length of the building.”
The public market space will also act as a courtyard to connect Bandit to the main depot. That’s where Porter, a coffee and sandwich shop, will be located. Demolition is underway in the former back office space that Porter will soon occupy. La Lingerie Shop will continue to operate on the second floor.
The Milwaukee Road Depot was designated a Madison landmark in 1975 and is listed on both the state and federal registers of historic places. Over a century before Gov. Scott Walker put the kibosh on high-speed rail, the train station connected Madison to Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul and was a bustling center of activity.
“This should be a game changer for the area,” says Altschul. “The idea is that Washington Market will be a destination. A gathering spot where people go to eat, shop...just show up to walk around and check it out.”
Porter is expected to open this fall, but completion of the entire Washington Market project will take at least a year. Construction on the baggage depot won’t even begin until October.
“Optimistically, the entire project will be complete by July 4, 2017,” says Altschul. “The response from the neighborhood and the city has been tremendously positive so far. It’s all coming together.”
The project received preliminary approval from the Landmarks Commission June 6 but is still wending its way through city committees.
