A close-up photo of a ripe red apple in front of a blurred background.
A single-story brick building with large windows and red-tiled roof, surrounded by bushes, with a parking lot in front and a taller brick building with windows behind it, under a partly cloudy sky during sunset.

The Milwaukee Junction factory was built for

1935-41 electrical controls manufacturing

1946-56 machine shop

1958-62 distribution warehouse

1963-2023 printing, engraving, and graphic design

Each of the previous occupants was the sole user of the building. 

Origins

Today, the building serves an industrious community of creatives, including SYNECDOCHE, the architecture and design studio behind the building's redevelopment and design updates.

Vander comes from the Dutch surname preposition “van der,” meaning “from/of the.” Records were frequently misrecorded and evolved into Vander, including when the founder’s family immigrated to the US. The concept of origins, along with craft, ideas, and community from the building, made sense.

A room with two black armchairs facing each other on a patterned rug, with a large window showing brick wall and some greenery outside.

from the space

  • Studios

    Independent creatives working on their craft.

  • Storefronts

    Retail that combines goods with good experiences.

  • Programming

    Special events and workshops by and for the community.

Storefronts

Studios