The former North Shore Library building in Glendale has a new owner.
The City of Glendale sold the building at 6800 N. Port Washington Road for $750,000 to LIV Enterprises LLC, which is helmed by William La Macchia, according to Wisconsin Department of Revenue records.
In an email to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, La Macchia said the group is still working on ideas for the property.
La Macchia is also one of the developers behind the $200 million, bayside-based OneNorth project, which includes the mixed-use building where the new North Shore Library Building is located. As part of the project, developers have also announced plans for a $40 million apartment community for seniors and a separate mixed‑use building with luxury apartments, a health and fitness club and a full‑service grocer.
The new North Shore Library space on the first floor of the mixed-use building was donated to the library by La Macchia. The gift amounted to roughly $4 million and helped kick-start fundraising for the new project.
The new library’s children’s section is named after his late wife, Sharon, who died in 2023 and loved reading.
While it’s not yet clear what La Macchia’s plans are for the former library space, his purchase of the building is a “full-circle moment,” North Shore Library Board President Margaret Zitzer told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“The new library is a legacy project for Mr. LaMacchia, and we’re very grateful to him for helping us get here,” she said.
La Macchia was present at the new library building’s grand opening on March 14 and gave a speech to help usher in a new era of the North Shore Library.
Contact Claudia Levens at clevens@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X at @levensc13.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Top donor for the new North Shore Library building buys former library
Reporting by Claudia Levens, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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