Building for kids

BUILDING FOR KIDS: Milwaukee Campus Improvement Project

Milwaukee Campus Improvement Project

Children's Wisconsin has kicked off a multi-year, $385 million facilities improvement project that will support our vision of having Wisconsin children be the healthiest in the nation. 

The project is designed to enhance clinical collaboration and efficiencies, improve the child and family experience, and support the use of new technologies. It includes:

  • Opening late 2023 – New and expanded Emergency Department and Level I Trauma Center
  • Now open – Craig Yabuki Tower, a six-story, 237,000-square-foot addition to house specialty clinics and Surgical Services
  • Complete -- Renovation and expansion of Surgical Services

Our partners on the project are The Boldt Company and CannonDesign.

Emergency Department

Children's Emergency Department and Level I Trauma Center will be expanded and moved to the front of the hospital to improve access, the child and family experience and care.

When completed, it will expand from 34 to 48 treatment rooms, including two rooms dedicated to mental and behavioral health needs and two state-of-the-art trauma and resuscitation rooms. Additional space will support advanced imaging capabilities.

Project timeline

  • Site preparation began – spring 2021
  • Construction begins – early 2022
  • Construction complete – late 2023
  • The Emergency Department will remain fully operational throughout construction

Craig Yabuki Tower

The Craig Yabuki Tower is located between the north side of the hospital and Children's Clinics Building. The first floor features space dedicated to Child Life, food service and outpatient lab. Patient families helped design the new spaces to support our focus on the child and family experience.

Surgical Services

Children's Surgical Services is now located on one floor, an improvement from our previous design, which was located on two different floors in part of the hospital built in 1988.

This space increased by more than 25,000 square feet and now includes 15 operating rooms, two cardiac catheterization labs and three special procedure rooms. The average size of an operating room also increased to accommodate future advancements in surgical technologies.

Take a tour of our new surgical area

Coming to campus?

New horseshoe drive to Emergency Department and Level 1 Trauma Center

The Clinics Building and Craig Yabuki Tower entrances are closed. You may still enter through the skywalk or our main hospital entrance. Follow the posted signs to help you find your way. Please allow for extra time before your next appointment. Refer to this map.

News

Children’s Wisconsin to move and expand Emergency Department.

Children's picture book

Children's Wisconsin construction picture book

Download your free version of Building for Kids - A Children's Wisconsin picture book.

Architectural renderings

Milwaukee Campus Improvement Project

See architectural renderings of the Milwaukee Campus Improvement Project.