Projects
Contractor Sues Over Stalled Milwaukee Timber Tower, Seeks $11.3M and Foreclosure
The building's foundation had been poured before the developer stopped construction to value engineer the project planned in downtown Milwaukee.
A lawsuit filed by C.D. Smith Construction seeks foreclosure and sale of The Edison, an unfinished timber-concrete hybrid high-rise, citing unpaid construction costs and an estimated $25 million shortfall in project financing.
A Wisconsin contractor has filed a lawsuit against the developer of The Edison, seeking more than $11.3 million for work done on the stalled $230-million, 32-story mass timber–concrete hybrid tower in downtown Milwaukee. Once planned as the tallest timber building in North America, construction on The Edison stopped in September 2025, with the developer citing rising tariff costs and inflation.
C.D. Smith Construction filed the lawsuit March 6 in Milwaukee County Circuit Court against The Edison SPE LLC, an affiliate of Madison-based Neutral. It seeks foreclosure and the sale of the unfinished high-rise, citing unpaid construction costs and an estimated $25-million shortfall in project financing, according to local news reports.
In December 2025, the Fond du Lac, Wis.-based general contractor filed more than $14 million in construction liens against the developer for unpaid work on The Edison and on a second project, Baker’s Place, a 13-story, 206-unit apartment building in Madison that was completed in May 2025.
Neither C.D. Smith nor Neutral responded to requests for comment on the lawsuit.
When announced in 2024, the 378-unit Edison was expected to become the tallest mass timber building in North America, surpassing the 25-story Ascent in Milwaukee.
Neutral halted construction on The Edison in September 2025, citing tariffs and inflation, and described the pause as temporary. Although the foundation had been poured, the tower crane and other equipment were removed from the site in November 2025.
Concerns about Neutral’s performance on The Edison led Milwaukee officials in November 2025 to remove the firm as preferred developer for a planned $750-million redevelopment of the Marcus Performing Arts Center parking structure across the street. The proposal had called for up to 750 residential units, 190,000 sq ft of office space, 300 hotel rooms, structured parking and public plazas.
C.D. Smith's lawsuit also names 11 other contractors or vendors as defendants, a strategy usually geared to protecting legal rights and sorting out who ultimately owes what, and which may be used to bring those with a financial stake into one lawsuit rather than having multiple separate cases.
