Contractor Files $14M in Liens for Stalled Mass Timber Tower in Milwaukee

Construction has been halted for several months on The Edison, a $230-million, 32-story mass timber-concrete hybrid tower in downtown Milwaukee. Now, the project’s general contractor has filed more than $14 million in construction liens against the developer for unpaid work on The Edison and on a second project in Madison, Wis.

C.D. Smith Construction, based in Fond du Lac, Wis., filed a $10.15-million construction lien against The Edison SPE LLC, an affiliate of Madison-based Neutral, for work on The Edison. When announced in 2024, the 378-unit tower was expected to become the tallest mass timber building in North America, surpassing the 25-story Ascent in Milwaukee.

The second lien—totaling $4.1 million—was filed for Baker’s Place, a 13-story, 206-unit apartment building in Madison that was completed in May.

Neutral halted construction on The Edison in September, 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.

Concerns about Neutral’s performance on The Edison led Milwaukee officials in November to remove the firm as the 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.

There is no reliable independent confirmation about Neutral’s performance or condition, but some in Milwaukee were not impressed.

“They were totally inept. They had no financial track record. They had no development track record [other than the Baker Apartments] and they’re kaput,” Alderman Bob Bauman said during a recent Milwaukee Common Council committee meeting.

He said the city’s preference for Neutral on the parking center project “was a bad decision prompted by pretty renderings and nice-sounding ideas.”

“Hindsight is 20/20,” said Lafayette Crump, commissioner of the Dept. of City Development. “It makes sense for us to take a new look at what’s possible at the parking center.”

Neutral did not respond to a request for comment. In January, the company said it had secured $133.3 million in funding for The Edison. C.D. Smith declined to comment on the liens.

As for The Edison’s future, Bauman noted that Neutral owns the land and that the city has little role until another developer steps in. He believes a new proposal could differ significantly from the original tower.

“The whole project will be redesigned using as much of the work as has already been completed,” he predicts.

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