Ella Apartments

The Ella Apartments is a 196,000-square-foot, mixed-use development located along Madison’s busy East Washington Avenue corridor on the site of the former Ella’s Deli, a beloved and iconic restaurant for more than 42 years. The project is comprised of two apartment towers with 135 affordable housing units over a common precast podium above underground parking. The two buildings are connected to a common corridor, housing amenities and community spaces. Above the common space is a rooftop patio overlooking a mix of thoughtfully landscaped green space and hardscape. There is 7,100 square-feet of commercial space on the first floor. Demolition and construction involved removing three existing buildings, managing severe and ongoing ground water infiltration and working on a tight in-fill site. The building structure framing is a panelized wood wall system over pre-cast concrete post, beam and plank structure with a poured in place concrete foundation. The exterior is finished with Hardie lap siding and masonry. The exterior mural visible to the East Washington Ave elevation is the largest mural in the city of Madison.