MILWAUKEE (June 4, 2026) — Catalyst Construction and Peter Schwabe Construction partnered together with Oscar’s Frozen Custard to help bring the beloved Waukesha/Brookfield Wisconsin restaurant back to life following a devastating fire that destroyed the original building in November 2024.
After nearly 18 months of planning, demolition and reconstruction, Oscar’s officially reopened to the community on May 12, 2026, welcoming customers back to a refreshed 4,793-square-foot space designed to preserve the nostalgic feel generations have come to love while enhancing the overall guest experience.
“From the beginning, this project was about more than rebuilding a restaurant, it was about restoring a place that means so much to the community,” said Peter Schwabe, President of Peter Schwabe Construction. “There was a strong emotional connection from both the ownership team and loyal customers, and it was incredibly rewarding to help bring that comeback story to life.”
While much of the original building was deemed a total loss following the fire on Nov. 19, 2024, portions of the original foundation and slab were salvaged and reused as part of the rebuild. Demolition began in August 2025, with construction progressing through Wisconsin’s fall and winter weather conditions, including rain, snow and wind challenges.
Throughout the process, the team worked closely with Oscar’s owners Jimmy and Susie Taylor, who were heavily involved in every detail of the new space. The goal was not to reinvent Oscar’s, but to thoughtfully preserve the recognizable character and atmosphere customers associate with the iconic custard shop while incorporating improvements to support the business long term.
The rebuilt restaurant features several new additions and design elements, including a double drive-through, expanded outdoor dining area and dramatic exposed timber trusses that rise nearly 40 feet at the roof peak. Inside, guests will also find personal touches that honor the restaurant’s history, including salvaged family silhouette artwork recovered from the fire and custom artwork created by the owners’ family members celebrating the Oscar’s legacy.
Behind the scenes, the project also involved significant coordination between trades and contractors to restore the restaurant’s highly specialized custard-making systems, including complex refrigeration, piping and cooling infrastructure critical to Oscar’s operations.
“What made this project especially memorable was the resilience and determination behind the entire process,” said Schwabe. “There was a shared sense of purpose among everyone involved to rebuild quickly, thoughtfully and in a way that still feels unmistakably like Oscar’s the moment you walk in.”
The reopening has already sparked an overwhelming response from the community, with longtime customers returning to celebrate the next chapter of a local institution that has served the area for more than four decades.
Earlier this year, Peter Schwabe Construction officially joined the Catalyst Construction team, bringing together two Wisconsin-based companies with shared values, complementary expertise and a relationship-driven approach to construction. The addition expanded Catalyst’s expertise in retail and quick-service restaurant projects while preserving Peter Schwabe Construction’s longstanding legacy and people-first culture.
For more information about Catalyst Construction, visit www.catalystbuilds.com.
About the Author
