Milwaukee's Ugliest Building: On the Path to Renewal

Join members of the Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation on Thursday, September 12 to learn more about the path to renewal for Milwaukee’s “Ugliest Building.”

The free event, co-hosted in partnership with the Historic Preservation Institute and MSOE, welcomes students and local preservation advocates for to an important discussion onsite.

 

Thursday, September 12
4:30 - 5:30 PM | Food, drinks, and socializing
5:30 - 6:00 PM | Presentation and building tours

Location: 324 N 15th St. Milwaukee, WI

Free to attend. No registration required

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Read the excerpt below for more on the building and the renewal effort:

A proposal to convert a long-vacant Menomonee Valley industrial building into apartments has received initial approval from city officials, but still faces an uphill battle.

The plan’s zoning change was approved on Monday, March 25 at a Milwaukee Plan Commission meeting, but the project faces several opponents including nearby businessowners and Milwaukee’s Department of City Development.

Building owner, Ken Breunig initially planned to convert the building into an office building, but at the commission hearing, he said the building’s structural issues prevent it from being able to handle heavy loads tied to office use.

Breunig instead wants to create around 45 apartments with monthly rents of $1,500 to $2,000. Marquette University students and staff would be the primary market, he said, along with people working in the valley and downtown.

The fire-damaged, vandalized building likely has three to five years before further deterioration makes it impossible to renovate, said Breunig, an engineer who’s redeveloped other historic buildings.

Read the full article: City panel gives initial approval to redevelopment of historic Menomonee Valley building

Jarob Ortiz comes home to Milwaukee document landmarks

Ansel Adams National Park Service Photographer, Jarob Ortiz Ortiz, was hosted by the Historic Preservation Institute of UW-Milwaukee’s School of Architecture & Urban Planning in November to photograph sites and landmarks.

As part of the visit, Jarob participated in a “meet and greet” reception on Wednesday, Nov. 15, where he presented his work at at the historic Pritzlaff Building in Milwaukee (315 N. Plankinton Ave.).

The support of Pritzlaff owner Kendall Breunig – who is passionate about Milwaukee history – and TechRender made the visit possible.

Ortiz visited his hometown of Milwaukee, WI in large part to document the Mitchell Park Conservatory domes for the Library of Congress and National Archives. He also documented other landmarks, too, including the Pritzlaff Building and the Pabst Mansion pavilion.

Ortiz is a 2013 graduate of the Milwaukee Area Technical College photography program and he graduated from Oak Creek High School in 2001.

Ortiz landed his gig at National Park Service’s Heritage Documentation Services – often called the “Ansel Adams Photographer” position because it mirrors, somewhat, the work that the famed lensman did for the Department of the Interior in the 1940s – in 2016, beating out about 4,000 other applicants.

Read more about Ortiz’s visit: "Ansel Adams photographer" Jarob Ortiz comes home to document landmarks - OnMilwaukee.com.

Good News for Wisconsin Places on America’s 11 Most Endangered List

The National Trust for Historic Preservation publishes an annual list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places with the goal of raising awareness of these vulnerable properties around the country, which are at risk of irreparable damage or destruction.  The list has included over 300 sites since 1988 and has been highly successful at galvanizing preservation efforts.

Two Wisconsin places have made the list in recent years: Milwaukee Soldier’s Home (in 2011) and the Mitchell Park Domes (in 2016).

Milwaukee Soldiers Home

Milwaukee Soldiers Home—the most intact original VA campus in the nation and a National Historic Landmark District—after long years of deterioration, has experienced a dramatic turnaround.  In March of this year, six of the historic buildings, including the spectacular Old Main, have been refurbished and reopened as supportive housing for veterans at risk of homelessness.  This success was the result of collaboration between local partners and heightened publicity from the National Trust and Milwaukee Preservation Alliance.

But three other historic structures on the campus—the 1889 Chapel, 1881 Theater, and 1868 Governor’s Mansion—remain vacant and endangered. The Milwaukee Preservation Alliance received a 2020 National Trust matching grant to fund a study into viable reuse strategies for these buildings. The study will serve as a resource for the VA to develop an RFP (Request for Proposals) for the rehabilitation of these remaining treasures. This should ensure that successful reuse and preservation extends to the entire campus.

For more: Save Our Domes

For more: Save Our Domes

Mitchell Park Domes

After its 2016 designation on the National Trust 11 Most Endangered list, Milwaukee’s Mitchell Park Domes has received an outpouring of support from the community.  The #SaveOurDomes campaign succeeded in raising awareness and it appears that demolition of the beloved Domes is off the table.  But despite that, subsequent progress toward concrete measures has been slow. Reports, studies, recommendations, and materials testing have been done and the County has committed to funding allocations for final analysis.  But the funds were not spent in 2020 and progress in 2021 has been slow.  Efforts continue to heighten public awareness and to push for definitive long-term action that will save the irreplaceable Domes.

Eschweiler Update: Developer Stands By Stance to Raze Historic Buildings

The debate around the Eschweiler Buildings has waged back and forth for the past few months with the latest stance coming from Barry Mandel, the site's developer. Mandel believes razing the historic buidlings are the only workable course of action for the property. An excerpt from Jim Price's Patch.com article has more of the story:

After a month of pondering alternatives, Barry Mandel, who wants to buy and redevelop the Eschweiler Campus on the County Grounds, repeated Wednesday that he would need to demolish three out of four historic buildings for his plan to work.

But preservationists were out in force to condemn any course that failed to preserve the buildings as a group, which they said has always been Wauwatosa's intention and official position.

Mandel, president of Mandel Group, with lead staff and consultants, made a second presentation Wednesday night to the Wauwatosa Historic Preservation Commission, after first coming to the panel on May 3. No formal proposal was made then or now, and no action was contemplated by the commission, but the message was strong.

For more, please see Patch.com. 

State Official: County Violated State Law In Selling Eschweiler Buildings

Here's an update on the Eschweiler Buildings for those following along with our posts. It seems that Milwaukee County acted improperly in the original sale of the Eschweiler buildings to the UWM Real Estate Foundation.  The attorney for the WI Historical Society,  Chip Brown, is now involved and has forwarded the issue to the Attorney General.  The following is an excerpt from Fox 6 West Allis' coverage of the story. Click the link at the end of the clip for the complete story.

A legal specialist for the Wisconsin Historical Society has notified the Attorney General's Office that he believes that the sale of the Eschweiler Campus Historic District by Milwaukee County to the UWM Real Estate Foundation violated state law.

He went on to say because of that, Wauwatosa should deny any request to demolish any of the Eschweiler buildings — and that in one scenario, the violations could result in as drastic an action as vacating the original land sale.

Chip Brown, an attorney and government assistance and training specialist, said the county failed to notify the state Historical Society of the sale of the historic property and failed to obtain a conservation easement to protect it.

Visit Wauwatosa Patch for more...

Help Save the Wauwatosa Eschweiler Buildings

URGENT – Please plan to attend the May 3, 2012 Wauwatosa Historic PreservationCommission meeting! The project developer may present a proposal to demolish four of the 1912 buildings. We need people on-hand to defend these architecturally and historically significant buildings and support their re-use as part of the site’s overall development plan.

The Tudor Revival Style buildings were designed by Alexander Eschweiler for the Milwaukee County School of Agriculture and Domestic Economy. All of the remaining buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

AGENDA WAUWATOSA HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MAY 3, 2012

7:00 p.m.

COMMITTEE ROOM #2 Wauwatosa City Hall 7725 W. North Ave.

  • New Business

  • Approval of meeting minutes

  • Eschweiler Buildings Redevelopment Update – Initial discussion of proposed plans

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