Saving and restoring historic buildings is vital to any city. The mixture of styles, ages, heights, and character helps to create an interesting vibrant urban environment. Further, it is useful to have a mix of buildings with differing ages, because this allows for a variety of rental prices which allows new businesses to grow in old buildings. Unfortunately, these goals and ideals are far too often not why historic designation of buildings is implemented in Milwaukee.

Historic preservation is a good thing, when for example it is used to restore City Hall or re-purpose the Grain Exchange because it adds value to Milwaukee. Unfortunately, when in the name of historic preservation “creative lawyering” is used to save a high priced view or a surface parking lot, it isn’t such a good thing. These are just two of examples of how historic preservation laws have been distorted in attempts to stop development projects instead of saving historic structures. I believe that the spirit of historic preservation regulations are to save significant structures when possible and to encourage their adaptive re-use so these buildings can be enjoyed long in to the future.

New Land Enterprises’ Goll Mansion Project has a new website and a new name, The Transera.  The company recently unveiled their new website.  Floor plans of units are now available, as well as a proposed amenities list.  The project recently gained approval from the Milwaukee Common Council.

Although only briefly discussed, the most controversial item approved today was the change in zoning for New Land Enterprises’ 26-story condominium tower to be built behind the historic Goll Mansion.

The only item on this meeting’s agenda was a request from New Land Enterprise for a change in zoning from RM7 to Detailed Planned Development which would facilitate the construction of a 26-story condominium tower on the Goll Mansion property.

This Historic Preservation Commission (“HPC”) meeting included agenda items for the high profile projects, The Palomar, The Brewery and the Goll Mansion redevelopment.

Original plans for the Palomar project involved the redevelopment of the Sydney Hih building as part of a new Kimpton Hotel. Over time these plans have changed and now Gatehouse Capitol and Ruvin Development intend to demolish the buildings to a develop new a 22-story building.

This meeting was the much anticipated combined City Plan Commission (“CPC”) and Historic Preservation Commission (“HPC”) meeting regarding New Land Enterprises’ development proposal for the Goll Mansion site. New Land Enterprises was looking for two separate approvals at this meeting to move the project forward. First a Certificate of Appropriateness (“COA”) from the Historic Preservation Commission and a change in zoning from RM-7 to Detailed Planned Development (“DPD”) from the City Plan Commission.

This project by New Land Enterprises proposes the construction of a 27-story 35-unit condominium development that would activate the Goll Mansion by utilizing it as the development’s lobby. Controversy flared up at a recent neighborhood meeting over concerns from residents of 1522 On The Lake that some of their view would be blocked and from historic preservation groups that raised concerns about insuring the preservation of the historic Goll Mansion.

New Land Development has made renderings available of their Goll Mansion project. We’ve reposted them here to continue discussion on the proposed development.

New Land Enterprises’ development of the Goll Mansion property, located at 1550 N. Prospect Avenue, has been in the works since 2005 when New Land Enterprises purchased the property. The current plan is to build a 27-story 35-unit condominium building that would utilize the historic Goll Mansion as the lobby of the condominium building. This plan would add $60 million to the City of Milwaukee’s tax base, enhance the skyline, bring new residents to the city and save the Goll Mansion.