Turek was quietly replaced by his second-in-command, David Drent, who has now worked for 40 years at the War Memorial, including 15 as executive director. You might say change comes slowly to the War Memorial.

Meanwhile, the War Memorial has been slowly rotting. Back in 1994, a study of the facility by Kahler Slater architects and developer Gary Grunau found major problems at the 1957 facility and its 1975 Kahler addition. The study found $5.5 million was needed for repairs to the exterior and interior of the War Memorial, including nearly $1 million to replace the leaky art museum roof, which has allowed water into some gallery space.  Other repairs were needed to air conditioning and duct work, the report said, noting the museum “has a very dirty air distribution and duct system that contributes to a musty odor.”

The problems went back many years and had been slowly allowed to get worse. Then county supervisor Tom Bailey recommended Milwaukee County budget $7 million for the problem, but his proposal failed.

Milwaukee Art Museum officials would periodically complain that its art collection was at risk from the water damage and other problems, but nothing was done. In September 2007, water damage caused floors to buckle in the Kahler addition. Drent’s response was lethargic: “I don’t know if there’s a magic pill on this one,” he said. “But we need to find ways to minimize the damage.”

A 2005 editorial by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the facility’s problems suggested creating a public-private partnership that would enlist the aid of veterans groups to solve the problem. After all, local veterans groups had donated to other causes; why not to the city’s most important war memorial? The natural person to organize the effort would have been Drent, but no such campaign ever materialized.

Milwaukee's Lakefront

That, in essence, is what Milwaukee Art Museum art director Dan Keegan is proposing: the museum would raise $15 million in private dollars and the county would kick in $9.8 million (with much of the county money going to finally repair the same old problems). But Drent, who has in the past supported more funding from the county, now opposes the idea since Keegan’s plan calls for the museum to take over operation of the War Memorial. Keegan notes, reasonably enough, that the museum can’t spend money to repair and renovate a facility it doesn’t control — and whose landlord, he might have added, has long stood by as the museum’s art collection was periodically threatened by water damage.

“You’ve heard our plan,” Keegan says. “What is David Drent’s plan? I haven’t heard it yet.”

Drent will only say he needs more time: “We’re trying to figure out what we can do. It’s just very complicated.”

A county audit has suggested there are efficiencies to be realized if the museum and War Memorial merged operations. But Drent could lose his job — he earns $110,000 annually — if the museum took over the War Memorial.

Drent, however, contends his concern is the veterans. “We want to make sure the veterans will always be honored.”

But if this was truly Drent’s concern, why hasn’t he done more to stop the War Memorial’s deterioration?

Drent claims he works “closely” with the War Memorial veterans board, a kind of advisory board, but could not tell me their position on the art museum’s renovation plan. Nor could he supply a phone number for the board chairman.

As for the War Memorial Board of Trustees, its 15 member board includes just one member appointed by veterans. And the board might as well be invisible. The list of board members can’t be found at the War Memorial website or anywhere else online. When asked why, Drent says “I don’t have an answer for you. It should be.”

The reality is that the two groups most directly affected — the art museum and veterans — don’t really have much power over the War Memorial. Maybe that’s why its falling apart. Keegan’s proposal, once and for all, is a chance to solve the problem.

Southeast View

Many critics would argue that the War Memorial Center designed by Eero Saarinen is the city’s most important work of architecture, ranking it ahead of the Calatrava addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum. Yet the Saarinen has been allowed to slowly deteriorate. Worse, some of the resulting water seepage threatens the art museum’s collection of paintings, whose value is estimated at $1 billion. There is no similar concentration of great art and architecture to be found in Wisconsin, so you might think there would be great concern about fixing the problem. Curiously, that hasn’t been the case.

The reasons for that begin with the bizarre governance structure of the War Memorial. Though the art museum occupies 70 percent of the space in the Saarinen building and the Kahler addition built in 1975, it does not run the buildings. Instead they are run by War Memorial executive director David Drent, who answers to the War Memorial Board of directors, the majority of whose members are appointed by the County Executive and County Board because the county owns the buildings. The War Memorial Board also runs the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, the Charles Allis Museum and Villa Terrace. The reasons for this convoluted governance are historical, but as a September audit by Milwaukee County concluded, “there are six separate boards of directors” running these facilities.

If you were looking for just the right governance structure to assure that a great work of architecture would fall apart, this would probably be it. The county audit called the War Memorial’s governance structure “antiquated” and noted that its Board of Trustees “oversight role is limited…meets only quarterly, for approximately one hour per meeting.”

The audit offered a rough, “preliminary estimate” that repairs to the War Memorial and Kahler addition would cost at least $5.3 million. The document was signed by Drent and Daniel Keegan, Director of the Milwaukee Art Museum, who jointly promised to present a detailed response with possible solutions to the Milwaukee County Board by April, 2012. Drent, however, tells me he wants still more time, but won’t say how long is needed. Keegan says action must be taken as soon as possible, and that a comprehensive plan to truly assure the repair and restoration of the two buildings will cost $25 million. His plan calls for the museum to raise $15 million and the county to kick in $9.8 million, and for the museum to assume operation of the War Memorial, to assure it doesn’t fall into disrepair in future years.

It’s a sensible plan that’s long overdue and that constructively addresses the issues raised by the county audit, but sloppy reporting by the media and wrongheaded responses by county board members have already mired the plan in misunderstandings. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel led things off with a story incorrectly touting a $15 million plan, and Fox 6 echoed the figure in its story. (The Business Journal and, later, BizTimes.com, did get the figure right.) Among the many other misunderstandings are these:

The Veterans will be displaced: County Supervisor Michael Mayo blasted this plan as a “hostile invasion” by the art museum and called on the interest of veterans to be protected. Other board members suggested the museum and veterans groups should negotiate over control of the War Memorial. In fact, the veterans have little control over the War Memorial. They now appoint just one member of the War Memorial board. As the county audit noted, activity at the War Memorial is “heavily tilted” toward non-veteran activities, with veterans activities  accounting for just 20 percent of facility rentals and 11 percent of the office space used there.

Perhaps the best sign of how poorly their interests are served is that the city‘s major memorial has been allowed to deteriorate so badly.  The problems include cracked and broken glass, water seepage that has warped floors, crumbling concrete, rusting steel framing, a leaky roof and other problems. The War Memorial’s condition is “shameful,” Keegan says. “We believe that a memorial for veterans, for people who gave their lives for this country, needs to be treated better and we’ve put in place a plan to make that happen.”

Veterans weren’t consulted: As Mayo put it, they were “blindsided by surprise attacks.” Mayo offered not one example of a veteran who felt this way. Keegan says the art museum ran its plans by all the constituent groups overseen by the War Memorial Board, including the War Memorial veterans board, a kind of advisory board. “The veterans have said they don’t care one way or the other about the building’s governance,” Keegan says, “they just want the War Memorial to be preserved.” Drent concedes that the veterans group liked the museum’s plan. As to whether the veterans were concerned about the proposed governance change, Drent said “I can’t speak for the board.” Given that he opposes and could lose his job under Keegan’s plan, you can bet Drent would  present any evidence the veterans board was on his side.

Keegan’s plan calls for renovation of Fitch Plaza, a memorial to veterans toward the rear of the War Memorial, which has been neglected for years. It would become a memorial garden and green roof with paths leading toward a dramatic view of the lake. Veterans, he says, loved this idea.

The plan includes a new building: JS reporter Mary Louise Schumacher called it a “glassy new addition,” a “new structure” that would cost $5 million. That’s sort of accurate but conveys the idea this is a new building. It’s really just a refurbishing of two parts of the Kahler addition: the open air sculpture garden in the middle will be given a roof, to end water seepage problems and eliminate the hole in Fitch Plaza, much of which sits on the roof of the Kahler. The renovation will also give  the building a new East face, a glassy atrium that will replace the old glass wall that has leakage problems and allows no entry for visitors.  As the price tag suggests, this is just a renovation of an existing building.

The art museum is at fault for repair problems: This misleading claim was made by county supervisor John Weishan, who released a press release suggesting the county could have spent money to fix the War Memorial if the art museum would “simply start paying its utility bills” for use of the structure. Weishan doesn’t know his history. The War Memorial was created in 1957 with the dual purpose of creating both a veterans memorial and a home for what was then known as the Milwaukee Art Center; indeed, the lakefront project was originally supposed to include a performing arts hall as well, which was moved to Water Street and is today known as the Marcus Center. The county pledged to maintain this home for the art museum but in the last decade has slashed its support by more than $400,000 annually, as the audit noted, leaving the museum to make up the difference.

The reality is the county is the landlord and has let the structure deteriorate. You can’t blame that on the tenant. As Keegan puts it, “if we are going to put $15 million into two buildings we don’t own, it’s time for us to assume the responsibility for the buildings.”

Separate management is needed for the War Memorial: The county audit blew holes in this theory, by noting the potential to consolidate staff at the War Memorial and museum who now separately handle maintenance and engineering, facility rentals, parking, marketing and events planning. It also raised questions about the War Memorial’s management, noting that its parking system was “antiquated,” lacked sufficient control over cash collected, and charged “below market” rates. Other than preserving Drent’s job, it’s not clear why the War Memorial needs separate management.

Moreover, it makes no sense for the War Memorial board to be overseeing the Marcus Center, Charles Allis Museum and Villa Terrace. All three entities have asked to end this unwieldy governance structure, and the move is long overdue.

The reality is that both the city’s foremost veteran’s memorial and the community’s collection of $1 billion in art is gravely threatened by the deterioration of the War Memorial and a governance structure that makes no sense. This is not about the veterans versus the arts, but about better serving both groups.

-If you missed the big battle of AlderBobs Donovan and Baumann, check out Jeramey’s amusing story on it. 

-And yes, I’ve joined the tweeting, twittering masses. You can follow my opinions at Twitter at BruceMurphyMKE.

Eyes on Milwaukee

This week’s Eyes on Milwaukee column explores Herb Kohl’s commitment to a new arena, the idea of another downtown strip club, Northwestern Mutual’s potential new downtown building, and a whole lot more.

Herb Kohl’s Arena Commitment

At his annual end of the season press conference, team owner Herb Kohl announced his commitment to helping finance a new arena for the Milwaukee Bucks. Kohl got a lot of attention for committing to help finance a new arena, but avoided getting into details. It’s important to note that even though new stadiums are often built with substantial public investment, the teams themselves often contribute to the facility. This is no more clear than in Minnesota, where the Minnesota Vikings’ team share is one of the hot button issues for their new facility.

While Kohl said his commitment would be “not insignificant,” it’s unreasonable to hold our breath assuming he’ll pay for the majority of a new facility himself. Milwaukee got lucky once with Jane and Lloyd Pettit paying for the entire Bradley Center (with the hope of landing an NHL team – which is part of the reason the facility has so quickly become outdated), but it’s pretty clear that won’t happen again.

For a point of reference on current arena costs, the newest arena in the NBA, the Amway Center in Orlando, cost $480 million. I would guess a new facility in Milwaukee would cost less than that, but it’s not going to come in under $100 million like the Bradley Center did.

All in all, the most significant thing Herb Kohl did is start the public push for a new arena. We should expect whomever owns the Bucks to contribute to the costs of a new arena. That said, Kohl’s move of publicly announcing his commitment was certainly a shrewd public relations move.

We will certainly discuss this topic at length in the future. We’ve even in the past discussed tearing down the Bradley Center for a new facility.

A Second Downtown Milwaukee Strip Club

Silk owner Jon Ferraro is back with another license application for a strip club on Old World Third Street. He is applying at the same location he previously applied at, 730 N. Old World Third St., Of note, Jon Ferraro’s lawsuit against the city regarding his previous application for a strip club in this space (in 2010) is still pending. I assume the two are related, and I’m pretty sure we will find out soon how.

It’s important to note that if granted, Silk East would be the second strip club downtown. Art’s Performing Center is located at 144 E. Juneau Ave. Although only garnering 1 and a half stars on Yelp, Art’s clearly hasn’t damaged the image of downtown, and there isn’t any reason to believe Silk East would either. Aspiring to be like downtown Minneapolis and its numerous strip clubs on the other hand, that’s a bad idea.

Northwestern Mutual’s Possible New Downtown Building Staying Quiet

The Quiet Company has succeeded in keeping their development of a new facility to house hundreds of employees quiet. As a reminder, Northwestern Mutual announced in September of 2011 that they would demolish the 16-story brown office building located on the southeast corner of Mason and Cass streets because of looming long-term maintenance costs. In December it was announced they would buy the building located at 733 N. Van Buren Street from Joel Lee’s Van Buren Building Co, with the intent to close on the purchase in 2012 and move employees in 2013. The newly acquired building, formerly home of Cramer-Krasselt, was assessed at $4,502,000 in 2011.

Will the company stay and keep this batch of employees downtown? That remains to be seen, as the firm indicated they’re looking at their options for a new building downtown (where it currently has employees 3,000) or relocating the employees to the Franklin campus (2,000 existing employees). With the failure of Mayor Barrett to fit a square peg into a round hole by getting Kohl’s to move to the Park East, expect the city to throw everything they can at Northwestern Mutual to make sure their new building is downtown.

If the City fails to land the new building it will be quite ironic to see the Downtown Transit Center redeveloped while Northwestern Mutual replaces their 500,000 square foot building with a parking lot or empty park.

Facade Repair

Jeff Sherman notes the new “facade” given to the covered buildings on the 600 block of N. Broadway, just south of Wisconsin Ave. The buildings were formerly covered by an ugly wood facade, but it’s now painted to resemble resemble a building. While the new “facade” is a significant improvement, it’s a shame it took years to come together, and a real tenant would certainly be far more desired.

Sherman noted the new Marriott Hotel under construction a block away, but even more appreciative of the improvement to this empty building are likely the owners of the Hilton Garden Inn. The hotel, which is under construction on the same block, will occupy the rehabbed Loyalty Building. The website for the Hilton Garden Inn is now online.

As far as facade upgrades in the area go, the pair of buildings around the corner on Wisconsin Ave take the cake for an improvement (all part of the same parcel as the hidden the Broadway buildings). Ultimately though, all are a hollow effort until actual tenants move in.

For what it’s worth I’m also eager to see renovations get underway to improve the Iron Block Building at the corner of Water and Wisconsin. The Iron Block Building is one of the historic buildings that help give downtown Milwaukee its charming character.

Development News

The Milwaukee County Transportation, Public Works, and Transit Committee unanimously authorized the Director of the Department of Transportation to declare surplus and offer for sale the Downtown Transit Center today. This move keeps the redevelopment of the Downtown Transit Center on track. The authorization will now go before the full Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. Of note, the proceeds from the sale of the land will need to go for capital projects for transit in Milwaukee County, not for operating funds.

Openings and Closings

Cafe Centraal is expanding east. The Lowlands Group restaurant will occupy the space immediately to its east on E. Lincoln Ave that formerly housed an acupuncture and massage therapy business.

City.Net Cafe is coming soon to E. Wisconsin Avenue just east of Broadway. The original City.Net Cafe is open at 7211 W. Burgleigh Street. The website for the existing cafe is CityNetJazz.com, not City.Net. The cafe is owned by Sam Belton.

The Dogg House on Jefferson Street will be short-lived, at least for now. At the first regular meeting of the Licenses Committee during the current Milwaukee Common Council session, owner Mazen Muna was informed that he has likely been operating illegally (despite his understanding that the Health Dept had cleared his operation). Muna currently operates four other locations within the City of Milwaukee. This only goes to show how the City’s licensing process is at times quite confusing and ripe for overhaul. As of lunch today, the restaurant is still open presumably using some form of double jeopardy defense.

Greek Village Gyros intends to open at 1888 N. Humboldt Ave. the location was formerly home to Meglio Pizzeria. The registered agent on the liquor license application is George Dimitropoulos.

O’Lydia’s Bar and Grill, 338 S. 1st Street (formerly Slim McGinn’s), is opening an art gallery on its second floor. OnMilwaukee has more.

Rumor Lounge, an upscale lounge, has had their liquor license approved at Monday’s Licenses Committee meeting. The lounge will open at the corner of Pittsburgh Avenue and 1st Street in Vetter Denk’s headquarters (161 South 1st Street).

The Twisted Fisherman Crab Shack also had their liquor license approved at Monday’s Licenses Committee meeting. The Crab Shack is the latest venture from Russ Davis and will open in a converted warehouse in the Menomonee Valley. Davis also has operated Rio West Cantina, Lakefront Brewery Palm Garden, Riverwalk Boat Tours and the Hubbard Park Lodge. He formerly operated Cafe Vecchio and later The Red Accordian in the space currently occupied by The Loaded Slate.

You could be hanging out just below the US Bank sign on Monday of next week. Learn more below.

Welcome to the eighth installment of Eyes on Milwaukee. This week I invite you to a handful of Urban Milwaukee events, challenge you to name the new river skimmer, and share a fair amount of development news and information about new restaurants in Milwaukee.

Future of Transit Discussion and Cocktail Hour at the top of the US Bank Center

If you care about transit in Milwaukee, or if you simply want the best view of the city available, come to the 40th floor of the US Bank Center next Monday night, April 16th from 5:30 until 8:00.  The event will include a discussion on the future of transit in Milwaukee and how we move through the city.

Preceding the panel discussion will be a cocktail hour with a view (complete with a cash bar and some appetizers). The event will be held in the offices of Foley & Lardner on the 40th floor of the US Bank Center, the tallest building in Wisconsin.

The panel discussion will be moderated by Alex Runner, with panelists Alderman Robert Bauman, Alderman Nik Kovac, and myself. It will primarily focus on the Milwaukee Streetcar project, but there will be ample time for the  audience to ask questions.

More details in our previous article.

Urban Milwaukee Store Grand Opening and Gallery Night

If you’re looking for something to do Friday, April 20th, look no further. We’re having a grand opening party at Urban Milwaukee: The Store in conjunction with Gallery Night. Come join us at the store anytime between 10 a.m. and midnight. Take the “art tunnel” through the back of our store to Sublime between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. for happy hour drinks and appetizers.

Urban Milwaukee: The Store is located at 755 N. Milwaukee St and sells paintings, photography, t-shirts, postcards, books, and more, all of which showcase Milwaukee, and are made by Milwaukeeans. If you needed more convincing, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel art and architecture critic Mary Louse Schumacher also recommends you stop by.

Learn more about the store or RSVP on the Facebook event.

Name the River Skimmer

The river skimmer, MMSD’s mostly anonymous weapon that keeps the rivers around Milwaukee looking clean, is set to be replaced with a new boat.  In addition to that,  MMSD has partnered with The City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Downtown BID #21, The Milwaukee Riverwalk District, Inc., BID #15, Veolia Water Milwaukee and OnMilwaukee.com to give the new vessel a name. The new vessel will use one-third less fuel and will be able to collect twice as much debris.

Development News

The building that formerly housed Bella’s Fat Cat restaurant in Bay View, 2737 S. Kinnickinnic Ave, has been sold. SK Management LLC has purchased the building and is “maybe putting a Mexican restaurant” in the space, according to registered agent Shirley Konopski.

The “world’s largest Qdoba” may not hold that unofficial title much longer. The 14-story Residences on Water, also known as Milwaukee’s largest unfinished building or the Staybridge Suites building, is set to be auctioned off at 10 a.m. on May 8th at the Milwaukee Athletic Club. Two firms are likely to bid. You can find a number of photos of the almost empty building on Flickr.

Four thousand and six students, or roughly 14.6% of the UWM student body, turned out for a referendum on a new student union. Seventy-two percent voted to approve the construction of a new student union, which will raise tuition $70 per semester starting in 2013, and $282 per semester in 2018, until 2034.

Lindsey Bovinet, CEO of Interior Systems, Inc., has made an offer to purchase the Eisner Building at 200 N. Water Street. The space might be used to host the Creative Alliance of Milwaukee. The building was formerly home to the Eisner American Museum of Advertising & Design which closed in 2010. The building also recently housed MIAD’s residence hall, which relocated to 1824 Park Place until the college is able to fund the construction of its new residence hall in the Historic Third Ward.

Sean Ryan does one of his Take 5 interviews with Juli Kaufmann

Openings and Closings

Arin-Bert, a coffee shop, has opened at 222 W. Wells Street. The space formerly housed Finch’s Corned Beef, Five Dollar Deli, Philly Way, Wingz, and Amazon Pizza.

FLAVOR Cycle, a new bicycle-based food delivery service, has started delivering food to much of the city’s urban core. You might recognize the delivery bikers as some of the same people that make up Milwaukee’s bicycle couriers.

Nehring’s Family Market, owned by Anne and John Nehring, will open in the Milwaukee Public Market. The Nehring’s also operate Nehring’s Sendik’s in Shorewood and G. Groppi Food Market in Bay View.

The Philly Way, billed as “The East Side’s answer to a ‘REAL’ Philly Cheese Steak,” will open at 1330 E. Brady Street in the former Miss Groove space. The Philly Way already has a location at 405 S. 2nd street.

Sphinx Coffee, located at 1751 N. Farwell Ave, appears to be closed. For a number of weeks the space, which expanded into the former PJ’s Original Subs and Clubs space in the past year, had a sign claiming electrical difficulties were the reason for its closure. Now a for lease sign adorns the coffee shop formerly operated by Mona’s Restaurants. Mona’s Turkish Shawarma House, also part of Mona’s Restaurants and located across Farwell at 1814 N. Farwell Ave, remains open.

Yo Factory, despite apparent trouble with power, is now accepting applications. They also posted a photo of a WE Energies truck on site a few hours ago, another good sign. Hopefully frozen yogurt will be served soon at 2203 N. Farwell Ave.

Food truck lovers rejoice; Take Out Tuesday is back at Schlitz Park and Food Truck Thursdays are back at the Milwaukee County Courthouse.

Zaafaran, a Thai and Indian restaurant at 780 N. Jefferson Street, has closed after a little less than a year in business. The restaurant was owned and operated by Manoj Tiwari and Neeta Tiwari.

Photo of the Week

Uninvited Silence by CJ Schmit

One view of the city from the 40th floor of the US Bank Center

If you care about transit in Milwaukee, or if you simply want the best view of the city available, come to the 40th floor of the US Bank Center next Monday night, April 16th from 5:30 until 8:00 for a cocktail hour and discussion on the future of transit in Milwaukee and how we move through the city.

The cocktail hour comes complete with a cash bar and appetizers. The event will be held in the offices of Foley & Lardner on the 40th floor of the US Bank Center, the tallest building in Wisconsin.

If you’re able to pry your eyes away from the windows,  a panel discussion will follow the cocktail hour moderated by Alex Runner, with panelists Alderman Robert Bauman, Alderman Nik Kovac, and myself. The panel will begin with a focus on the Milwaukee Streetcar project, but there will be ample time for the  audience to ask questions.

The event is free, but you will need to be in before 6 p.m. to gain access. Please RSVP via our Facebook event, or on YPWeek.com.

We hope to see you there, and at other Young Professional Week events. Milwaukee’s first Young Professional Week is being led by NEWaukee.

If you’re looking for Wednesday’s regularly scheduled Eyes on Milwaukee column, it will arrive on Thursday. I’m conducting research on how easy and enjoyable it is to take the Amtrak Hiawatha to Wrigley Field to watch the Milwaukee Brewers stomp the Chicago Cubs.

Preservation is an important component of Milwaukee’s built environment, but that doesn’t mean that adjustments to our preservation ordinance aren’t in order.  Unlike Alderman Witkowski’s proposed changes, my suggestions are about freeing the process from politics, reducing the ability of lobbying and money to impact Milwaukee’s history, and at the same time making the process a touch more developer friendly.

Two recent development projects, and the process they went through, have shed light on the what the real issues are with Milwaukee’s historic preservation legislation.

Hide House Lofts Construction

One story is about a workforce housing development, and the effort to stop it from being built.  General Capital Group planned to demolish a portion of the Hide House warehouse structures to develop an apartment building that was funded in part with WHEDA tax credit financing.  Shortly before demolition was to begin, in what was a transparent effort to stop the project, Alderman Zielinski nominated the building for historic designation.  Opposition to the project stemmed from the proposed development being built with WHEDA tax credits, not because it might be historic.  This abuse of our historic preservation ordinance did damage to the process, by making it about low-income residents and not historic preservation.  This isn’t the only time this distortion of motivation has entered the debate, and this case might have encouraged others to follow this example by ‘putting a wrench‘ into another project.  The wrench being our historic preservation laws being used for all the wrong reasons.

Marriott Hotel Site Demolition Work

The second story, involved the construction the new Marriott Hotel in downtown Milwaukee.  The proposal required the demolition of numerous buildings in the long established Historic East Side Commercial District.  This proposal immediately became political, as a public relations firm was hired, a scapegoat was found in Alderman Bauman, and an enemy was selected, historic preservation.  It quickly became about Milwaukee being open for business, instead respecting the process and our history.  Despite the perception of this process taking a long time, it took a total of 77 days to go from a partially filled file to Common Council approval, which was significantly quicker and faster than any project in recent historic.  Not only did the commission move quickly, but in the end the development was able to move forward, despite this being a clear case of demolition by neglect.  Unfortunately, for our history and our process, it became a political process that distorted our laws, disregarded procedure, and vilified preservation.

In both cases the developments ended up moving forward, but more importantly each case shows an example of how the process has been tainted by politics.  In the first it was to stop ‘low-income’ housing.  In the second the motivation behind opposition to a project was to protect a historic district (not just the individual buildings), but was twisted into a belief that the ordinance was anti-business.

Clearly, our historic preservation laws  should balance development and preservation.  But more importantly it should act to remove politics from preservation cases, not deepen its influence.

So lets critique Ald Witkowski’s proposed legislation (note his legislation was loosely defined, and the final language has not been presented), and then I’ll make some of my own suggestions.

1. Establishes a $25 fee to nominate a structure or district.  There have only been a eleven properties nominated in the past five years, and a $25 would not have stopped any of these properties from being nominated.
2. Restricts the nomination of a property or district to the property owner, a Common Council member, or by petition from at least 25 city residents.  During the Historic Preservation Commission meeting on this ordinance Randy Bryant, HPC Chair,  stated that this,  “is really not a problem for us”, because the vast majority of the commission’s actions have been upheld by the Common Council.  Although it is true that most of the commission’s actions have been upheld some refinement is still needed, because it isn’t simply that their actions are upheld it is also about protecting the process.  The recommend change makes designation slightly more difficult while still allowing influence to enter the debate.  Instead the ordinance should to allow the property owner, or 25 city residents to nominate a property, but remove the Common Council member’s ability to nominate a property.  This will limit the political nature of the process, and although it raises the bar for designation, Milwaukee has two active preservation organizations that should be able to find 25 citizens willing to participate if the nomination is worthwhile.
3. Demolition by Neglect.  Speaking at the commission meeting Alderman Bauman said it right, “to the extent that this can be toughened up, I’m all in favor of it”.   As the Marriott case pointed out, this is an area that needs improvement, as today it is common to wait for buildings to deteriorate to the point that demolition becomes the acceptable option.  Perhaps the city could enact new grant or loan programs to help restore historic properties, while at same time the city should work to ensure better and stiffer enforcement of code violations so that buildings don’t fall into disrepair.
4. Removes the provision requiring the HPC to wait 30 days for a further public hearing after a CoA application has been initially heard by the HPC.  The large turnout and extensive development team’s appearance at the first commission meeting regarding the Marriott proposal made it abundantly clear that almost no one on either side of the issue was aware of this 30 day waiting period.  Remove it or leave it as part of the process, but either way the key here is to clarify the language in the ordinance so that everyone, the commission members, the developer, and the public are keenly aware of the process so as to avoid any appearance of arcane tactics and political maneuvers being utilized.
5. Voice of the Owner 1 – Requires that the commission attempts to obtain a written statement of the owner’s preference in the designation of a historic property.  This would simply be the codifying of current policy, and therefore is a reasonable change.
6. Voice of the Owner 2 -  If the owner of a site or structure, or 35% or more of the owners included in a proposed district, file written objections, the designation would not become effective without super majorities (2/3) of both the Historic Preservation Commission and Common Council.   Alderman Bauman put the impact of this change well saying, “this waters down the entire thrust of historic preservation”.  The designation process does need improvement, (addressed in a bullet point below), but this would set a tremendously high bar for designation.  At a minimum the super majorities should be dropped to simple majorities, and the property ownership required to stop designation should be at least a majority.  Without these changes this ordinance might very well might become what Alderman Bauman called it, “the absentee landlord empowerment bill”.
7. New construction design review - Requires the HPC to consider the Department of City Development’s design review recommendations when considering applications for certificates of appropriates for new construction.  Having DCD involved in the discussion of new construction could lead to better projects, and in no way negatively impacts the saving of historic structures.
8. Timing of Demolition Permits – Reduces the deferral period from 12 to 8 months. This might be an “olive branch to the development committee” as Jim O stated, and it seems reasonable, besides once it’s gone, it’s gone what difference does it make if it takes a year or 8 months.
9. Proof of Financing for Issuance of Demolition Permit.  One of the primary concerns with the Marriott proposal was that the historic buildings would be demolished, and nothing would be built in their place, an all too common occurrence.  Avoiding this bait and switch, is a critical improvement that needs to be spelled out in detail in the ordiance.
10. Consideration of Economic Hardship – Directs the HPC to develop a procedure to permit CoA applicants to make a case for economic hardship.  Opening up the commission to consider economic hardship cuts away at the fundamental purpose of the commission, this should be handled through an appeal process through the Common Council.
11. Legislative Oversight.  Allows the Common Council, by resolution, to consider and act on any application for a CoA that has been on file for more than 90 days.  No.  This would move place historic preservation policy firmly into the political realm, and as Alderman Bauman explained could become “a new roadmap to applications, who don’t want to respect the system”.
12. De-Listing 1 – a 3/4 (12 votes) vote of the Common Council (and commission) is require to terminate a historic designation (owner, common council member, 35%).  Matt Jarosz, a commission member, summed up the fundamental  issue with this change saying, “a minority of a neighborhood being able to change the character of a neighborhood is just a terrifying thing”.  Clearly,the minimum requirements of 35% of a district being able to push de-listing of a historic neighborhood  should at least be changed to a majority of property owners.  Further, an individual Common Council member shouldn’t be able to bring a de-listing forward as that circumvents the other protections.
13. Historic Plaque Program.  Although, memorializing the failure to save our history seems sad its result is irrelevant to actual preservation, and therefore is an acceptable change to the ordinance.

Our additional suggestions.

• Tighten criteria for designation.  To the public it appears that just about any old building can receive designation.  The current criteria should be further clarified, and potentially narrowed to eliminate this perception.
• A Common Council member should not sit on the Historic Preservation Commission.  The Common Council already has the ability to weigh in on a CoA, or a nomination through the appeals process, by having a Council member on the commission it opens this portion of the process to the appearance and potentially influence of politics.  Additionally, it amounts to one vote being predetermined at the council level.
• A Common Council member should not be allowed to vote on any nomination they submitted to the Commission.  If the ability for an Common Council member to nominate a property is not removed, as suggested above, then at a minimum the council member should not vote on the matter, as this also amounts to one vote being predetermined at the council level.

“Hopefully we can improve the ordinance”.  I couldn’t agree more Alderman Witkowski.

MSOE Soccer Parking Facility

Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee City Plan Commission both unanimously recommended approval of the Milwaukee School of Engineering’s parking garage proposal in the Park East.  These approvals point out that City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County politicians are anxious to see new development in the Park East. Unfortunately, as currently conceived this isn’t a project worthy of approval.

During the City Plan Commission hearing Dr. Viets, Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) President, stated that “I view this request before you, as part of our commitment to downtown”,  and there is no doubt that MSOE is committed to and critical to downtown Milwaukee (note without MSOE there would likely not be an Urban Milwaukee), but this is not the right way to show MSOE’s commitment.

To quote Dr. Herman Viets, President MSOE, “…we could certainly do better”.  Yes, we, as in Milwaukee County, the City of Milwaukee, and MSOE can certainly do better.

Issues with the project

• Does not meet the requirements of the Park East Redevelopment Plan.  As Vanessa Koster, of the Department of City Development, explained during the City Plan Commission meeting, “since it does not comport to the design standards of the Park East Redevelopment Plan” action is needed to remove the parcel from the Redevelopment Area.  In this case the parking garage doesn’t meet the height requirements, the mixed-use requirement, won’t create any sort of terminating vista, and in fact deviates from the street design’s within the plan, as Ogden Avenue will not be put through if this project moves forward.  The plan for the Park East was worthy when originally developed, and this project doesn’t come close to offering benefits that exceed the design requirements.
• Does not maximize tax-base creation.  Although MSOE will pay property taxes on the 12,000 SF retail slot, and any parking spots leased out to non-MSOE users, it is possible that when the BMO Harris lease runs out the entire parking portion of the facility will become tax exempt. Discussions about this garage catalyzing future Park East development have taken place, and are flawed, MSOE has made it clear that in the long-run they intend to utilize the full garage, leaving no space for other regular users.
• Limits a large portion of the Park East to a single use – parking.  As part of the deal BMO Harris’ (M&I) is acquiring a key parcel of Park East property along Water St (in exchange for selling a parcel to MSOE).   The agreement specifies that BMO Harris won’t use the site as a surface parking lot for at least five years, but after that time period the possibility of that parcel becoming surface parking is high.  Bruce Westling, President of NAI MLG Commercial, who spoke in support of the project did so with a caveat, “I’d be very concerned that we get lulled into a green space for 5 years and then parking”.
• Design does not address the street.  Although the soccer field will be at ground level at Broadway and Knapp Street, there appears to be extremely minimal consideration for creating a public space that draws people into the field.  Much of the building will present itself to the street as a parking garage, which is not a use that will serve to activate the street.  Further, the proposal does include a park space along Water St., but seems to be of an more an afterthought than a key component of the design. In addition, as MSOE participates in Division 3 athletics it is likely that thousands of seats aren’t needed, but the current seating plans are underwhelming.
• Encourages driving.  Although the intention is for this to be used for long-term parking for students, the likely outcome will be more driving from students as a result hundreds of additional parking stalls being placed so near to campus.

How did we get here?

There’s a feeling in the community that the City of Milwaukee needs something, apparently anything, to be happening in the former right-of-way of the Park East freeway.  And apparently Milwaukee County simply needs funds. In particular the support for the project stems from the funds being earmarked to fund the Ready to Work program, a job skill training program for city youth.  Additionally, some members of the Milwaukee County Board were looking for a win for the Park East Redevelopment Compact, as made evident in a recent comment by Supervisor Dimitrijevic, “our standards to build sustainably, hire locally, and pay family- supporting wages will be met.”  For MSOE it is about replacing approximately 200 spaces that are rented across the river (and adding hundreds more spaces), so these spots will be closer for students to access.  Development in the Park East, and jobs for Milwaukee County residents are all laudable goals, but are they good enough reasons to forgo a good project down the line for this one?  No.

Despite supporting the project, Alderman Kovac summed up a key concern regarding this project, “if this lot ever becomes surface parking, this project will be a mistake”.  The alderman is right, if the adjacent lot does become a surface parking lot, the project is a clear failure, but we believe for the reasons listed above this project is already a failure.

The Moderne

As the US economy continued its slow recovery from the Great Recession, Milwaukee was left with a couple of failed development projects to complete, a changing real estate market, the opportunity to make small infrastructure changes, and questions about the future of transit.  In 2011, some of these ‘failed projects’ moved towards becoming successes, while the developers in town shifted from condominium development to apartments and hotels.  Small changes to the built environment came in the form of new bike infrastructure, and the conversion of streets to two-way traffic.  Although the Milwaukee County Transit System once again faced budget cuts, there was movement in bringing new modern transit service to Milwaukee in the form of express busing.

First Place on the River, Park Lafayette, and The Residences on Water all ended up in serious financial trouble, and in some cases in drawn out legal battles.  Park Lafayette, which had been considered by many a failure, became a turnaround success under the guidance of the Mandel Group in 2011 as it was converted from high-end condos to luxury apartments, and today it is 93% occupied.  Equally as impressive of a turnaround story is The Point on the River (formally First Place on the River).  The developer had run out of funding, and once the lending bank took over they brought in the  Mandel Group to complete the project.  Ever since, Mandel Group and Garrison Partners have been steadily selling units in the project, and while there were over 45 units available this time last year there are only 11 available for sale today.  The one significant project that has yet to be resolved is The Residences on Water, but signs indicate that the drawn out legal battle surrounding it is coming to a close.

The apartment market saw continued development through a strong reliance on WHEDA tax credits and other forms of  government financing (due to the weakened financial industry).  The construction of the Beerline B Apartments, which is being funded with WHEDA tax credits, nears completion.  Another WHEDA funded project, the 73-unit National City Lofts in Walker’s Point, began accepting tenants in October.  Although Mercy Housing Lakefront’s East Side apartment proposal received various city approvals, and appeared on the verge of moving forward, it failed to obtain WHEDA tax credits to support the funding of the project.  The second phase of The North End development, which will include two buildings and 155-units, gained approval for a $4.6 million loan from the City of Milwaukee and will utilize $26.9 million in WHEDA bonding to construct the project.  The most visible development in 2011 has been the construction of  the 30-story 203-unit apartment building, The Moderne.  It was financed with a $42.4 million loan from the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust (HIT), a $9.3 million loan by the City of Milwaukee, and $5 million private equity, and expects to be topping off in early 2012.

Hotel development became a hot area of development and controversy in 2011.  The controversial Marriott Hotel project was approved by the city, and in part because of the debate more of the historic buildings than originally proposed will be saved.  Unlike the Marriott project, two other downtown hotels are being developed within historic structures without significant demolition.  A proposal that would develop a Hilton Gardens Hotel within the Historic Loyalty Building in downtown Milwaukee worked through legal issues allowing for construction to get underway.  At The Brewery, Gorman & Company has started the redevelopment of the former brewhouse building into a boutique hotel.

Alterra's On-Street Bicycle Corral

The built environment saw small, but important improvements in 2011.  Wells Street was finally converted to two-way traffic and carmaggedon didn’t follow.  The streetscaping of Broadway in the Historic Third Ward, which will tie the district together, is finally being completed.  Bay View saw Milwaukee’s first raised bike lane built, and on-street bike corrals began popping up on streets around the East Side.  S. 2nd Street, in Walker’s Point, re-opened with the new street redesign, and quickly saw numerous establishments add cafe seating, and a the construction of a new building, the Milwaukee Fix, get underway.

Transit both made steps forward and steps backwards in 2011.  As we believed would happen, cuts to mass transit funding were deep at the state level, and threatened to push MCTS off the cliff.  Although new County Executive Chris Abele worked to maintain transit service by converting some routes to express routes to save money, this still represented a net reduction in service.  At the same time, the Milwaukee Streetcar project was approved by the Common Council on a 10-5 vote this year and has now proceeded into final engineering.  Though as we feared a challenge is being made to Milwaukee’s local control.  Brett Healy, of Oconomowoc, has petitioned the Public Service Commission to rule that, despite local ordinance, the City of Milwaukee must pay the cost to re-locate utilities operating in the public rights-of-way necessitated by the streetcar construction.

In 2011 Milwaukee continued to face a difficult financial and political environment, but managed to move forward on improvements to the built environment, transit, and many significant development projects.

Two-way Wells St.

It has been more than a week since Wells Street was converted to two-ways, and it has indeed been Carmaggedon.  Drivers have been confused by the unusual street configuration.  Two-ways, really?  The fear generated by being able to turn right and go East on to Wells St. has caused mass hysteria causing more than a few people to quickly park in available parking spots.  In fact just the other day there was a three-car-and-one-bicycle backup getting around a FedEx truck.  And now there are more cars than one can count driving close to the speed limit.  Yes, it has been Carmageddon!

Well no, much like the overhyped L.A. Carmageddon.  Similar to when the 405 expressway was closed temporarily, or when the Park East Freeway spur was removed, the conversion of Wells St. to two-way traffic has actually not brought about mass confusion, traffic jams, or a significant increase in congestion.  In fact it appears drivers are quickly becoming accustomed to the new configuration.  Drivers are now turning right onto Wells St. instead of driving around the block to get to a parking spot, driving closer to the speed limit down Wells St., and are trying new routes to get to their destination.

As this two-way street conversion has once again not brought Carmageddon to the streets of Milwaukee, it is clear the continued effort to rebuild the two-way street network is on the right path in downtown Milwaukee, but is far from complete.  The incomplete conversion of State St. needs to be rectified in the future, Broadway is just one block short of better connecting the Historic Third Ward with downtown Milwaukee, and Jackson St. still becomes a race track after crossing Wells St.  These three are just some of the segments left to convert to two-way traffic in downtown Milwaukee, but if recent history tells us anything, it is that Carmageddon won’t be around the next corner.

During the lunch hour on Wednesday, there will be a design charrette for the Brighten the Passage project. If you’re like to stop by to contribute, the group will be meeting on-street at the corner of Water Street and Wisconsin Avenue.

The Brighten the Passager project will create a more attractive connection between the Historic Third Ward and downtown by improving the space underneath the elevated Interstate 794.

As a background on charrettes, they’re a planning technique that consults with all stakeholders to bring all ideas to the table and rapidly reach a solution to a design problem.

Please stop by and contribute. Your suggestions will be shared in advance of the upcoming design competition.

Event Flyer (PDF)

This event is just one of many Landscape Architecture events occurring across the the country on the 17th.

New Stoplights on Wells St.

Wasting no time, the Department of Public Works has already began work on the conversion of Wells Street to a two-way street throughout downtown.  In particular, new street lights have gone up at the intersections of Milwaukee Street and Wells Street, and Jefferson Street and Wells Street

The city is evidently moving quickly to insure the street is ready before the Wisconsin Avenue bridge closing, because this two-way conversion will provide better access to multiple businesses in Westown that would otherwise be difficult to access during the closing.  This short-term need is certainly important and was the impetus for the change, but the long-term need is just as significant.

Eliminating this multi-lane, one-way expressway will improve downtown Milwaukee’s pedestrian and retail environment, while also improving access for people driving to their destinations.  As has been seen after the conversion of E. State Street, it will significantly reduce the rampant speeding that occurs regularly on Wells St. which will make the street more comfortable to cross and walk along.  Additionally, two-way streets eliminate the need to endlessly circle the block, while improving accessibility for people unfamiliar with the area.  Further, in conjunction with lower traveling speeds it will improve visibility to businesses along Wells Street making the street more desirable to retail locations, and in turn to pedestrians.  All are good reasons to consider converting the street back to two-ways, and when it’s all put together it is a simple choice, Wells Street can be oriented for speeding and a handful peak travel days or for pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and business owners daily use.

Although there is a small possibility the street could revert to one-way travel after the Wisconsin Avenue bridge rebuild completion, it is more likely people will forget it was ever a one-way street.  Much of  State Street, Milwaukee Street, Jackson Street, Van Buren Street and Broadway have been converted to two-way streets in the past twenty years, and all have helped to improve downtown Milwaukee’s built environment, for the pedestrian, business owner, and even the person behind the wheel.  Seeing that none of these streets have been converted back to one-way streets, it is more than likely that Wells Street will have the same success.

A View from Underneath I-794

Walking from downtown to the Historic Third Ward can be an uncomfortable experience.  I-794 and the sea of surface parking lots on Water St., Broadway, and Milwaukee St. create an isolated and intimidating dead spot that deters pedestrians from walking between the two districts.  At night, it’s worse, because the bridge creates a darkened tunnel that fosters the perception of danger and distance.  Quite simply, I-794 disconnects the Historic Third Ward from downtown Milwaukee.

Thankfully, there is an effort underway to resolve the issue.  The City of Milwaukee in collaboration with the Historic Third Ward and the Milwaukee Downtown BID will be launching a design competition, known as Brighten the Passage, with the goal of turning this unforgiving wasteland in to an asset.  This concept of turning a blighting freeway overpass into somewhat of amenity is not unheard of, in fact Toronto recently broke ground on a $4.7 million project, which will create an urban park.  The park will have landscaped walkways, sports playgrounds and even cafes under the overpass creating an inviting environment for pedestrians to traverse.  On a smaller, more affordable, scale this is what the Brighten the Passage effort is intending to do.

The competition is open to students and design practitioners of any discipline and experience.  Design solutions could include ideas such as lighting, public art, landscaping, various forms of programming, while being creative, cost effective, and requiring minimal maintenance.  The solution should create an inviting pedestrian experience that feels safe at all hours, and shortens the perceived distance between the neighborhoods.