Historic Preservation Commission Meeting
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The Milwaukee Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) administers Milwaukee’s historic preservation ordinance, adopted in 1981, which provides certain kinds of legal protection for buildings or sites that have been declared historic by the Common Council. The HPC is responsible for designating historic landmarks and historic districts and for approving Certificates of Appropriateness (COAs) for permission to alter historic buildings.
The HPC meets monthly on Mondays in City Hall, Room 301A, 200 E. Wells Street at 4:00 P.M. unless otherwise indicated.
Categories: Events
My name is Keith Pajot and I rent a space at 327 East Wisconsin Avenue which i use for a used bookstore. I would like to inform you that the owner of that property, Robert Levine has offered to move my bookstore at largely his expense to the building west of my building. I want to inform you that I believe this is in the best long term interest of my business.
The proposed building of the Marriott Hotel at the 321-7 location would not result in the dissolution of my business or the dismissal of any of my current workers. I believe the building of the hotel would in the long run add to the viability of my bookstore and the block as a whole. I therefore support the project.
As to the outside of the buildings, if there is something worth preserving there I would leave that up to you. But I can assure you that inside the building there is nothing that is historically significant. Local arcitectural historian Russell Zimmerman’s evaluation in the Heritage Guidebook for Milwaukee that the structure “has all but been destroyed through remodeling and additions” is accurate.
I urge the commission to approve this project,
Respectfully,
Keith Pajot
Owner of Downtown Books
327 East Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee WI 53202
@Keith Is the building they intend to move Downtown books into the building on the corner of Wisconsin and Broadway? I’m curious because just prior to the hotel proposal these same owners (MBI) proposed demolishing that building as well to build an office building? And that building in particular is worth saving.
Yes that is the location. Its greater historical value is the reason they decided to do it at my location. It seems they have given up on the prior project and any hope that this building could be demolished. Indeed to house me they would probably have to modify that building to meet the requirements of the HP Commission. If this proposal goes through I was told they would have the money to restore the Wis-Broadway building. I would occupy a portion of the ground floor and the entire second floor and granted a long term lease w/o demolition clause.
Keith
@Keith Pajot That does make me feel better about the proposal, as one of my big concerns with this is it would set a precedent so MBI could come back again and propose (as they have before) demoing the buildings on Broadway.
My other big fear is we’ll see the buildings come down, they won’t get financing and we’ll have a big surface parking lot. There many examples of this happening.