Cream City Brick House Proposed For East Side

The third of three new homes is slated to rise on a long-vacant lot on Milwaukee’s East Side.

Developer Juli Kaufmann would construct a new personal residence at 2409 N. Terrace Ave., near Lake Michigan and the eastern end of North Avenue. Kaufmann, with designs by Patrick Jones of Ramsey Jones Architects, is proposing a two-story, 2,997-square-foot residence. It would be clad primarily in reclaimed Cream City brick.

The new house would join two nearly finished new houses for New Land Enterprises business partners Tim Gokhman and Ann Shuk and their families. Those houses went through an extensive approval process dating back to 2018 as neighbors, with the support of then-alderman Nik Kovac, petitioned for the vacant site to be included in the North Point North Historic District. The neighbors claimed the site was always intended to be added to the district as part of the early 2000s expansion agreement with Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital. Gokhman and architect Jason Korb first needed to wait for the district to be expanded, then work with the commission on the design of the houses.

Kaufmann could also endure an extended approval process, although for entirely different reasons. Her proposal was initially being reviewed by commission staffer Tim Askin, but needed to switch to co-worker Carlen Hatala after Askin started an unexpected medical leave.

Hatala did a quick-turnaround review in advance of Monday’s Historic Preservation Commission meeting, but gave conflicting advice, said Kaufmann and Jones. Neither Kaufmann, Jones nor the commissioners faulted Hatala for the change requests given the circumstances, but the switch in which staffer is assigned to the project could extend the approval timeline. So could the commission itself.

“The scale of the house, its height and width, is more or less compatible,” said Hatala. But she has a number of concerns, including about the proposed setback, angle of the roof and other elements.

Jones said he had been working well with Askin to refine the design and, with Hatala, would now need to re-establish many components. Hatala, however, drew praise for quickly stepping in on many projects.

The challenges with how and what the commission should approve for new buildings, and its sometimes subjective nature, was laid bare by conflicting comments from two commissioners.

“This isn’t much of a guessing game,” said Commissioner Sally Peltz. She said there were “strict criteria.”

But Chair Patti Keating Kahn quickly dissented. “I would say this is a guessing game,” she replied.

Rehabilitating existing homes in historic districts is a matter of following guidelines about materials and styles. Creating entirely new structures within a district leads to a number of challenges, not the least of which is how much to try to mirror the neighboring properties.

The context in which the new houses sit is about as diverse as they come in Milwaukee, despite being in a historic district. At the rear of the site is a multi-level parking structure attached to the hospital’s Water Tower Medical Commons building. Across N. Terrace Ave. is a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Immediately to the north is a German Renaissance-style brick house. The development site, which Gokhman and Shuk parceled into three equal-sized lots, was created by the hospital in the 1960s when it demolished a mansion for parking.

Both Peltz and Keating Kahn agreed that Kaufmann would be able to reach a solution by working with Hatala. They also said the commission wasn’t hard to work with, responding to Gokhman’s comments in an interview published last Friday with Teddy Nykiel where he said it was almost easier to build an apartment building than a house.

Kaufmann would relocate to the Terrace Avenue house from one she built in recent years in Riverwest. She would move with her son and partner. Kaufmann has led a number of unconventional, but impactful development projects in the city, including the Dubbel Dutch hotel, Sherman Phoenix Marketplace, Cream City Hostel building and Clock Shadow Building. Her development firm is known as Fix Development. She’s also helped launch a number of nonprofits, including Fund Milwaukee and Bublr Bikes.

“Great quality, great heart,” said Keating Kahn of Kaufmann.

The commission held off acting on Kaufmann’s house to allow further work between staff and Jones.

Renderings

September Photos

Shuk House Renderings

Gokhman House Renderings

Pre-Construction Photos

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Related Legislation: File 220755