Kaufmann Won’t Build In Historic District

Developer Juli Kaufmann and partner Mike Maschek were supposed to appear before the Historic Preservation for a third time, to win its approval for a new home in the North Point Historic District. They wanted to build a new two-story, 2,997-square-foot house on the 2400 block of N. Terrace Ave.

The commission had twice delayed approval, with chair Patti Keating Kahn warning her colleagues that they were giving conflicting and subjective guidance. The couple, with architect Patrick Jones of Ramsey Jones Architects, was scheduled to return Monday, but instead requested their application be terminated.

They’d had enough. “We concluded we were unwilling to continue participating in the HPC process,” Kaufmann told Urban Milwaukee.

The back-and-forth design process largely mirrors what Kaufmann’s would-be neighbors Tim Gokhman and Ann Shuk went through when they sought approval to construct two new houses in 2018. Gokhman identified the vacant site and struck a deal to purchase it from Ascension, but it was then added to the adjoining historic district.

Part of the issue is the architectural context in which the new houses sit is about as diverse as they come in Milwaukee. At the rear of the site is a multi-level parking structure attached to the Water Tower Medical Commons building, part of the Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital complex. Across N. Terrace Ave. is a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Immediately to the north is a German Renaissance-style brick house.

Neighbors, commissioners and commission staff expressed concern about Kaufmann’s proposal, including the appropriate setback, window location and roof materials. The approval was also waylaid by an unexpected medical leave on the commission staff. After an initial meeting in October, Kaufmann maintained the reclaimed-Cream-City-brick facade and made a series of minor changes to railings, windows, the front porch and other design elements. In November, the commission then sent the house back for further review.

Kaufmann and Maschek will remain in Riverwest, in a house constructed in 2018.

“We also affirmed how much we appreciate our kind and supportive neighbors in our welcoming community of Riverwest,” said Kaufmann. “We are unwilling to trade that for the stark contrast of this experience.”

The commission could look or operate differently in the future.

On Monday, Keating Kahn, who lives near the new houses on Terrace Ave., agreed to work with Common Council President Jose G. Perez on the city’s preservation process. Perez has raised concerns that the standards are interpreted or applied differently depending on the neighborhood, while Keating Kahn has raised concerns about consistency and establishing objective criteria.

Commission staffer Carlen Hatala, a three-decade veteran, announced that she was retiring at the end of the year.

The site of the proposed home, an 8,311-square-foot lot at 2409 N. Terrace Ave., was purchased by Kaufmann and Maschek for $350,000 in 2021 from a limited liability company connected to Gokhman and Shuk.

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.

Revised November Renderings

Kaufmann-Maschek October Renderings

September Photos

Shuk House Renderings

Gokhman House Renderings

Pre-Construction Photos