3100 block of W. Wisconsin Ave. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

A proposed historic district for a two-block area of W. Wisconsin Avenue has created a preservation debate with at least four competing sides. And it’s likely to yield even more historic designation proposals and contested hearings.

James Dieter ignited the debate in January when he nominated two apartment buildings and three homes built between 1889 and 1925 for inclusion in a proposed 31st and Wisconsin Historic District.

Dieter doesn’t own any of the properties, but lives nearby in a historic mansion on W. Kilbourn Avenue and has pushed, both in hearings and a lawsuit, for improvements to the city’s near west side neighborhoods.

Creation of a historic district would grant the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) authority to review any modifications to the exterior of the properties.

But the decision to merge homes built between 1889 and 1899, part of the “Country Estates” era of what was then Grand Avenue, with apartment buildings built between 1914 and 1925, a period when the large buildings replaced the homes, is one of the issues that resulted in the Historic Preservation Commission’s planners recommending on Feb. 5 that the district not proceed as proposed.

“Staff’s recommendation is that the commission find that the standard for a historic district is not met,” said commission planner Andrew Stern. “This is mainly because the La Lenore Apartments at 3133 have lost so much integrity as to not be designated historic.”

Area Alderman Robert Bauman called it “frankly unbelievable architectural destruction, almost intentional, almost an effort to see ‘how bad I can make this building.'”

But that doesn’t mean the issue is dead, far from it.

Stern still recommends the city proceed with historically designating the Millerand Apartments, 3035 W. Wisconsin Ave. And Bauman said he expected a historic district to be proposed just for the homes, 3111, 3121 and 3127 W. Wisconsin Ave., and suggested it could also grow to include two houses across the street, the Brumder Mansion at 3046 W. Wisconsin Ave. and the bungalow at 3034.

Initial Battle

February’s hearing was already the second debate in a historic preservation debate that threatens to be hotly contested.

In January, HPC reviewed Dieter’s petition for an emergency temporary historic designation for the Millerand.

Berrada Properties, the city’s largest private landlord, owns the Millerand and the La Lenore. The company’s recent expansion into the near west side and penchant for significant exterior modifications appears to be the primary driver of Dieter’s nomination, but commissioners and Dieter went to humorous lengths in January to avoid mentioning Youssef “Joe” Berrada by name. The matter was ultimately tabled when Berrada’s attorney raised procedural concerns and said Berrada would maintain his pledge to Bauman not to alter the building in the interim.

The February hearing on the larger district didn’t dance around the landlord, with several individuals speaking critically of Berrada.

Two new sides also entered the fray.

The Neighbors Versus The Landlords

Neighbors want to see a historic district created partly because they distrust Berrada and have spent years complying with historic regulations to maintain their homes. But at least two owners of the homes subject to the latest district want to see the district defeated because they distrust what the regulations would do to their property values.

“Unfortunately, Mr. Berrada has a very bad reputation in the community for how he treats his tenants,” said Anne Devitt, an attorney who lives in a historic home she has restored on W. Kilbourn Avenue. “Without historic preservation, we are going to lose the character of this very important neighborhood.”

Architect and neighborhood resident Allyson Nemec, west side property owner John Hennessy and Historic Concordia Neighbors president Barry R. Weber were among those that testified in support.

“The insensitivity to the neighborhood and to the property is astounding really,” said Tom Fritz of Berrada’s prior rehabilitation projects. Fritz has lived in the area for several decades and also operates a nearby photography studio. “It breaks my heart every time I commute between my home and my place of work in Merrill Park.”

The owners of two of the three homes subject to the latest designation want to see the matter go away. They rent the properties out as office space and fear designation will harm their property values.

Mark Roeker, co-owner of the William H. Meyer House at 3121, said the designation would deter investment. Roeker said his investment group has already rehabbed more than 500 homes in Milwaukee. Citing boarded-up homes, he said the designation of the Garden Homes neighborhood near W. Capitol Drive has not been successful. “Nobody wants [the homes] if you’re an investor, because it just really limits what you can do,” he told the commission.

His business partner agrees.

“I don’t want to be beholden to a committee to do what I need to do,” said Eric Sobush, one of Roeker’s business partners. “I’m really afraid if we get a historic designation, what it’s going to do to resale property.”

Roeker said Berrada is the rare investor who has the scale to take on the neighborhood’s largest properties when they are vacant. “There are ways we can have conversations without attacking the party that is one of the few that are investing in that neighborhood,” he said.

The new owners of a property near Roeker’s are also opposed.

“We want to preserve this house, however, we have some concerns about the process and we oppose the historical designation as it currently stands,” said Matt Morrissey, who purchased the home at 3127 W. Wisconsin Ave. in November. He said he and his wife may not have purchased the property if they knew a designation was forthcoming.

Berrada Versus HPC

“It is obvious that [the Millerand] is a historic structure, we’re not going to fight that,” said Berrada’s attorney Richard Donner. But he did raise concerns that the designation would also include “the site,” including the landscaping.

HPC senior planner Tim Askin said that the large front lawn is a significant part of the property.

“One word, boulders,” said Bauman, referencing Berrada’s frequent use of the large stones to protect the edge of the property and why the designation was being pursued for the whole property and not just the structure.

“I’m glad you put that on the record sir. Because that’s not going to carry the day and that’s not evidence,” said Donner.

Donner has a second large concern: the windows.

Many of the windows in the building were replaced in the 1980s and Donner said they would likely need to be replaced again. “I think there are consequences to the renters,” said Donner, if the commission was to require more expensive, historically-accurate windows. He suggested their rents would increase.

Commissioners dissented on that view. “There is a process to essentially obtain relief,” said Bauman of the appeal process through his council colleagues. He also said the city has historically compromised on major projects, such as Forest County Potawatomi’s overhaul of the former Concordia campus.

“This isn’t as ominous a circumstance or situation as there might be the impression here. We have worked with lots of building owners to make it financially feasible,” said architecture professer and commissioner Matt Jarosz.

Multiple neighbors and commissioners suggested Berrada pursue historic preservation tax credits to cover up to 40% of the cost of replacing the windows. Donner said he had not discussed that specific issue with his client.

“The building contains an incredible amount of integrity,” said Stern before detailing the remaining leaded glass windows, copper bands, masonry, terrca cotta detailing and other features.

The commission unanimously voted to hold off on any action on the district and instead explicitly suggested Dieter or another individual submit a stand-alone application for designation for the Millerand and a separate Grand Avenue Homes Historic District nomination.

The proposals are likely to be contested if and when they return, but HPC won’t have the final say. By ordinance, the Common Council would review the designations and Mayor Cavalier Johnson, who lives nearby, would also be able to veto any proposal.

More information on the properties can be found in the HPC study report.

Photos

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UPDATE: The spelling of Sobush has been corrected from what is recorded in commission records.

Weekly Recap

Commercial Kitchen Launches At Concordia 27

For years, residents of the Near West Side have asked for better access to fresh food, health and wellness services, affordable housing, community gathering spaces and workforce training opportunities. A redevelopment project has a plan to meet all of those requests and more.

Concordia 27 has been progressing steadily for nearly 10 months at the corner of N. 27th and W. Wells streets. The $20 million project, expected to wrap up by early 2025, will see a vacant four-story, 97-year-old building redeveloped into a comprehensive community hub.

“At the end of the day, we’re going to have a really beautiful building. But it’s really the collaboration and the partnerships happening within that are going to bring it to life,” said Lindsey St. Arnold Bell, executive director of Near West Side Partners.

Once construction is complete, the neighborhood organization plans to move its offices into the building, 801-813 N. 27th St., where it will join anchor tenant Centers for Independence (CFI). Scaling Wellness in Milwaukee (SWIM), a trauma-informed wellness organization, and Fruition MKE, a cafe and coworking space, will also take up residence. The development is led by Rick Wiegand, who owns several properties in the neighborhood. Quorum Architects is leading the project’s design

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Demolition Work Begins For Massive Affordable Housing Development

A 10-acre site on Milwaukee’s south side is nearly ready for the construction of the largest private affordable housing development in Wisconsin.

Bear Development is working to clear the property to create space for eight new apartment buildings holding 576 total units. Actual construction work on the buildings is to begin later this year, with the first building to open in 2025.

The company, through a contractor, is working to raze the former Filer & Stowell factory complex, 147 E. Becher St. It will replace the former factory with a series of five-story buildings and a central green space. The resulting apartments will be leased at below-market rates through the low-income housing tax credit program.

The proposal, strongly backed by area Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic, will supply new workforce housing and housing for seniors looking to age in place in Bay View.

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$25 Million Plan To Save Three Endangered Soldiers Home Buildings

Three Civil War-era buildings at Milwaukee’s Soldiers Home Complex would be rehabilitated under a $25 million proposal by The Alexander Company and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

The plan would build upon an award-winning $44 million project that saw the signature Old Main, once one of the 11 most endangered historic buildings in America, and five accessory buildings repurposed into housing for 101 apartments for veterans experiencing homelessness.

The latest plan would see Alexander rehabilitate the long-vacant Ward Memorial Hall, Soldiers Home Chapel and Governor’s Mansion.

Built between 1868 and 1889, the structures joined others at the complex designed to support veterans returning from the Civil War. Each of the buildings has been vacant for several years.

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New Design Released For Dog-Friendly Downtown Brewery

The proposed Foxtown Landing development, a dog-friendly brewery, distillery and restaurant, is moving forward with a new design that aims to get the project to a groundbreaking and better connect it to the planned dog park to the north.

The three-story complex, first revealed in 2022, would be developed by an affiliate of Fromm Nieman Brands, which owns Fromm Family Pet Food and Foxtown Brewery. The company is also the title sponsor for the dog park. Both projects hope to reach a groundbreaking in 2024.

The brewery complex would be built on vacant lots at the intersection of W. St. Paul and N. Plankinton avenues, while the dog park would be built under Interstate 794. Both would line the west bank of the Milwaukee River.

Among the changes to the Foxtown design is the swapping of a greenhouse-like glass third floor for a glassy structure with a copper roof. “We feel that aesthetically this is an enhancement,” said architect Stephen Perry Smith to the board of the Historic Third Ward Architectural Review Board on Wednesday afternoon. The copper is expected to patina with time.

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Plan Commission Rejects For-Profit Nursing School

A proposed zoning change for a west-side business park has become the latest front as education advocates battle to keep for-profit colleges and their alleged predatory practices from entering Milwaukee.

Arizona College of Nursing wants to open its first Wisconsin location at the Honey Creek Corporate Center, a four-building office complex near Interstate 94 and S. 84th Street. And despite substantial public opposition at a City Plan Commission meeting Monday, it appeared the college would be allowed to open.

City officials cautioned the City Plan Commission that, legally, they should consider only matters related to land use. The Department of City Development recommended that the formal request, to add “college” as a permitted use, was appropriate and recommended the commission approve the matter. “A college use is very similar to many of the other currently existing approved uses in the [zoning designation], which include other educational uses that are already permitted and it’s also consistent with the mix of uses that are generally appropriate in a modern office park. It’s also permitted in all of the city’s commercial districts, and generally in our downtown zoning districts,” said planning manager Sam Leichtling. He said prior education tenants, which includes Lakeland University, have operated from the complex without issue and that it may have been an oversight that the zoning change wasn’t brought up in the past.

But after an hour of public testimony, the plan commission took the unexpected step of unanimously recommending the Common Council reject the zoning change.

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A New Plan For Tiny Homes

The new developer of a planned tiny homes community for military veterans facing homelessness is advancing a rezoning request that would allow the long-sought proposal to proceed.

Racine-based Veterans Outreach of Wisconsin (VOW) first announced the project in 2019, securing a zoning change for a two-phase proposal to be built on a vacant, city-owned site at 6767 N. 60th St., just south of W. Green Tree Road. But the nonprofit organization didn’t proceed with the project.

“It was an all hands on deck approach to find someone who could bring this project to fruition,” said Department of City Development planning manager Sam Leichtling, explaining to the City Plan Commission what happened when VOW decided it couldn’t advance the project.

Missouri-based Veterans Community Project (VCP), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, then stepped in, and was announced as a replacement in 2022. A fundraising campaign was launched last year.

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Related Legislation: File 231388