Former Schuster’s Department Store Nominated For Historic Designation

Marcia P. Coggs Human Services Center, 1220 W. Vliet St. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

A pending designation would grant historic protection to the Marcia P. Coggs Human Services Center, a former Schuster’s department store.

The building, 1220 W. Vliet St., faces an uncertain future. Property owner Milwaukee County previously expressed an interest in demolishing the structure and using the site as a parking lot. Construction is already underway on a replacement structure immediately north of the building.

The designation, pending before the Historic Preservation Commission, was submitted by East Side resident Stephen Thiel, who listed his organization as “Schuster’s Boosters.”

Designation would not completely prohibit demolition of the neoclassical-style structure, but would require the county to receive a “certificate of appropriateness” from the city to modify the exterior of the building or demolish it.

The commission is scheduled to review the nomination at its June 3 meeting. The Common Council would also need to approve the designation.

Milwaukee County released a request for information (RFI) in 2023 to solicit ideas for reusing the structure. It has not publicly released the RFI results.

A spokesperson for County Executive David Crowley said the county does not intend to oppose the designation. “At this time, Milwaukee County is not opposed to a historic designation for the current Coggs Center building, as we respect the public process that leads to a historic designation. Milwaukee County’s economic development team is finalizing their review of the RFI respondents and will have more to share in the future,” said the spokesperson.

The structure was built in 1910 to Brust & Philipp‘s designs and expanded in 1923 to the same firm’s designs.

The building is currently separated from Downtown by Interstate 43, but, prior to the freeway’s construction, Vliet Street was one of the city’s premier shopping streets and an extension of the city’s economic core.

Schuster’s shuttered the store in 1961 and the rest of the Milwaukee-based chain was acquired by Gimbel’s in 1963.

Milwaukee County acquired the building 1963 and reconfigured it as a welfare office. It was renamed in 2003 for Marcia P. Coggs, the first African American woman elected to the Wisconsin State Legislature.

A 2021 county administration report concluded that the county should sell the Coggs Center, as it was becoming a financial liability due to deferred maintenance and the looming departure of its co-tenant, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The state agency, which provides access to FoodShare and BadgerCare benefits, relocated in 2022 to leased space several miles northwest.

According to a Wisconsin Historical Society webpage, the property is not listed on either the state or national register of historic places. Register listing does not afford any historic protection, unlike the local designation, but it does make historically-sensitive alterations and renovations eligible for historic preservation tax credits.

A groundbreaking for the replacement structure was held in October. The $42 million building, being constructed atop a former Schuster’s parking lot, will be substantially smaller at 60,000 square feet.

In the surrounding King Park neighborhood, a substantial number of new, affordable homes are being constructed by Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity.

A few miles northeast, the former flagship Schuster’s store is being redeveloped into the ThriveOn King complex.

Photos

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Related Legislation: File 240025