Please add my name to the list of those opposed to the demolition of 5 buildings in downtown Milwaukee to make way for a new Marriott Hotel. If more lodging is necessary in downtown Milwaukee, there is sufficient vacant land available to make the destruction of these buildings unnecessary, some of it near the proposed site.

Beyond the loss of cultural heritage, it makes little economic sense to demolish these buildings in favor of new construction. Rehabilitation of existing structures creates more jobs than does new construction, with 60-70% of the construction budget going to labor, thus ensuring that more dollars remain in Milwaukee. Studies have also shown that successful downtown revitalizations have heritage conservation as a key component, indeed, downtown Milwaukee's successful commercial and entertainment corridors consist mainly of historic structures. 

Milwaukee has a culturally rich built environment. Additions, reductions, and changes to this heritage should be made sensitively, with the value of what we still have being appropriately considered. Examples of disregard may be found across the downtown area. I would like to draw your attention, in particular, to the failed Terraces at River Bluff on the corner of N. Milwaukee St. and Ogden Ave., the former site of the Gugler Lithographic Co. This similarly proposed project, currently a scar on the landscape of downtown, marks the unnecessary loss of another historic building.

Examples of successful adaptive reuse of historic structures may be found in cities all over the United States, but not enough of them are found here. Of note is the old Pabst complex, which is making national headlines for its visionary reuse of historic buildings. I'm sure you remember the plan by WISPARK to demolish the majority of this complex. Another recent, highly successful, project is the Iron Horse Hotel, recently named "Boutique Hotel of the Year".

I'm constantly amazed and frustrated at the level of cooperation other cities have been able to gain with developers in this regard that seems, mainly, to be lacking in Milwaukee. I'm proud of Milwaukee and boastful of its architecture. Unfortunately, many developers do not hold our cultural heritage in such high regard. I urge you to act to protect these buildings and this historic district from unimaginative and wasteful plans. I ask that you hold developers to a higher standard and work to preserve our built environment. The citizens of Milwaukee deserve better.

Sincerely,

Virginia Cassel

Past President, 

Milwaukee Preservation Alliance

210 N. 37th St.

Milwaukee, WI 53208

cc: Ald. Bauman

     Mayor Barrett