City officials believe there’s still life left in the historic Hummel/Uihlein Building in Milwaukee’s Harambee neighborhood – despite years of neglect.
The Department of City Development since 2022 has been seeking a developer to buy and renovate the 137-year-old building, 2673-2779 N. King Drive.
The department recently set a late spring or early summer deadline to find a developer – or it will demolish the dilapidated building. It sits on the southwest corner of North King Drive and West Center Street, a commercial corridor essential to the city’s transit-oriented development plan.
Though listed at $10,000 on the city’s request for proposals, officials confirmed the asking price is $5,000.
The department says the building’s estimated repair cost is $2 million. Because it has landmark status, exterior renovations must be in keeping with its historic features.
“Many attempts have been made to sell in the time the city has owned it,” Madison Goldbeck, the department’s marketing and communications officer, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “However, no buyers, developers, or investors have purchased it due to the condition and scope of rehabilitation required.”
Here’s what to know.
Landmarked in 2010 for its Romanesque revival style
Christopher C. Freund, the building’s then-operator, nominated it for city historic designation in April 2010. The city granted that status in July 2010 – the same month the city acquired the building through property tax foreclosure.
The building was constructed by prominent architect Charles Kirchhoff in 1889. The three-story Cream City brick building is noted for its Romanesque revival style, a signature feature of Kirchhoff – who designed several taverns for Schlitz Brewing Co.
Kirchhoff and his partner, Thomas L. Rose, also designed the Second Ward Savings Bank (now home to the Milwaukee County Historical Society), 910 N. King Drive, and the Empire Building/Riverside Theater, 710 N. Plankinton Ave. and 116 W. Wisconsin Ave.
The Hummel/Uihlein building retains more of its original detail than Kirchhoff’s remaining edifices. That includes its distinctive flame-like tops on the turrets, according to a Milwaukee Historic Preservation Commission report.
The Hummel/Uihlein Building began life as a drug store
Henry D. Hummel, a druggist, bought the lot in 1886 for $3,700. It contained a brick house, in which he lived. As more development occurred in the area, Hummel hired Kirchhoff to construct a three-story building for $9,000, said the commission report.
Hummel’s pharmacy was on the first-floor while he lived in one of the upstairs apartments. The building also contained an office and a photography studio.
Hummel in 1906 sold the building to a member of the Uihlein family, who then constructed a two-story addition. Kirchhoff designed the addition to match the original structure but with a simpler façade.
The building had many uses over the years, including a beauty salon, a dentist’s office, a shoe shop, and different restaurants such as Ham & Egger and Fireside Barbecue Restaurant, the report said.
The property for several years stayed within the Uihlein family – who operated Schlitz Brewing – before it had a succession of owners.
Neglect contributed to the building’s condition
The 137-year-old building was beginning to show its age as far back as the 1960s.
The property’s then-owner, the Uihlein estate, was ordered to repair cracks in the basement’s south and north walls, the report said.
It was sold in 2009 to J. Crawford Investment LLC, operated by Freund, according to city records. He planned to rehab the building and lease part of it to a non-profit group while living in an upstairs apartment.
The building has been vacant since 1997. It has extensive interior damage with missing flooring, and it needs a new roof, according to the city.
Milwaukee offers financial assistance for potential buyers
The City of Milwaukee has financial assistance available for potential buyers.
That includes up to $50,000 in preservation grants to help meet historic renovation requirements.
Additionally, developers could apply for help through the department’s Commercial Revitalization Grants program.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about a historic Milwaukee building facing demolition
Reporting by La Risa R. Lynch, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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