An Update: Historic Tax Credit Programs

(it's good news...)

Over the course of the past year preservationists have been working endlessly to defend and retain the Historic Preservation Tax Credit Programs.  Thanks to the work of many, both the federal and the state programs have survived the threats of the recent federal tax reform and a state budget line item veto* from Governor Walker (*so far!).

STATE OF WISCONSIN STATE CREDITS:

Below are links to last week's coverage of the Wisconsin State Legislature approval of the new $3.5 million per project cap.  This cap, while less than ideal, is a huge relief when compared to Governor Walker's $500,000 line item veto of the proposed $5,000,000 cap. The bill passed in the state Senate 29-3 and unanimously in the Assembly. It now heads back to Governor Walker to sign into law.  Fingers crossed that the figure will remain untouched.

LINKS TO WISCONSIN MEDIA COVERAGE:

Wisconsin Business Journal

Urban Milwaukee

STATE OF THE FEDERAL CREDITS:

The Federal Program was threatened in December when the House voted to abolish the decades old incentive program.  The final bill passed in late December kept the Historic Preservation Tax Credits however pushes the timing for receiving the funds from a project’s opening to over the course of the first five years of operation.  We plan on diving further into the potential consequences of this shift of timing of the receipt of the credits in another post.

Read more about the Federal Program status here:

Chicago Tribune

We can collectively say this news is a huge relief for Historic Preservation and economic development in the US.  If you're new to this topic or brushing up on the programs below are a few points to consider.  Here at the Trust we field many questions about the program and are outlining frequently asked questions below in an overview.

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WHAT ARE WISCONSIN'S HISTORIC PRESERVATION TAX CREDITS?

Historic Preservation Tax Credits are crucial to supporting economic development in Wisconsin.  These programs create new jobs, increase property tax revenues and grow communities across the entire state.

Despite the indisputable value of these programs there are still many people unaware of the programs or misinformed about the mechanics.  If you're like us you may face many questions about the basics of the tax credit programs.  When out in the field as a design professional or when interacting with family or friends it's surprising how many people are unaware of the existence of these valuable programs.  Many building owners are unsure if their projects would qualify or if it's worth the time to navigate the application process. Experienced developers as well as those just beginning to research how they will be able to create/recreate a historic project have questions.  Shoot us any you have and we'll continue to tackle the unknowns.

There is a range of people's exposure to the details of the programs.  We're going to sort the questions from people who've never heard of the program to the savvy project owner who has benefited from the programs on past projects.

WHAT ARE HISTORIC TAX CREDITS?

If you're planning work on a historic building you may be eligible for a tax credit issued from the government.  There are programs available for rehabilitation of historic properties from both the Federal Government as well as the State of Wisconsin.

For commercial projects presently the federal program returns 20 percent of the cost of rehabilitating historic buildings to owners as a federal income tax credit. While the State of Wisconsin program returns 20 percent of the cost of rehabilitating historic buildings to owners as a Wisconsin income tax credit (with an anticipated $3.5 million cap in effect starting in July).

DOES MY PROJECT QUALIFY?

Is your project currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places? If not you can pursue listing the building.  To qualify for the tax credits the historic listing can be either an individual property listing or its possible that your project will qualify if it's included within a historic district recognized by the National Register.  The National Register is maintained by the National Park Service under The Department of the Interior. Head over to their search engine if you're not sure about your building's present status.

Building Type: For eligibility under the current programs there are two types of listings that determine which tax credit program your building qualifies for - it'll be either categorized as a historic home or a historic commercial building..

We listed the commercial building benefits above as these projects are the majority of tax credit recipients. If you’re the owner of a historic home presently the historic homeowners' tax credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction in what you owe in Wisconsin income taxes. The amount of the credit is 25 percent of your costs of carrying out eligible work. If your credit is larger than the amount that you owe in state income taxes, you can carry the unused balance into future tax years (up to 15 years into the future) until the credit is used up. The best resource to answers to your questions about the State's program is the Wisconsin Historical Society.  Here's a link to their site including a very informative FAQ section for both building types.

IS THIS PROGRAM A GOVERNMENT HAND OUT?

NO! It's essentially an incentive program to help offset the high initial costs of rehabilitating historic structures.  There are so many reasons rehabilitation makes environmental, cultural, social and economic sense.  Bottom line is the reuse of historic buildings strengthens our communities.  If you're interested in learning more about specific metrics about the quantifying of these aspects such as existing embodied energy or the increased quality of life studies we're planning a post to link to some of our favorite studies.  Until then one easily digestible read for you to understand the economic importance of these programs is this study conducted by Baker Tilly and UWM's School of Architecture and Urban Planning's Historic Preservation Institute.  It's a recent in-depth economic analysis of projects that received tax credits and very telling about the value of the state program.

We’ve pulled out a few highlights incase you're clicking over and feeling the TL;DRs.

Myths about the program we've heard over these years followed by excerpts invalidating these misunderstandings pulled from the study's Executive Summary:　

MYTH: ONLY SAVVY BIG CITY DEVELOPERS BENIFIT FROM THESE GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS

"The projects span across the state with an increasing emphasis on communities with populations of under 100,000 over time (69.4% in 2016)."

MYTH: THIS STATE OF WISCONSIN HANDOUT IS A HUGE DRAW ON THE STATE BUDGET

"Repayment of taxpayer funds in full by the beginning of 5 years of operations. Based solely on values subsequent to this repayment, the state receives 110% over its initial investment through year 10 of the projected assessment period based on a 3% annual trending rate."

MYTH: THIS PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO ONLY HELP THE FEW

"During the construction period these projects are anticipated to generate over $683 million in direct economic output ($719 million overall).√√Direct new construction jobs of 9,882 based on 1,820 hours per job/year; (10,950 total).√√Total tax impact of $50.5 million in direct WI based construction activity - with overall tax impact of $92.4 million"

"Once placed in service the projects are projected to provide for roughly $149 million in direct economic output ($162 million overall). √√Direct permanent full-time equivalent (FTE) positions of 4,376 based on 1,820 hours per year; (4,700 total). √√Total tax impact of $25.9 million in direct operations activity with overall impact of $35.2 million annually."

"Cumulative increase in property tax payments of 633% post completion is anticipated ($19 million versus $3 million). √√Increases in school tax payments of $5.39 million or 592%. √Increases in WI Technical College receipts of roughly 532%."

WHY ARE TAX CREDITS IMPORTANT TO WISCONSIN?

These programs help create jobs both permanent and construction.  These projects add revenue to any community in which they reside with increased property tax revenues and income tax revenue.  The programs provide needed funds to encourage the retention of our historic places and are invaluable to Wisconsin’s economy. Below is a quote to another link to an opinion piece in the Journal Sentinel that is worth a read.

"What if I told you our state has an economic development tool that over a three-year period projects to generate more than $600 million in economic output, more than $90 million in new state tax revenue and more than 10,000 new jobs?" -Jim Villa via Journal Sentinel

ARE THE FEDERAL TAX CREDITS AT RISK UNDER THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION?

If you’re new to the historic tax credit program take a few minutes to watch this video from the National Trust. Created by President Reagan's administration this program has been crucial to preservation across the country.

Thankfully while threatened under the recent rewriting of the tax code the advocacy of many has retained the Federal 20% tax credit.  There's a lot of great information from the National Trust here including talking points and examples of projects if you're interested in becoming more involved as an advocate yourself.  There's new uncertainty with the corporate tax rate cut from 35% to 21%.  That may lessen the appetite for jumping through the hoops of the program. "Under the existing system, developers use the credit to offset their federal corporate tax liability. Or they can transfer the credit to corporate investors in exchange for a share of the ownership." (Blair Kamin, Chicago Tribune)

IS THERE A NEW PER PROJECT CAP OR A NEW YEARLY COMPETITION TO EARN NEW CREDITS IN WISCONSIN?

Governor Walker indicated his interest in placing a per project cap on new projects beginning in 2018 by adding a $500,000 per project cap veto in his budget proposal.  The per project cap remains in the budget now passed by Wisconsin Legislator with the number raised to $3.5 million per project.  While a cap is not ideal, this solution is considered a victory to keep development moving forward in Wisconsin.  Many groups are thankful that the rumor of an introduction of a competition to determine which projects will receive funding in any given year did not become included with the changes.  Check out this article outlining why the program worked so well. 

HOW AM I ABLE TO HELP SUPPORT THE EFFORT TO KEEP THESE PROGRAMS IN PLACE BOTH HERE IN WISCONSIN AND NATIONALLY?

Attend local preservation group meetings, donate to organizations (like ours!!!) to help offset the costs of research supporting these dynamic programs that are currently scored statically and require lots of research footwork to keep in place, engage in conversations with your government representatives about the importance of these programs and keep in touch with activists fighting to increase public understanding. We’d also encourage you to be aware of and patronage businesses benefiting from the tax credit awards. We’ve created a map of past projects.  Click below to see if there's a project near you.  The program has been a catalyst for renewal in Main Streets across Wisconsin.

As always let us know your thoughts and other questions you may have! 

State Bills Improved, But Still Weaken Local Preservation Laws

Two bills in the Wisconsin Legislature that would have forced opt-out provisions on local historic preservation ordinances have been amended, but they still weaken communities' ability to designate historic places, and provide long-term protection. 

Historic downtown Portage

Companion bills in the Wisconsin Senate (SB445) and Assembly (AB568) have been amended and are working their way through Committees. The original bills included an unconditional opt-out provision for property owners. Owners would have had veto power over historic designation, and over design standards in historic districts. It would have essentially dismantled local historic preservation ordinances that are designed for long-term conservation of historic buildings, structures, objects, and districts for the economic and cultural health of the whole community.

Amendments to both bills put some conditions on the opt-out provision, but still weaken the ability of communities to designate historic places when they meet community-developed criteria for historic significance, and regulate changes over the long term under conditions of changing ownership.

Here's how the bills work in their current form:

• The bills preserve the right of Counties, Cities, and Towns to have preservation ordinances, design standards for historic properties, and to establish a Historic Preservation Commission. 

• If a County, City, or Town proposes to designate a Historic District or individual Landmark they must:

  • Notify all affected property owners,

  • Provide a form to each owner, to vote for or against designation,

  • Allow 60 days for owner(s) to vote.

• Then after 60 days:

  • In the case of an individual Landmark, if the owner has not voted against designation, the County, City, or Town may proceed with designation.

  • In the case of a Historic District, if 2/3 of votes cast within the allowed 60 days are in favor of designation (1 vote per “principal structure”), then County, City, or Town may proceed with designation.  If 2/3 threshold is not reached, then the designation may not proceed.

Pinckney Street, Capitol Square, Madison

Other important provisions:

• “No” votes by property owners who have used historic tax credits would not be counted. (presumably “yes” votes by these owners would be counted. The language is silent on this. This matters in Historic Districts where 2/3 of votes cast must be in favor in order to proceed). 

• “No” votes by owners of properties listed in the National or State Registers would not be counted.

• If a historic designation is rejected by votes of the property owner(s), then the County, City, or Town must wait one year before proposing same designation.

• Once a Landmark or Historic District is designated, it may not be rescinded without the consent of the County, City, or Town. 

• Preservation easements would not be affected by the current provisions.

Representative Leon Young (D- Milwaukee) offered an amendment to AB568 that would have removed all provisions related to local preservation ordinances.  Young's amendment was voted down in the Assembly's Housing and Real Estate Committee. WTHP supported this amendment because virtually all local ordinances in Wisconsin already include "pressure-release" provisions that allow property owners to appeal decisions of Historic Preservation Commission, and seek variances from design standards in cases of economic hardship.

As these bills move from Committees to the full legislature, we will continue to support the removal of all provisions of these bills that impose unnecessary state overrides of local historic preservation ordinances. 

Local Historic Preservation ordinances - regulation of historic and cultural places through municipal powers of zoning - are important tools in many Wisconsin communities. They are embedded into local and county zoning codes, and help communities regulate their own look, feel, and functionality. That regulation goes far beyond individual property ownership that changes, on average, every seven years. There are generational marks left on Wisconsin communities that define those communities, and define a heritage worth visiting, worth investing in, and worth caring about. The longevity of those those places should rise above the privilege of short-term property ownership. 

AB-586 - Highlights from Committee Hearing on Bill That Would Devastate Local Preservation Ordinances in WI

The Assembly Committee on Housing and Real Estate held a public hearing Thursday on several bills, including AB-568 that would make local historic preservation ordinances in Wisconsin optional.

WTHP registered in opposition of the bill because it includes clauses that would require the consent of property owners before properties could be designated as historic places under local ordinances. They would also make design standards for historic properties and historic districts unenforceable.

The thread that ran through much of the testimony against AB-568 was that municipalities prefer to retain local control of their own territory, and that a statewide remedy for regulating cultural places is a blunt instrument that can not address the varying needs of Wisconsin communities to determine their own character. Testimony in favor of the bill came mostly from real estate and rental management organizations, and were focused on property rights and economic hardship arguments.

Jail Alley - Mineral Point

One of the bill's sponsors, Rep. Rob Brooks (R-Saukville) testified that the bill is not intended to be retroactive. He said the "owner consent" provision would apply only to historic designations going forward, but would not be applicable to properties already designated. The draft of the bill that was available on legis.wisconsin.gov prior to the hearing did not include a retroactivity clause. 

Rep. John Jagler (R-Watertown), Chair of the Committee, said he heard from representatives of Watertown in his 37th Assembly District, and also from the communities of Columbus and Waterloo that they have "grave concerns about this [owner consent] provision." They are concerned that "efforts to revitalize their downtowns would be greatly hampered by this if its voluntary." 

Curt Witynski, Assistant Director of the League of Wisconsin commented that the bill "strips municipal power in many ways," including the power to regulate historic and cultural resources that are important to community identity and character. 

Larry McDonald, Mayor of Bayfield testified that the "owner consent" provisions of AB-568 "particularly affects the city of Bayfield", which he called the "economic powerhouse of that corner of the state." "We have built a market," McDonald said, "to show ourselves off as a historic waterfront community," and that "the Chamber of Commerce and Visitors' Bureau promote the historic quality of our town." Bayfield uses a triple bottom-line model to measure their success and quality of life. It requires that residents are taken care of, businesses are profitable, and environment (including the cultural character) is well-protected. "Our community" he said "wants to be held accountable. We have a tremendous concern about what it would do to our economy, and we really believe it would really devalue the surrounding historic neighborhoods and buildings. We've got a brand, we've got a look, and we've got a community that's going to ask you to not impose any of the historic or aesthetic portions of this bill."

Shawn Reilly, Mayor of Waukesha testified against the provisions stating that "Waukesha has a very successful historic area. The downtown is pretty much all historic." Reilly articulated the adverse impact that the provisions would have on the state's Certified Local Government (CLG) program. 

Steve Cummings, Mayor of Oshkosh, testified that AB-568 usurps local control of quality-of-life issues. quality of life...sees local regulation of housing stock as "equity protection."  Healthy neighborhoods and economic development go hand-in-hand. "If you want companies to locate in your city, and bring their workers to your city, you have to have healthy neighborhoods. You have to have quality-of-life, and quality-of-life means healthy neighborhoods."

John Decker, Evansville attorney, and president of the Wisconsin Association of Historic Preservation Commissions, called the owner consent provisions "reverse spot zoning."  The provisions, he said "delegate local legislative authority to property owners simply on the basis that they don't consent. They can withhold their consent for a good reason, for a bad reason, or no reason at all." 

Brenda Wood representing the City of MKE said the bill "strikes at the heart of what local government does," including protecting the health, safety and welfare of its citizens, improving and maintaining neighborhood conditions, decreasing blight, increasing investments and economic vitality throughout the city. Protecting and preserving housing stock." she said, "is a benefit to stabilization, homeowner and taxpayer investment, and to overall health of city's tax base."

One point of disagreement articulated by Rep. Brooks was that his information on how the bill would affect the state's CLG program differed completely from what he heard from testimony.

According the the Wisconsin State Journal, Brooks said after the hearing that they would take input from the hearing and "go back to the drawing board."  

What AB-568 Means to Wisconsin's Historic Communities

Wisconsin Assembly bill AB-568 (and a similar bill, SB445 in the Senate) contains clauses that would require owner consent before any historic property can be designated under local historic preservation ordinances. It would also make it optional for owners of historic properties to abide by design standards crafted under local historic preservation ordinances. These provisions would make local historic preservation ordinances optional.

The Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation is opposed to these provisions and has asked legislators to remove them from the bill. Here's why:

Eager Free Public Library - Evansville

Making preservation optional disables the only tool that Wisconsin communities have to protect their historic places. The federal National Register of Historic Places program provides no protection for historic places. A National Register building can be demolished with no penalty whatsoever. So, a local historic preservation ordinance is the only tool available to Wisconsin communities to determine what is important to their heritage, and how the community will protect their irreplaceable cultural assets.  It's a tool that is important to many Wisconsin communities in determining the quality of their historic residential and commercial districts. Towns like Bayfield, Cedarburg, Mineral Point, and Ephraim, need local historic designation ordinances and historic standards to maintain the character and unique quality that is at the heart of their tourism industry, their retail activity, and the quality of life in their communities. This bill would make it impossible to enforce such standards. It would place the long-term protection of community heritage in the hands of short-term owners. 

Historic Preservation is an important component of economic development. Recently, Mayors from  Bayfield, Waukesha, and Oshkosh testified against the "owner consent" provisions of the bill, saying that local historic preservation regulation is important to maintain the character and quality-of-life they've tried to cultivate for their communities. Bayfield Mayor, Larry McDonald, testified that Bayfield uses a triple bottom-line model to measure their success and quality of life. It requires that residents are taken care of, businesses are profitable, and environment (including the lakeshore heritage and historic character) is well-protected. "We have a tremendous concern," he said, "about what it would do to our economy, and we really believe it would really devalue the surrounding historic neighborhoods and buildings. We've got a brand, we've got a look."

Some of the most well-known and most visited historic districts in the nation - Charleston, Savannah, the French Quarter - are successful not because their design standards are optional, but because these cities have the power to compel adherence to design standards, and  they are diligent about enforcing their standards.

Are historic preservation regulation constitutional? Yes. Regulation of private property (including historic preservation regulations) for the purpose of beautification and redevelopment of the community falls within municipal powers of zoning, and do not violate the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment.  These powers, and historic district regulation by cities and towns, have been affirmed by the US Supreme Court in several cases (e.g. Berman v. Parker, 1954 and Penn Central v. NYC, 1978).  The "owner consent provisions of AB-568 rescind a constitutional power from Wisconsin municipalities and gives it to property owners. It's akin to making local waterfront zoning rules optional.

Historic Preservation is a long game. Owner consent provisions are short-sighted. Having historic places in your Wisconsin town is a long-term effort. Historic places, especially buildings, are dependent on their historic character to tell their stories - to be places people want to visit. But they also need to be economically viable. That means they need to be adapted to modern uses, but they need to retain their historic character. That is exactly the balance that local preservation ordinances try to strike. Property owners come and go. On average, real estate changes hands every seven years. As historic properties change hands and change uses design standards are in place to maintain their historic character over the long term, so that a town's historic shoe factory keeps looking like a shoe factory, and isn't eroded little by little over time.  If owners are allowed to opt out of local design standards, any short-term owner can opt out, demolish, and leave the community without that piece of their heritage.

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Find your state representative here. Contact them and tell them local control of historic places is important to your Wisconsin community.

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Shared risk, shared reward. Many studies of the economic impacts of historic preservation conclude that local regulation of historic districts, both commercial and residential, tends to stabilize and even increase property values in those districts. Property owners in those district have a shared interest in the health - the appearance and quality - of their district. All owners share the reward that comes with a well-regulated neighborhood. And all owners also share the risk of allowing deterioration of the character of their district.  Owners who have no interest in maintaining the character of their property bring risk to the stability and value of historic districts. 

Research Tower at SCJohnson company headquarters -Racine. Photo courtesy of Eric Allix Rogers on Flickr.

Building codes are not equivalent to historic design standards. Building codes address safety and structural standards, but not aesthetic standards. Historic buildings, sites, and districts are critically dependent on the historic integrity and character for their significance. It's what makes people want to visit them. Building codes can make a property owner repair a damaged roof, but historic design standards make the owner of historic buildings make the roof look like it did before it was damaged. Why is this important? Just imagine Frank Lloyd Wright's SCJohnson research tower in Racine with a mansard roof like a barn. It would protect the building pursuant to Racine's building code, but it would completely change the character of the historic building.

Local HP ordinances are not arbitrary, and they are not applied to every old building. Local ordinances rely on community-defined criteria that properties must meet in order to be designated. Once they are designated, they are subject to community-developed standards for maintaining their historic integrity. Also, local ordinances have pressure release clauses that allow property owners to appeal a decision of the local historic preservation commissions. They also have economic hardship causes that allow property owners to skirt the standards when compliance would impose and burdensome economic hardship.

Bill in WI Legislature Would Strip Local Historic Preservation Ordinances

Historic district - Greendale (federal greenbelt town)

A bill (AB-568), currently in the legislature’s Committee on Housing and Real Estate, would strip the power of Wisconsin towns to protect their own historic places by making compliance with local historic preservation ordinances optional for property owners.  Local preservation ordinances often include some protections for historic properties through a town’s power of zoning, as opposed to the National Register of Historic Places program at the federal level, which provides no protection. Municipal zoning powers that include preservation laws have been affirmed by several decisions of the US Supreme Court.

The bill adds an “owner consent” provision to state law. Under the bill, Wisconsin municipalities may not designate a property as a historic landmark without the consent of the owner. Also under this bill, Wisconsin municipalities may not require or prohibit any action by an owner of a property related to preservation of the historic or aesthetic value of the property without the consent of the owner. Property owners would have to opt in to the regulatory provisions of local ordinances, and owners of already-designated properties would be able to ignore adopted standards designed to maintain the historic character of these properties. It would affect owners of individually designated properties as well as those in historic districts.

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Find your state representative here. Contact them and tell them local control of historic places is important to your Wisconsin community.

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Commercial building - Kenosha

The bill’s impact on Wisconsin’s Certified Local Government program, authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act, is being evaluated. The CLG program brings federal money to Wisconsin towns to survey, identify and nominate properties to the National Register of Historic Places, which makes them eligible for state and federal Historic Tax Credit programs to encourage private investment.

The practical impact of the “owner consent” provision would be that Wisconsin towns and cities would not be able enforce their local preservation ordinances. Standards designed to maintain the character of historic properties and districts would be unenforceable. Municipal planning staff would find themselves working to delist historic places, take down historical markers, and rewrite their preservation ordinances. Tourism brochures and websites would need to be revised as historic places drop off the lists. Wisconsin’s heritage sites and buildings would no longer have regulatory protections.

Well-regulated historic landmarks and districts have advantages to Wisconsin towns and cities. They tend to have more stable, and often higher, property values, they contribute to a community’s character and identity, and in many towns they are a key attraction for heritage tourism.  If property owners in Wisconsin’s local historic districts are able to opt out of local zoning regulation, the benefits of those districts would dissolve as owners opted out. The character of historic districts would be subject to passing, individual tastes, rather than a cohesive set of standards. Demolitions of historic buildings would likely increase statewide as owners opt to ignore inconvenient local regulation.

Jules Iverson Park - Stevens Point

The provisions in this bill threaten the foundational purpose of historic preservation ordinances in Wisconsin communities like Cedarburg, Stevens Point, Mineral Point, Sister Bay, and Superior.  They undermine the ability of Wisconsin communities to identify those places that are important to them, and to protect their integrity for future generations. Historic places in Wisconsin – their condition and their very existence - would be subject to the mercy of passing owners, no matter how brief their stewardship.

Historic Tax Credits in Wisconsin - New statewide studies

Two studies look at Wisconsin's Historic Tax Credit program. Key findings include job numbers and leveraged private investment in commercial properties.

Read More

WTHP meet-up at the historic Pabst Brewery

Blue Ribbon Hall at Best place. Matt Jarosz talks about the Historic Tax Credit program. 

The cavernous speakeasy on the lower level of Best Place.

The Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation held a social gathering at Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery on Tuesday. About 40 people came to drink beer, meet new board members, learn about Wisconsin's Historic Tax Credit program, and have a tour of unfinished areas of the massive building with the Jim Haertel, the mastermind behind the rehabilitation. 

Our new President, Jason Tish talked about recent activities. Board Member, and professor of Architecture and Urban Planning at UWM presented some findings from a recent statewide study of the state Historic Tax Credit program.

Then we all took a tour of some dark and dirty areas of the 1880 building, part of the sprawling former Pabst Brewery complex. 

Jim Haertel and his team offer great "Beer History Tours" on a regular schedule.  Best Place (named for brewery founder Jacob Best, the brewery was later purchased by Frederick Pabst), is a historic rehabilitation success story that was financed in large part with the state and federal Historic Tax Credit programs. Wisconsin recently increased the state credit from 5% to 20% of qualified rehabilitation expenditures. Haertel says the project would likely not have happened without the program. Now, Best Place is positioned to be a significant component in a complex of publicly accessible venues closely associated with Milwaukee's important brewing heritage. 

Two WI Wright buildings nominated to UNESCO World Heritage List

Taliesin - Frank Lloyd Wright's home near Spring Green, WI

Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House, Madison, WI - Prototype of Wright's Usonian design concepts.

Two buildings in Wisconsin are included in a nomination of Frank Lloyd Wright's work to the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) World Heritage List.  The nomination, titled "Key Works of Modern Architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright," includes a total of ten of Wright's designs. The Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House in Madison, and Wright's own home at Taliesin in Spring Green are among the ten.

The Jacobs House (1936-37) was the first execution of Wright's Usonian concepts - his model for low-cost, well-designed homes for middle-class suburbia, developed during the Great Depression.    The Jacobs introduced new design concepts to American residential architecture that resonated into the post-war decades, including an open interior plan, and rear-orientation of the living space and bedrooms.

Taliesin was Wright's own home near Spring Green from 1911 until his death in 1959. It's a sprawling complex that includes the main house, a theater, a school, Wright's studio, farm buildings, and The complex served as a laboratory where Wright developed his concepts and methods, and where he taught his ideas to apprentices. 

The World Heritage nomination is currently under a review that includes visits to each of the ten sites by UNESCO representatives before it is formally submitted to UNESCO by the US Department of the Interior. Designation as a World Heritage site provides no protection for listed sites, but it raises their profile among travelers who want to visit sites of cultural importance, and draws international attention to their historical significance.

UNESCO's World Heritage List currently includes 1031 sites, of which 802 relate to cultural history (as opposed to natural history). Twenty-three of those are located in the United States.  The 10 Wright sites could be added to the list in 2016. 

The ten buildings under consideration are: 

1.  Unity Temple - Oak Park, IL

2.  Robie House - Chicago, IL

3.  Taliesin - Spring Green, WI

4.  Hollyhock House - Los Angeles, CA

5.  Fallingwater - Bear Run, PA

6.  Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House - Madison, WI

7.  Taliesin West - Scottsdale, AZ

8.  Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum - New York, NY

9.  Price Tower - Bartlesville, OK

10.  Marin County Civic Center - San Rafael, CA

2015 Local History and Historic Preservation Conference, Oct. 9-10

The Wisconsin Historical Society will host the 9th annual Local History and Historic Preservation Conference in Middleton on October 9 and 10.  Featured presenters include Wisconsin Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett and prize-winning journalist and Frank Lloyd Wright scholar Ron McCrea.

The conference offers sessions and workshops for history and preservation organizations,  professionals and volunteers, history buffs, museum collection curators, even development directors.  There are also opportunities for unique tours on Saturday, including the USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Frank Lloyd Wright's Unitarian Meeting House, and Taliesin.

The Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation and other local organizations support the conference financially

More information is available at wisconsinhistory.org

Madison Updates 1971 Landmarks Ordinance

The city of Madison has adopted a revised historic preservation ordinance after several years of review by the city's Landmarks Commission and a committee of alders. A full review of the ordinance was undertaken by the Landmarks Commission in 2011 after a high-profile and controversial redevelopment project caused bitter negotiations and competing interpretations of the ordinance as it move through the approval process. Then, in 2014, another development proposal in the Mansion Hill Historic District, the state's first locally-designated historic district, was met with stiff opposition from neighborhood residents who saw the redevelopment of a dilapidated house as a reward for demolition-by-neglect. These proposals revealed weaknesses in the language of the 1971 ordinance, and city officials pressed for a full review of the ordinance.

A new residential development being built (2014) in the Langdon Street Historic District.

The 4-year review process came to fruition this week as Madison's 20-member Common Council unanimously adopted a revised ordinance. Supporters of the new ordinance registering and testifying at the meeting included representatives from the preservation community, and the development community. They unanimously praised the review committee, city staff, and the process. 

The biggest change to the ordinance was the adoption of maintenance standards for designated properties. The new ordinance creates a legal obligation on property owners to properly maintain historic properties. It defines demolition-by-neglect and provides significant penalties for violating the ordinance.

The key revisions to the ordinance include:

• Clarifying the process destination and recession of Landmark status

• Augmented the list of standards that the Landmarks Commission should consider including hen designating a new historic district.

• Adding definitions for several key terms used in regulating alterations and new construction in historic districts

• Redefined what relates visually to designated historic properties for use in evaluating new construction

• Clarifying the provision that allows appeals of a Landmarks Commission decision, while maintaining the 2/3 super-majority required to overrule the Commission. 

• Clarifying the  circumstances under which owners can apply for a variance from the ordinance standards. 

Overall, the new ordinance strikes an appropriate balance between the city's interests in conserving historic cultural resources, and in re-densification and redevelopment. 

There will be a second phase of the revisions that will review the standards in each of Madison's five historic districts designated under the ordinance.