Green Bay wrestles with saving its history

By SCOTT COOPER WILLIAMS
Green Bay Press-Gazette

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Harry Macco is one business owner who knows an opportunity when he sees it.

So when the longtime building contractor learned that Green Bay’s historic former Whitney School property was available, he snapped it up.

But Macco’s dream of transforming the nearly 100-year-old structure — one of Green Bay’s oldest remaining school buildings — ran into a roadblock when he discovered the cost of removing asbestos. He approached Green Bay City Hall for help and was told the city had no money to offer.

A frustrated Macco now fears that he will be forced to put the building back on the market, leaving it to an uncertain future and perhaps a fate all too familiar in Green Bay: the wrecking ball.

“If any building should be preserved, it should be that one,” he said. “But it has to work out economically.”

In other Wisconsin communities, local treasures such as Whitney School are not only safeguarded against demolition but also fortified with new investment. Despite being one of Wisconsin’s oldest cities, Green Bay lags behind De Pere, Allouez and many others when it comes to such tools for historic preservation, the Green Bay Press-Gazette reported.

Past efforts aimed at strengthening Green Bay’s approach have been turned back by opponents who argued that government action preserving local landmarks would infringe on the rights of people who own such properties.

As a result, some preservation activists estimate that bulldozers are knocking down Green Bay’s long and rich history at a rate of about one building every week.

“Once they’re gone, that’s it,” said Susan Ley, a member of the city’s Historic Preservation Commission, who blames the unchecked demolition on public apathy about protecting landmarks.

“People just don’t care,” she said. “It’s just not a high priority, unfortunately.”

Said Pat Drury, a builder specializing in historic restoration: “Some people get it. Some people don’t.”

A new push is under way at City Hall to toughen the community’s stance on historic preservation through several new measures.

Among the ideas being discussed is a 30-day waiting period on demolitions, providing more time to assess a property’s historic significance. Another proposal would give the Historic Preservation Commission more authority to protect important landmarks.

Also under consideration is a request to the Wisconsin Historical Society to elevate Green Bay to the same status as De Pere, Allouez and others — known as certified local governments — that makes them eligible for state historic preservation funding.

Green Bay Alderman Mark Steuer, a leading advocate for such advancements, said he expects more backlash from those who fear that individual property rights will be threatened. Steuer, however, said he hopes to persuade people that through the state grant program and others, historic preservation can be a positive tool for economic development.

“We’re not here to hinder them; we’re here to help,” he said. Referring to the many remaining historic properties in Green Bay, he added: “There’s still quite a bit out there.”

The new emphasis on protecting landmarks comes at a time when city leaders are focused intently on one particular property that holds the promise of helping change the face of downtown Green Bay: the Hotel Northland.

The vacant eight-story structure operated as a luxury hotel from the 1920s to the ’70s. The city is seeking a developer to renovate the building, known most recently as Port Plaza Towers, and convert it back into an upscale hotel. Preliminary estimates put the project’s cost at $30 million.

The property’s owners have resisted past attempts at designating it as a landmark, citing concerns that such designation would impede redevelopment.

Greg Flisram, the city’s economic development director, said officials at City Hall have conceived their own idea for improving historic preservation locally: bigger state tax credits. Officials have approached state lawmakers about boosting from 5 percent to 20 percent the maximum amount that the state will refund in tax credits on landmark restoration projects.

Flisram said the city values historic preservation, but without financial assistance, he said, many property owners find it less expensive to call the wrecking ball and start over. Bigger state tax credits could help preserve the Hotel Northland and other landmarks in the downtown area, he said.

“It’s saving legacy buildings in our downtown,” he said. “We just want to make the economics work.”

To some outsiders, just hearing Green Bay talk about protecting historic buildings is a significant break from the past.

Joe DeRose, who works for the Wisconsin Historical Society, said Green Bay previously was known as a city that lacked a strong historic preservation ethic. Local leaders seemed hesitant to enforce standards that would restrict property owners, DeRose said.

But in recent months, Steuer and others have been working with the state historical society to help Green Bay achieve certified local government status. Doing so would require a tougher local ordinance, such as giving the Historic Preservation Commission more authority. But Green Bay, in exchange, could compete for nearly $100,000 a year in state grants.

De Pere and Allouez both have received thousands of dollars from the state in recent years to refurbish important local properties, pursue federal landmark status for others, and pursue other improvements.

Some communities have such strong local ordinances that they control what color landmarks can be painted, while others impose a one-year waiting period before any such property can be demolished, DeRose said.

Not all local ordinances must be so strict, but DeRose said he was pleased that Green Bay is searching for its comfort zone on historic preservation.

“Just the fact that it’s part of the discussion now, that’s a huge step,” he said. “It all comes down to what is valued locally.”

Information from: Green Bay Press-Gazette, http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com