Once slated for demolition and redevelopment, the historic Catherine Foley Tavern building in Milwaukee’s Third Ward will now be preserved, under a new plan announced Wednesday by the Milwaukee Preservation Alliance (MPA).
Fox Point-based General Capital Group owned the building at 266 E. Erie St. and was teaming up with Milwaukee-based Joseph Property Development to redevelop the site.
The development team said the building, built in 1884, has serious problems due to long-term settling and attempts to renovate it for new uses have run into feasibility issues. However, Milwaukee’s Historic Preservation Committee in September rejected the team’s plans to demolish the building, arguing that the building could still be salvaged.
Now, General Capital Group and Joseph Property Development have donated the building to the non-profit group Milwaukee Preservation Alliance, which plans to fully restore the building, according to a press release.
“We could not be more thrilled with General Capital Group and Joseph Property Development’s willingness to work with us throughout the donation process, and their commitment to preservation and transparency,” said Emma Rudd, MPA executive director, in the release.
MPA will begin work to stabilize the roof, foundation and exterior walls as soon as contracts are signed and permits are in hand, the release says. The organization will raise funds for the project via private donations, historic tax credit and grants.
The two-story building, originally a saloon and rooming house, is among the few buildings to survive the Third Ward’s 1892 fire. It’s also one of the few buildings to represent the Third Ward’s history of Irish immigrants − as well as being tied to a 19th century woman entrepreneur and Milwaukee’s LGBTQ history, those in favor of preserving the building argued at September’s Historic Preservation Committee meeting.
Most recently, the building served as the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design’s (MIAD) student union. A fire struck in January 2013, shuttering the building.
The developers purchased the building in 2014 for $800,000, and the building was given local historic protection in 2015.
The developers had discussed the idea of a new four-story office building on the lot, but those plans were never detailed. They also explored using the existing building as a restaurant and tavern, but those plans proved to be unfeasible.
“The tavern’s current condition is challenging,” Rudd said. “This is mainly due to a fire that occurred prior to General Capital Group and Joseph Property Development’s ownership. But MPA’s board of directors said it best: ‘if we can’t save this building, then who can?’”
