The Milwaukee Common Council’s Zoning Neighborhoods and Development (ZND) Committee on Tuesday rejected a temporary historic designation that the Historic Preservation Commission placed on the Sydney Hih buildings in an attempt to stave off demolition plans.
The city bought the crumbling complex during its negotiations with Kohl’s Corp. in an attempt to attract the retailers corporate headquarters to the Park East corridor. After Kohl’s rejected the city’s $100 million-plus incentive package and said it would not build a new headquarters downtown, city officials assessed that the Sydney Hih complex’s deteriorating condition was dangerous to the public and that it needs to be torn down.
Historic preservationists objected to the plans and said the Sydney Hih complex should be preserved. But Ald. Robert Bauman was the only member of ZND Tuesday who voted in favor of a historic designation to protect the complex. The matter still must be reviewed by the full Common Council.
Several Milwaukee commercial real estate professionals argued Tuesday that the Sydney Hih complex is in such bad condition that it would not be feasible to redevelop and that demolition of the complex would create a clean slate that would help attract development to the block.
“Every historical call is a tough call but this one has got to be made so we can move on,” said Zilber Ltd. vice president Michael Mervis.
