Edgewater Hotel Proposal
Remarks before joint meeting of the Landmarks Commission and Urban Design Commission
Nov. 18, 2009
Jason Tish
Executive Director
Madions Trust for Historic preservation
The Madison Trust is not out to stop development in Madison. We understand that to be a livable, viable city there needs to be growth. Like many other people and organizations, we want to affect growth that is good for us, our neighborhoods and our city. 
Many others have the same overall goal, but there are many perspectives on what is ultimately good for the city.
We would like to be able to support a proposal for a revitalized Edgewater Hotel, even with a well-designed addition. Virtually everyone agrees that the public space that we got from the 1970s addition is a dramatic failure, and that the addition itself does not enhance the hotel.
We would be supportive of a project here that respects the scale of the Historic District, that respects what was stipulated for new construction in the Mansion Hill Historic District ordinance without trying to shoehorn something far out-of-scale with the District just because there are planning and zoning mechanisms that allow it to be approved. In reality, if a project were proposed here that had to conform to all applicable zoning requirements and ordinances it would be dramatically different than the current proposal and likely would fit into the Mansion Hill District nicely.
We would support a restoration of the 1947 Edgewater Hotel that is true to the historic character of the building - Overhaul the interior to make it work for new program demands, but do a true restoration of the exterior – build the dramatic entrance in the original rendering that was never executed, pull the addition away from the northeastern elevation and restore the fenestration there. We are supportive of those plans.
We would even be able to support a project here that shows a disregard for the historical styles in the district. This is an infill project in a Historic District. Many cities’ requirements for new infill construction in historic districts stipulate that it reflects current (even forward-looking) aesthetic ideals and cutting edge use of materials, but does so in a way that honors the scale of the District, and the forms of the buildings that make the District significant. So it’s a form-based approach to new construction in HDs rather than a style-based approach.
Rockville, Maryland, for example, recommends that “New construction should reflect the 21st century while respecting size, scale, massing and materials found within the district, rather than competing with the historic structures. In such a way, complementary new construction becomes part of the fabric of the district, marking changes in the City over time.”
The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office’s guidelines for infill design state that it should “Maintain the historic character of the area, while reflecting change with compatible new design that maintains setbacks and alignment patterns of buildings in the surrounding context and Relate to the scale of nearby historic buildings.”
Our own Landmarks ordinance allows “contemporary architectural expression that is visually compatible with its environment” as long as it meets the standards in the ordinance. Many new additions to old buildings (and new infill construction in Historic Districts) have been dramatically successful even if they’re a little hard to swallow at first: I.M. Pei’s glass pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris, Renzo Piano’s Modern addition to the Chicago Institute of Art. The new Jewish Student Center on Langdon St. is clearly an example of compatibility based on form rather than style. A non-contributing student center in Langdon St. Historic District was demolished to build it, but it’s a great contemporary design and I’ll bet that in 50 years we’ll be seriously considering its contribution to that District.
Many people have commented on the potential for this project to set a precedent for out-of-scale new construction in our historic districts. Hammes Co., who is writing their own PUD language, has included a “Bulk Contingency” clause ostensibly to prevent this project from being seen as a precedent.
If the relentless marketing campaign that Hammes has imposed on this city and our public involvement process, works, and this project gets all the approvals and variances it needs to get built, then that is the precedent.
If the Landmarks Commission issues a Certificate of Appropriateness for this project in this Historic District, despite the fact that it’s gross volume is clearly not compatible with the nearby residential properties that comprise the significance of the district, which is the intent of the Historic District ordinance, despite the letter of the law invoking the “visually related area,” then that is the precedent.
Many people have pointed to the National Guardian Life Insurance and Verex Bldgs (recent WSJ editorial referred to these) as being allowed in the district. It’s been made perfectly clear at several public meetings that those buildings were built before the HD ordinance was implemented, and that the intrusion of those buildings in the neighborhood was a primary catalyst for the designation of the District and for the language of the Historic District restricting the scale of new construction. When crafting the ordinance we decided that we do not want large scale development in this District.
In the 1960s and 1970s virtually every medium and large city on the country enacted a historic preservation ordinance, including Madison. In 1974 we decided that “places of special character or special historical interest or value is a public necessity and is required in the interest of health, prosperity, and welfare” of Madison’s residents. Then as districts were identified, we crafted guidelines that would provide a reasonable degree of stability to the scale, charm and general appearance in these districts.
The most successful historic districts nationally have been those that draw a hard line on the boundaries, keep tight control of new construction within those boundaries, provide incentives (carrot or stick) for property owners within the districts to maintain the character of their properties, and benefit from promotion to the growing heritage tourism industry. What the city planning Commissions conclude about this project will be a loud statement of this city’s attitude toward its cultural places. If this project is to enhance the Mansion Hill District, it will need to be dramatically modified. And I have no doubt that Hammes Co. and their architects can make it work if the Plan Commission, the Urban Design Commission and the Landmarks Commission require it.
Jason Tish Is Named Executive Director
Of the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation
The Madison Trust for Historic Preservation has taken a major step forward by naming its first full-time executive director, Jason Tish. He has more than 12 years experience in historic preservation, architectural history and archaeology as well as six years of service on the Madison Trust board.
Tish will have overall responsibility for administration of the organization and the joint delivery of field services with the National Trust for Historic Preservation-Midwest Office across the Madison and Greater Dane County area. As a Partner of the National Trust and the area’s historic preservation advocacy and education organization, the Madison Trust provides information, preservation and strategic advocacy services to empower citizens with the tools needed to preserve their historic resources.
Tish will represent both organizations to provide guidance on a variety of subjects including technical preservation assistance and landmarking, outreach, advocacy initiatives and community relations and policy.
“We are very pleased to have Jason as our first-ever staff person as the Madison Trust moves to a higher level of community engagement and advocacy,” said Vicki Siekert, president of the Madison Trust.
“We are grateful to our generous donors for making the expansion of our mission-driven services possible,” she added.
Tish noted that the Madison Trust has operated with all volunteers for 35 years. “We’ve accomplished a great deal with people who have careers and other demands on their time,” Tish said. “Having a full-time staff person is a real turning point that will allow the organization to become more sophisticated in the way we run our programs, more proactive on issues involving historic places, and more engaged in conversations about historic properties.”
The executive director position has been funded by an $87,500 Partners in the Field challenge grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This matching grant had the specific purpose of providing three years of dedicated funding to expand the Madison Trust’s field services by hiring a full-time executive director.
"While the Madison Trust has raised the matching funds for the first year of the three-year grant, we will continue to seek donations from the Madison community to fund the Executive Director position on a permanent basis,” said Madison Trust Development Director Erica Gehrig.
Madison Trust Receives
Major Preservation Grant
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has announced that the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation will receive a $87,500 “Partners in the Field” matching grant.
“This grant is an important endorsement of our work at the Madison Trust and will be a major step in advancing historic preservation in the Madison area,” said James Westring, president of the Madison Trust. "By allowing us to hire our first full-time staff person, the ‘Partners in the Field’ grant will enable us to create a greater presence in the community and increase preservation awareness and productivity in Madison.”
The grant requires a dollar-for-dollar match from the Madison Trust. “While a portion of the matching funds has already been generously pledged from the MG&E Foundation and members, we need to raise the remaining portion of the first year’s salary by May to receive the grant,” Westring said.
The funds raised will support a full-time position for three years. The executive director’s main focus will be to serve the “on-the-ground” field services devoting much of his or her time as a hands-on technical expert and resource person.
Since late October the Madison Trust’s all-volunteer board has been working on finding donors towards this goal., an effort spearheaded by Director of Development Erica Fox Gehrig. “We need several people to stop forward with pledges of $3,300 a year for a three-year commitment,” she said. “This amount will be directly matched by the National Trust for Historic Preservation this summer, which means that we will be able to begin the hiring process for an executive director very soon.”
Westring pointed out that the need for the full-time position is clear. “As Madison continues to grow, so must our commitment to historic preservation.”
- Another fire could claim a building that is assumed to be a landmark such as St. Raphael Cathedral, which was not protected as a Madison landmark.
- The Madison Trust should weigh in on the city’s rewrites of its zoning ordinance and its definition of demolition.
- The Madison Trust must monitor the recommendations of the Downtown Preservation Plan, adopted by the City Council in 1998, as well as adopted neighborhood plans.
- Madison’s rich resource of frame house neighborhoods continues to disappear and, in these energy-conscious times, these building should not become landfill.
- Homeowners and developers need preservation assistance, especially during these energy-conscious times.
Gehrig encouraged those who can help – either directly or through an employer – to contact her at 608-441-8864. “We are actively contacting individuals, foundations and businesses who may be able to help us reach our fundraising goal and advance our mission to preserve the historic built heritage of Madison, a legacy that is important today and for future generations,” she said.
The Madison Trust is one of 21 recipients in the second round of the $5 million in “Partners in the Field” matching grants, a multi-year grant program that strengthens the efforts of state and local preservation organizations across the country. The grantees, all members of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Statewide and Local Partners Program, will use the funds to expand the scope of their on-the-ground field services and assistance to property owners, developers, local officials, and others needing information and tools to protect and enhance their communities.
“’Partners in the Field’ grants are catalysts that spur historic preservation, economic revitalization and promote sustainability,” said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “Grant recipients have used preservation to create innovative solutions to complex problems – with measurable impact.”
SUPPORT LANDMARKING WHEN
YOU BUY A PIECE OF RENNEBOHM’S
The Madison Trust was one of many local non-profit organizations and businesses invited to salvage materials from the Rennebohm Building before it was demolished earlier this year. The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation donated the building's transoms and several of the decorative concrete crests.
Trust volunteers removed and cleaned many Luxfer Tile prisms from the transoms which are available for purchase at Unearthed at 2501 University Avenue (441-1993). The concrete crests are available at Deconstruction Inc. located at 1010 Walsh Road (224-8759).
There are two styles of prism to choose from as well as two styles of crest. If you are interested in seeing these items up close, please contact these business owners for their hours.
Your purchase not only allows you to remember the Rennebohm Building by owning a piece of its history but also gives you the opportunity to support the Madison Trust's fund that supports landmark nominations of historic buildings.
Relight the Marquee
The Madison Trust for Historic Preservation is currently raising money to restore the Orpheum’s Marquee to its original 1927 grandeur.
Donations can be made an any time. Checks should be made payable to the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation, attention “Relight the Marquee” and mailed to PO Box 296, Madison, WI 53701-0296.
To visit the Orpheum Theatre’s Web site, click here.
Links
If you are learning more about the City of Madison and historic preservation, the Madison Trust recommends the list of the following sites as a good starting point.
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