The Demolition Continues

Following up on a prior post Is Demolition the Solution.

Old Onliner pic

Please don’t misunderstand, I DO NOT advocate saving everything. There are properties in and around town that I would gladly hold the crane operator’s coat while they do their business. There are structures that were poorly built, poorly sited or zoned and/or are in the way of needed PLANNED development. I think the city is better for the planned demolition for planned development.

That said, it would seem that demolition is frequently used as a club of last resort to try and force the issue of slum lord property maintenance.

It would seem though that on more then one occasion we’re cutting off our nose in spite.  At risk of dating myself, what comes to mind is Blazing Saddles. Cleavon Little as the new sheriff threatens to shoot himself as a means of persuasion. Mr. slum lord, if you don’t bring your property up to code we’re going to bull doze it. That’ll show you.

For a slum lord who is doing all they can to walk away from a property they’ve demonstrated they no longer have use for, this does not seem to be a compelling motivator. This is the tactic we’ve been employing for some time now. The question is… is it working? I would be interested to know.

Please, is there not a better way?

Is there not a more persuasive way to compel a slum lord who has siphoned the value out of their property in a neighborhood and left it for dead to comply with standards? Can we not intercede before the property is allowed to degrade to such a state?

The slum lord is left with the bill for demolition to be added to the citations they’re already not paying. If they’re not paying those fines what are the chances the city collects on the demolition charge as well? I would be curious to know.

The resident home owners living in the neighborhood are left with an empty lot that screams blight. Proponents would argue… it’s open space! It’s a good thing. Hmmm. I propose anyone driving down a street and sees empty lots of this sort, what comes to mind is not… Oh, good. Open space. More likely it’s, hmm, blight. Proponents would say, we’ll build something new and nice. Years ago that may have been the case. Look around, with the sole exception of the college infill at College and Clary which was well done, the majority of residential infill is jarring and… less then great… IMO anyway.

I’d be interested to know what you think. Your comments welcome. See below.

WI State Historic Preservation Conference – Oct 15 & 16

The fine folks at the Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Offices hosted an information gathering session yesterday at the amazing, historic Mitchell Mansion on Grand Avenue (now Wisconsin Ave.) and now operating as The Wisconsin Club. To be inside this… amazing building was a treat just by itself.  (Google for images)

The purpose was for information gathering in advance of this year’s Wisconsin Historic Preservation Conference. Invited were representatives from local historic preservation organizations throughout the state to get their input on an array of subjects to better plan the event.

In attendance were folks from:

• Various Milwaukee Neighborhood based Historic Preservation groups.
• Preservation Racine Inc.
• Madison Trust for Historic Preservation
• Historic Preservation Foundation of Eau Claire
• La Crosse Heritage Preservation
• The National Trust for Historic Preservation – Wisconsin Office
• Wright in Wisconsin
• And of course ourselves, The Beloit Neighborhood Preservation Assn.

(Pardon, I don’t recall all organizations represented, names or URLs – please comment below to correct.)

Among the topics discussed was, to paraphrase… what have you been doing locally that has been working well for your own local historic preservation efforts? It was a great opportunity to learn from others and share some great ideas.

Fan the Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Office

As in years past the conference travels to various locations throughout the state. This years conference will be held Friday/Saturday October 15th & 16th at the Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva. A wonderful location for the event. The conference is growing in support and popularity each year to the extent that it is increasingly challenging to find communities/facilities large enough to accommodate the growing numbers. A good problem to have I suppose.

As the event is still in planning stages detail will be announced at a later date. Information will be provided on the Wisconsin SHPO website, www.WisconsinHistory.org as well as their Facebook fan page.

What to do…

1. Mark Your Calendar for October 15th & 16th.
2. Get on the email list for further information.
   

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It couldn’t be more convenient. We’ve been given a great rate at Grand Geneva and it’s close enough you could just commute back-n-forth if you really need to. Think about it. It would be great to have Beloit well represented including.

• Participation from city staff
• Participation from the city council
• Individuals (plural) from the Landmarks Commission
• Several resident households from in and around Beloit’s three historic districts
• Visit Beloit, Beloit 2020, Downtown Merchants

Investment in and the preservation of Beloit’s distinctive historic character is good for business, property values, tourism and the community as a whole. The more we diminish this, the more Beloit becomes generic and like anyplace else.

To get the email updates on this event when they become available contact Daina Penkiunas
National Register Coordinator
608-264-6501
daina(dot)penkiunas(at)wisconsinhistory(dot)org