(NOTE: Permanent historic designation of the Millerand was approved by the City of Milwaukee's Historic Preservation Commission in March 2024.)
At a special meeting on Jan. 17, the City of Milwaukee’s Historic Preservation Commission will take up the matter of granting temporary historic designation to the Millerand Apartment Building at 3035 W. Wisconsin Ave., in Merrill Park neighborhood.
The eight-story 1925 Beaux Arts apartment building was designed by Martin Tullgren & Sons and its variegated brick facade is detailed with terracotta and copper elements.
The building is currently owned by Berrada Properties, which purchased it last spring from Blankstein Enterprises.
Nearby resident Jim Dieter applied for the designation on Dec. 6, based – according to the application – on the building’s architectural significance.
Tullgren and his sons designed many buildings around the city and often used ornate terracotta detailing, as on their George Watts & Son building Downtown and the Bertelson Building on Prospect Avenue on the East Side.
The Millerand, designed for real estate developer Morris Miller, is a classic – and classical – 1920s apartment building, this one designed for tenants seeking luxury apartments.
The building has 72 apartments, and the top floor was planned with an open atrium penthouse with terrazzo flooring and a playroom.
The Wisconsin Historical Society’s Architectural Inventory notes that, “Morris Miller was a Polish Jew who immigrated to the United States in 1887 and arrived in Milwaukee five years later. At first he established a clothing business with his brother and then turned to real estate in 1907.
“Over his career he developed many apartment complexes and constructed ‘hundreds’ of homes. He was also a prominent member of Milwaukee’s Jewish community.”
According to HPC Senior Planner Andrew Stern, the reason for the special meeting is timing.
“We received the completed application package last Wednesday. With the notice of hearing requirements in the HP ordinance – sent within seven business days of when the public hearing is held – and how the holidays fell this year, we were not able meet the notice requirements in time to hold the meeting at the regularly scheduled (Jan. 8) HPC meeting.”
Dieter could not be reached for comment, and Berrada Properties did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Stern noted, “It is my understanding that there are residents in the building and Avenues West/Concordia/Merrill Park neighborhoods that have concerns about how a somewhat recent ownership change could alter the building.”
Temporary historic designation is typically sought when there appears to be an immediate threat to a building and can – but does not always – lead to permanent historic designation.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
