Slate blackboards with biblical references are on one wall of an old science laboratory in the historic administration building designed by architect Alexander Eschweiler for the old agricultural college. Restoration of the five deteriorating buildings in the complex is uncertain. Credit: Gary Porter

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Five historic Wauwatosa buildings, which preservationists hope will be converted into apartments, face an uncertain future that could include demolition for some of the structures.

The red brick buildings, four of them designed a century ago by noted architect Alexander Eschweiler, sit atop a hill east of U.S. Highway 45 and south of Swan Blvd., on the County Grounds.

They are part of 89 acres that Milwaukee County sold last year to an affiliate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Real Estate Foundation. The foundation is developing Innovation Park - a project to include a university research building, privately developed buildings for technology-oriented companies and other uses.

UWM officials have been negotiating a sale of the Eschweiler buildings to Mandel Group Inc., which wants to convert them into apartments. But after receiving cost estimates from four different firms, Mandel executives believe restoring all the buildings may not be financially feasible, said Robert Monnat, the firm's chief operating officer.

"Our goal, our passion, is to do everything we can to save those buildings," Monnat said.

But, he said, the structures have deterio rated significantly after several years of being empty.

"We're not in a position to commit financial hara-kiri to save buildings that, if they had been caught earlier, something could have been done with them," Monnat said.

Mandel executives have been in talks with city officials and others in Wauwatosa about the buildings. The firm hasn't yet reached a purchase agreement with the UWM foundation, nor has it submitted a development proposal to the city.

"The possibility of taking down some of those buildings is in the air," said Common Council President Dennis McBride. "It's an unhappy discussion."

If Mandel wants to raze some of the buildings, or make other exterior changes, it needs permission from the city Historic Preservation Commission, said McBride, a commission member. If the commission denies permission to tear down any buildings, Mandel could appeal that ruling to the Common Council, he said.

Built in 1912

The buildings are what remain of the former Milwaukee County School of Agriculture and Domestic Economy. The Tudor Revival style buildings were all built in 1912 except for the power plant, which was built in 1936. All five buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The agriculture school was one of the largest commissions Eschweiler received during the early part of his career. Eschweiler's other buildings include the former Wisconsin Gas Co. headquarters, 626 E. Wisconsin Ave.; a mansion that now houses the Charles Allis Art Museum, 1801 N. Prospect Ave.; and the former Milwaukee Gas Light Co. complex in the Menomonee Valley, part of which was converted into Zimmerman Architectural Studios Inc.'s headquarters.

The agriculture school was among Wisconsin's earliest ventures in technical education but lasted only 16 years. The buildings later served as an annex to the county Children's Home and as offices for various government agencies.

Medical equipment-maker Gammex Inc. was among the last tenants in the buildings, which have been vacant since 2006 as their condition worsened.

"The county did precious little to preserve them," McBride said, citing roof damage that allowed water to enter the structures and frequent graffiti tags.

'Huge financial hurdle'

Even before Gammex left, the former school administration building had been vacant for years.

"The vacant structure is only partially boarded-up; upper-level windows have been broken out, sashes are rotting and gutters are sagging," former Journal Sentinel architectural critic Whitney Gould wrote in 1998. "As water damage worsens, the county is courting demolition by neglect."

Monnat said the costs to restore the buildings amount to "a huge financial hurdle."

Other challenges include the administration building's space layout, with a gymnasium on the top floor, Monnat said. If Mandel uses federal historic preservation tax credits to help finance the building's redevelopment, tax credit rules prohibit converting that space into apartments, he said. That greatly reduces the amount of space that can be used to create income.

The possible demolition led the Wauwatosa Historical Society's board to recently approve a resolution saying it wants to see all of the buildings preserved, said Janel Ruzicka, executive director. But she doesn't know how that would be accomplished.

The planned conversion to new uses had been based on a development firm, such as Mandel Group, making a profit. But that idea first surfaced before the housing market collapsed, the recession struck and banks created higher standards for development loans, Ruzicka said.

Meanwhile, McBride said, Wauwatosa officials may face a conflict between a desire to preserve the buildings and the need to generate more property tax revenue from new development to help finance city operations.

"We're looking at grim possibilities," McBride said.

Correction: An earlier version of this story reported incorrectly that Gammex had leased the buildings until 1999, and they have been vacant since then. The buildings have been vacant since 2006.