Downtown Hotel Proposal Scaled Back in Effort to Gain Historic Preservation Approval
By Sean Ryan – Reporter, Milwaukee Business Journal
Apr 2, 2019, 1:15pm EDT
The owner of the Kinn Guesthouse in Milwaukee has shaved two floors and 16 rooms out of the proposal to expand and renovate a downtown building for a second location, and remains in talks with city historic preservation officials to gain approval.
The second Kinn location is proposed at North Broadway and East Michigan Street in a historic section of downtown Milwaukee. A four-story office building currently stands at that corner. Charles Bailey, owner and developer of the first Kinn Guesthouse on South Kinnickinnic Avenue, last month proposed restoring the existing structure and building a five-story vertical addition. That would create a 62-room boutique hotel with a first-floor restaurant.
Bailey scaled the plan back to a three-story vertical addition, cutting the room count to 46. As with the original plan, the top floor is a smaller penthouse level with a lounge, fitness center or events space.
City historic preservation planners raised concerns about the height of the addition compared with other buildings on that historic block, and suggested only a one-story addition should be allowed.
The project was held at Monday’s Historic Preservation Commission meeting for more discussion.
Bailey on Tuesday said he will work with city officials on the design, but expects any required revisions would be workable. Scaling the project back to a one-story addition would not be economically feasible, he said.
“We made significant revisions to our original proposal and I think they were pretty well received,” Bailey said. “We’re going to listen to what their concerns are ... we don’t think the revisions they’d make us make would be a major setback.”
Bailey has a contract to buy the building from current owner and developer J. Jeffers & Co. He is working with Milwaukee-based Vetter Architects on the design.