(rshsdepot) Milwaukee, WI

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Link:
http://www.execpc.com/~sponholz/tour.html  (photos and information)

OPINION: Wisconsin Shouldn't Skimp on Milwaukee Train Station Makeover

Mar. 31--Pretend you're a first-time visitor to Milwaukee and you're
arriving by rail. As the train rumbles toward the station on the way up from
Chicago, you spy a landscape of breathtaking blight: crumbling industrial
buildings, acres of graffiti, derelict rail cars, piles of scrap. Welcome to
the Rust Belt. (Oh, and did we tell you there's a housing boom under way
downtown? Really.)
Things only get worse. Our visitor disembarks into an Amtrak station so
cheesy and down at the heels that it all but shouts: Get out of town while
you can! Stick-on tile and fake-wood Formica cover the walls. The dingy
waiting area, with its cheap plastic seats and dim lighting, has all the
charm of a public restroom.
Heading for a taxi, the traveler confronts a balky automatic door, cracked
sidewalks and, across the street, ugly parking lots and a bricked-up
warehouse.
There's good news on two fronts: For starters, the city is preparing to
condemn the abandoned industrial tract just south of the Amtrak station --
45 acres formerly owned by the Milwaukee Solvay Coke Co. -- and open it up
for redevelopment, perhaps by the end of the year.
"We agree that the sight of that property makes an awful statement about
Milwaukee when you come in on the train," said Greg Shelko, assistant
director of the Milwaukee Redevelopment Authority. "That's what got us
interested in it."
After a long struggle to determine ownership, Shelko's agency last year
declared the site -- bounded by E. Greenfield Ave., the railroad tracks and
the Menomonee River -- an urban renewal area. Once the Environmental
Protection Agency weighs in on the extent of soil contamination (a legacy of
the property's coal-gasification days), the city will set a fair market
value, condemn the site and acquire the buildings from Wisconsin Wrecking
Co. and the land from Cliffs Mining Co. Then, developers will be asked to su
bmit proposals for renewal, probably for light industry.
While cleanup will be costly, Shelko said, the city expects to tap
"responsible parties," including Cliffs Mining Co., to help pay the bill.
State and federal brownfields grants may also be used.
"There's already a lot of interest in the site," Shelko says.
Keep your fingers crossed that an upcoming master plan will require decent
landscaping along the railroad line and ensure that buildings don't turn
their backs to the tracks.
Here's the other piece of good news: The 1965 Amtrak station is about to get
what could be a stunning makeover. If I had my druthers, this junky remnant
of one of the bleakest periods in American architecture would meet the
wrecking ball. With its goofy arches, skinny windows and gimmicky bell
tower, it was a misfire from the get-go.
Still, the station was evidently solidly constructed; tearing it down and
starting over would be too expensive, says Jerry Roth, who now manages the
building for the state Department of Transportation, which acquired it from
CMC Heartland Partners in December 2000. Roth aptly describes the place as
"a 1965 Chevy that never had an oil change."
Using $2.6 million in state and federal funds and about $1 million from the
private sector, Wilton Partners of Chicago is working with Milwaukee's
Eppstein Uhen Architects, developer Gary Grunau and others to turn the
station into a multimodal transportation center. Translation: a depot not
only for Amtrak but also for future high-speed rail to Madison, for buses
and for pedestrian and other connections to the downtown.
(The state has already done some no-frills remodeling on the third floor for
the 50 people working on redesign of the Marquette Interchange; the second
floor, now largely abandoned, will also eventually become offices.)
Eppstein Uhen's Greg Uhen gave me a peek at a preliminary concept drawing
for the face-lift, which looks pretty cool. There's a gently upswept roof, a
curved entrance overlooking 5th St., a nice mix of natural and industrial
materials (stone, glass, steel) and a bold metal canopy undulating across
the front, its cables echoing the new 6th Street Viaduct under construction
next door. Improved lighting, new landscaping and crosswalk treatments are
part of the attractive package.
The first floor waiting area would also be redone, with interactive
informational kiosks, food vendors and colorful graphics.
Here's my concern: I'm not convinced that anything close to this can be done
well for just under $4 million. We could end up with a stripped-down project
that's only marginally better than its unfortunate predecessor.
Why doesn't the state set its sights higher? Let the DOT apply for federal
funds to ensure a high-quality makeover. Two flexible programs -- CMAQ (for
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality) and Transportation Enhancements --
offer money for this sort of thing. The state ought to get going now on
grant applications.
The city, meanwhile, ought to turn one-way St. Paul Ave., the speedway in
front of Amtrak, back into a two-way thoroughfare. There's already some
interest in this; plans should be coordinated with redesign of the Marquette
Interchange.
A couple of other friendly suggestions for the city: Include those ugly
parking lots across from Amtrak in a broader renewal district. New
buildings, with parking underground, would be a much more inviting gateway
to the downtown than swaths of asphalt. And, if the downtown post office is
going to remain next door, let the city prod the federal government to
overhaul that monster of a building.
In short, think bigger. Let this long-neglected corner of Milwaukee reflect
the highest aspirations of a new generation of city builders, not the
pinched expectations of the past.
Call Whitney Gould at (414) 224-2358, write her at The Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel, P.O. Box 371, Milwaukee, WI 53201, or e-mail her at
wgould_@_onwis.com

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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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