Waukesha - Unable to give away a landmark building so it can be relocated and preserved elsewhere, the Waukesha Family YMCA Board now says it will put the small former gas station up for sale in hopes preservationists can raise the money to buy and repair it.
At the same time, the YMCA will appeal to circuit court last month's ruling by the city's Administrative Review Board that affirms the small, former gas station as a local landmark. It has until about Feb. 24 to file the appeal, said Chris Becker, executive director of the YMCA.
At issue is the Bartles-Maguire/Wadhams gas station at Broadway and Hartwell Ave. built in 1929 in a Tudor, residential style intended to blend in with the neighborhood. Later it was used as a fruit stand and car dealership, but most recently it has been vacant.
The YMCA purchased the property for $152,500, along with two other houses adjoining the Y's Broadway property and plans to partner with CommonBond Communities to develop 62 apartments for mobility-impaired residents there. The Y intended to tear down the gas station until its designation as a landmark stymied the plan.
During its initial appeal of the designation, the Y attempted to find someone to relocate the building with the pledge of a $10,000 donation toward the effort. There were no takers, though the Y is still willing to give it away if it's moved.
As for the court appeal, Stan Riffle, an attorney and past president of the YMCA Board, said in a written statement Tuesday, "While we are filing the appeal solely to preserve our arguments with the appeal board's decision, we firmly believe that we will not need to take the matter to the court for final determination because the indication from the local preservationist group and the Landmarks Commission is that there is a strong interest to raise the money to buy and preserve the building on site."
Becker named Mary Emery as the preservationists' representative who indicated interest in buying the building.
Emery said that while she leads a group trying to save the gas station and has seen much interest in the community in that effort, she offered to help the Y in a fund-raising effort so it could preserve the station.
"I have over 25 years of experience in historic preservation and this 'house' style gas station has generated more interest than any of the other properties that I have participated in the efforts to save," she wrote in a Jan. 23 letter to the YMCA Board. More than 400 people have signed a petition to save the gas station, she wrote, and 20 individuals are actively working on saving the building.
As she speaks to groups in the community about the gas station, some individuals have asked whether the Y would sell or lease it, and whether a fund-raising effort was under way for repairs.
The YMCA Board said it would put the building on the real estate market for 90 days at an asking price of $159,900 - its purchase price plus costs.
Emery said she didn't think that was enough time for a fund-raising campaign.
In a letter to the Common Council this week, Emery highlighted the history of the landmark at 422 E. Broadway, once known as Wally's Service Station. She also identified several other small "cottage style" gas stations around the region and state that have been adapted to new uses, such as small neighborhood coffee shops and ice cream stores.
For example, a former Copeland Service Station in Milwaukee's Sherman Park has been adapted as a coffee shop called Sherman Perk. In West Allis, a former pagoda style gas station has been restored as a museum, Emery said.
Ald. Duane Paulson has said he will ask the Common Council to consider changing local law so that no property can be designated a landmark without the property owner's consent and participation. The referral, expected Thursday, will likely be referred to committee for study.