Wisconsin demo project has backing of historians

The Wisconsin State Building Commission has unanimously approved a request by the Wisconsin Historical Society to demolish three properties to make room for a new Wisconsin History Center in the capital city of Madison.

According to the historical society, it intends to build a new 100,000-square-foot, five-story history center on the site of the former Wisconsin Historical Museum and two adjacent properties on the city’s Capitol Square.

The not-for-profit entity society says the approval effectively moves the project into the demolition and construction phase.

Demolition is scheduled to begin early next year, while construction is expected to start in late 2024 and take slightly more than two years to complete.

According to a report from the Wisconsin State Journal, all three buildings to be dismantled trace back to the early 1900s. However, the report notes, “Commission members and other city officials hailed what would get built on the razed lots.”

The Wisconsin Historical Society has partnered with an architectural and design team that includes New York-based Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Milwaukee-based Continuum Architects + Planners and Detroit-based SmithGroup.

The State Journal says the same commission has approved a separate demolition permit in Madison to take down an auto repair shop southwest of the city’s Capitol district to make way for a five-story housing project.