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Landmarks Commission approves temporary art banners for Northern Building ahead of NFL draft
Summary
The Green Bay Landmarks Commission approved a certificate of appropriateness for three-panel art banners to hang on the Northern Building at 305 East Walnut Street, with staff noting no permanent attachments to the historic façade and commissioners raising questions about parapet protection and existing light fixtures.
The Green Bay Landmarks Commission approved a certificate of appropriateness on March 19 for a temporary three-panel art banner to be hung on the exterior of the Northern Building at 305 East Walnut Street.
Commission staff presented the design and recommended approval, saying the proposal avoids permanent attachments to the historic building. The staff presentation described three separate banner panels, with the center panel overlapping each side by 10 inches, suspended from rooftop parapet saddles and anchored to sidewalk-mounted anchors by cables. Staff said temporary cable guides would be seated in window frames and would not be drilled into the building, and that the sidewalk anchors would be semi-permanent and not attached to historic fabric.
The approval matters because the city is planning events on and around the Northern Building this year. Commission members discussed the technical approach and the potential for inadvertent damage where the steel saddles rest on the parapet, and several members said the design sets a precedent for how large-scale temporary attachments should be handled on historic buildings. One commissioner thanked staff for working with the applicant to avoid mechanical attachments to the masonry.
Questions from commissioners included whether the building is occupied (staff clarified there are offices inside), and one commissioner pressed about the long-running replacement and reinstallation of original light fixtures flanking the main entrance. A commissioner suggested the Press Gazette might inquire about the status of those fixtures and any signage about their restoration.
A motion to approve the certificate of appropriateness was made by Tim (Landmarks Commission member) and seconded (second not specified in the meeting record). The motion carried with commissioners voting in favor; no opposing votes or abstentions were recorded in the transcript.
The commission packet and staff presentation emphasized that no new holes or permanent alterations to historic building materials are proposed. Staff noted the sidewalk where anchors will be drilled is not historic and said the applicant intends to fill the drilled holes when the installation is removed. The commission did not impose additional conditions beyond those recommended by staff.
The commission scheduled no additional action on the banner beyond the COA approval; staff will monitor installation details and temporary protection where the saddles meet the parapet.
The Landmarks Commission's next regular meeting is April 16.
