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Commission conditionally approves redevelopment plan for historic Wildenberg Hotel on South 20th Street
Summary
The commission conditionally approved the adaptive reuse of the Wildenberg Hotel at 3774 S. 20th St., allowing a restored historic building to host a restaurant and a reduced‑size banquet hall alongside a new one‑story commercial building and a shared parking lot.
The City Plan Commission on Aug. 18 conditionally approved plans to redevelop the historic Wildenberg Hotel at 3774 South 20th Street and to construct a new one‑story commercial building on the north portion of the site within the South 20th‑Howard development incentive overlay.
Kristen Connolly, DCD Planning, described the site and overlay zone: the property is city‑owned, includes the historic Wildenberg Hotel, and falls within a development incentive overlay that establishes permitted uses and design standards. The current proposal is similar to a plan that the commission reviewed in June 2024 but scaled back; the prior proposal did not proceed and a new applicant, Mandeep Dewan, is pursuing adaptive reuse.
Thomas Stokowiak (project architect, Stack Design Group) presented the redesign and restoration approach: the existing 1856 structure would be restored and an addition at the rear would house a restaurant kitchen, bar and a reduced banquet hall (about 5,000 square feet). The plan includes an outdoor patio, a sand volleyball court for the sports‑bar component, a new two‑tenant commercial building to the north and a shared parking lot of roughly 103 spaces for site tenants. Stokowiak said the design seeks to preserve the building’s prominent front façade and hide the larger addition behind it so the historic structure remains the visual focus.
Historic Preservation Commission approved the plans on Aug. 4, and staff recommended approval conditioned on submittal of a final landscape and planting plan before building permits are issued. Alderman Michael (last name Speicher) told commissioners he supported reusing the historic building and noted the project helps activate the corridor; he also said he would pursue commemorative signage and historic interpretation if the sale proceeds.
Commissioner Washington moved to close the public hearing and approve the file with a condition that the applicant submit a final landscape plan meeting city requirements; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote.
Why this matters: The project aims to rehabilitate one of the district’s oldest buildings and add active commercial uses that can provide frequent activation of the corridor rather than only occasional banquet events. Historic Preservation review and a condition on landscaping were part of the approval.
What’s next: The applicant must finalize the landscape plan and submit it for staff sign‑off, complete acquisition steps with the city and secure building permits; potential local facade or historic preservation funding sources were discussed but not resolved at the hearing.
