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Keeper of the National Register upholds Blair House boundary; Waukesha landmarks commission lauded
Summary
At the June 4 Waukesha Landmarks Commission meeting a resident reported that the National Register ecision kept the Blair House boundary intact after a state review board denied the city's proposed boundary decrease.
At the Waukesha Landmarks Commission meeting on June 4, 2025, Lisa Salvo of 434 Madison Street reported that the Keeper of the National Register affirmed the listed boundary of the Blair House after the State Historic Preservation Review Board denied the city's proposed boundary decrease.
Salvo told the commission she had received the Keeper's response and walked commissioners through the recent procedural timeline: the city submitted a request to decrease the Historic Blair House boundary in spring 2024; the local commission declined to waive its 60-day review window in July 2024; the Landmarks Commission drafted and later approved an opposition letter in December 2024 and February 2025; the state review board denied the boundary decrease in May 2025; and the mayor appealed that denial to the Keeper of the National Register. The Keeper reviewed the documentation and concluded the parcel proposed for removal remains associated with Senator Blair and that the property's integrity is intact.
Why this matters: the Keeper's finding preserves the existing National Register boundary for the Blair House, which affects review of future development and demolition proposals affecting that parcel. The decision also illustrates how local commission review, the State Historic Preservation Office process, and the federal Keeper can interact when ownership or parcel lines change after an historic listing.
Timeline and key findings noted in the meeting: the Keeper's response, read by Salvo, said the historic parcel remains associated with Senator Blair and that subdivision of a single listed parcel into multiple lots does not by itself remove historic integrity. Salvo quoted the Keeper to the commission: "So congratulations. You should be commended on doing your job and on doing it well." Salvo urged commissioners to note that the commission's written report had been forwarded to the Keeper and had been considered in that review.
No formal action by the Landmarks Commission was recorded at the meeting on this subject; the update came in the public-comment period and was presented as information for the commission record. Commissioners and staff discussed neither a new motion nor a follow-up vote at this session.
The commission packet and comments read at the meeting identify the State Historic Preservation Review Board, the Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), and the Keeper of the National Register (federal) as the review authorities involved in the denial-and-appeal sequence reported by Salvo. The commission recorded Salvo's remarks and referenced the Keeper's letter as part of the public-comment record.
