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Waukesha Landmarks Commission approves exterior supports for 402 Wisconsin Avenue fire escape
Summary
The Landmarks Commission approved a certificate of appropriateness for visible steel support piers and concrete footings to stabilize a rear fire escape at the Samuel Hadfield guest house at 402 Wisconsin Avenue, with a proviso that the piers be clad in or finished to resemble stone if cost-effective.
The Waukesha Landmarks Commission on Feb. 5 approved a certificate of appropriateness to add exterior steel support beams and concrete footings to shore up the rear fire escape at 402 Wisconsin Avenue, a 19th-century Samuel Hadfield guest house located in the Madison Street Historic District.
Commission members voted to approve the exterior support system as proposed, with a proviso that the visible concrete piers be clad in stone veneer or stamped/etched to resemble stone if that can be done cost-effectively and without compromising life-safety work.
Staff described the proposal as a life-safety response to a fire department order after a structural assessment found the existing fire escape unsafe. The recommended approach calls for three steel support columns adjacent to the building and a fourth at the outer edge of the escape; the columns will be bolted to existing floor joists using 5/8-inch-diameter rods and will rest on concrete footings. Renderings show the steel painted black to match the existing escape and gray poured concrete foundations at grade.
Mark Rolinger, representing the building owner, said the exterior piers were selected so the work would not “interrupt the building” and to avoid removing most of the siding and interior plaster that would be required for an all-internal repair. “Our engineer came up with this design to... shore it up, to be safe for the residents,” Rolinger said.
Commissioners discussed the visual impact of the above-grade concrete piers. One commissioner suggested cladding or stamping the exposed concrete to resemble the building’s historic stone; Rolinger said he would investigate the cost and that thin stone veneer or stamped concrete were possible, lower-cost options. The applicant’s representative said crews will dig to pour footings (roughly to the basement floor) and that the piers will extend above ground by roughly 30 inches as shown on the plans.
Staff recommended replacing any siding removed during the structural work to match the existing siding and noted that a building permit will be required. Staff also cited Secretary of the Interior’s Standards 9 and 10 as guidance on ensuring new additions remain removable in the future without impairing the historic property’s essential form and integrity.
A commissioner moved approval with the stone-cladding proviso; another commissioner seconded. The motion passed and staff was authorized to handle the final review of any cost-effective cladding decisions.
The commission’s approval applies to the specific design presented; a building permit and final construction documents remain required before work begins.
