A plan for a new apartment building went before the Urban Design Commission Committee Wednesday. The apartment building, which is intended primarily for student housing, is planned for 240 West Gilman St. and has many Madison residents concerned.
Construction of the apartment complex would mean tearing down a historically significant structure, currently the site of Avol’s Book Store.
The new apartment building plans to feature contemporary architecture, will be six stories high and will consist of two-, four- and five-bedroom apartments. It would also include 26 underground parking spaces. Construction is projected to cost between $4 million and $5 million and would start renting in the spring of 2005. The apartment complex would be built where the bookstore is currently located, as well as the adjacent parking lot.
Many residents are concerned that the addition of a new apartment building will take away from the neighborhood’s character and history, as more and more of Madison’s traditional and older buildings are being torn down and replaced with new buildings.
The building currently housing Avol’s Book Store was once home to the Woman’s Club of Madison, a group of Madison women who made many civic and political contributions in the early 1900s, including the implementation of kindergartens, the first children’s library and the creation of playgrounds in Madison.
Madison resident and historic preservationist Ledell Zellers said the building “should be saved because of its cultural and civic heritage.”
Four Madison residents, Simon Anderson, Bill Patterson, Marsha Rummel and Zellers, presented arguments before the committee.
“We are losing so much of the beauty and soul of the city with each of these losses,” they said.
Along with their historical significance, the old buildings have unique, articulate architectural designs that complement each other in aesthetic quality and scale. The curved architecture found in many old buildings is often absent in contemporary architecture. Patterson said the neighborhood was really surprised when told about the future plans.
“The neighborhood feels very strongly about not tearing the building down,” Patterson said. “It has character and history.”
There is also a concern that existing independent businesses on and around State Street need older buildings to survive because of the lower rents they provide. New buildings will not only charge higher rents that small businesses cannot afford but will also increase the value of properties, leading to increasing property taxes and increasing rents for current business. This notion overlaps with the existing concern that large commercial businesses are overtaking small independent businesses that are unique to State Street.
“We need Avol’s Book Store more than we need another student-housing building,” Robert March, member of the Urban Design Commission Committee, said.
Over the past few years, the growth in student housing has forced landlords to lower rents to remain competitive.
