Despite a revised proposal, Madison community members are still conflicted over redevelopment plans proposed for the 100 block of State Street after city officials toured the vacant buildings currently sitting on the proposed site.

Executive director of the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation Jason Tish said the Overture Foundation is proposing changes to its original renovation plan that would include retaining some landmark buildings, but not others.

Tish said the foundation is proposing to retain most of the Castle & Doyle building at 125 State Street, which is one of the designated landmarks in the area.

“This is a positive step,” Tish said.

Additionally, he said some changes did not stray far from the original proposal, such as retaining the fa?ade of the C.E. Buell building at 121 and 123 State Street while putting new construction behind it.

Tish said the foundation is proposing to reconstruct the fa?ade of the Howell Furniture building at 117 and 119 State Street using the original drawings from the 1916 designers.

“It has been dramatically altered since then, so bringing it back to the original fa?ade is an interesting treatment of that building,” Tish said.

He said the revisions proposed no change to the plans for buildings at Mifflin and Fairchild.

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said there are now tours of the property on the 100 block for city officials and others concerned for the state of the buildings.

Verveer said all the buildings differ in their state of dilapidation, from student apartments lived in very recently to others that have been vacant much longer.

“Some are in better shape than others,” Verveer said. “Some have been vacant longer than others, and need a lot more work.”

Jerry Frautschi, who heads the Overture Foundation’s project, wants no apartment complexes on the block and instead wants to use the upstairs spaces for offices. Verveer said a conversion of that kind would take a lot of work.

“The feedback I’m receiving at meetings and from individuals are concerns of historic preservation,” Verveer said.

Tish said the Madison Trust initially came out in opposition to the general concept of removing current buildings and replacing them with contemporary architecture.

He said the buildings at Mifflin and Fairchild, the Stark and Schubert buildings, would be demolished under the foundation’s plan. The Preservation Society has been promoting the retention and rehabilitation of the buildings instead.

“Every civilization has valued their past,” Tish said. “They have identified what is important, and what illustrates where they are today.”

Tish said buildings like the Vallender building, designed and built by German immigrant Frank Frances Vallender, is a manifestation of German heritage in Madison.

The Vallender building was constructed right after the American Civil War.

“These buildings provide points of contact with history,” Tish said. “They provide a feeling of place in any city, and make it so that one city is not like all the others.”

Three city committees, starting Jan. 30 with the Landmarks Commission, must approve the plan before any renovations can take place. Verveer said the City Council could override the Landmarks Commission’s decision if the plan does not gain approval.