Fundraising begins for Milwaukee's historic Soldiers Home renovation for homeless veterans

Paint curls like potato chips on the floors and plaster walls and ceilings are crumbling to dust, but soon veterans will once again call Old Main home.

Tens of thousands of veterans from every American conflict through Vietnam have lived at the Soldiers Home in Milwaukee, one of the first three homes for disabled veterans created through legislation signed by Abraham Lincoln one month before he was felled by an assassin's bullet.

The location was chosen for its beauty and tranquility and the buildings that make up the Milwaukee VA Soldiers Home Historic District are still pretty and tranquil, a good place to restore bodies and minds. 

"A lot of pride went into this place," said Milwaukee Preservation Alliance President Peter Zanghi. "A famous Milwaukee architect, Edward Townsend Mix, who also designed the Mackie Building, designed it. That legacy shows they wanted to give veterans the best."

On Monday, a coalition of community organizations and volunteers launched a campaign to raise $4.25 million that will leverage an additional $36 million in grants and federal and state tax credits. The money will go toward the renovation of six historic buildings next to Wood National Cemetery for apartments for veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

The bulk of the funds, $32.5 million, will be used to transform Old Main, whose distinctive square tower and Gothic architecture loom large over the historic district. Old Main will include 80 one- and two-bedroom apartment units and 20,000 square feet of space for support services such as exercise and therapy rooms.

During a tour of Old Main Monday, Jonathan Beck, development project manager for the Alexander Company, pointed out the challenges of transforming a building constructed almost 150 years ago and abandoned for 28 years into a vibrant home for homeless veterans. That means restoring 568 windows, replacing and maintaining a slate roof and retaining the character of the property like the hallways and doorway arches.

The Alexander Company and the city of Milwaukee's Housing Authority are leading the team chosen by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to restore Old Main and five nearby buildings.

As he climbed up several flights of darkened stairs littered with debris and 1989 Milwaukee Sentinel sport sections (Old Main closed that year), Beck said: "It's kind of like a time warp up here."

The lower section of the tower will be turned into a sitting room filled with light from tall windows, but the upper sections accessible by rickety ladders will be renovated and closed off. Beck pointed out the primitive fire suppression system installed decades ago in the tower — a large steel tank filled with buckets of water. In the center of the tower is a ship's mast that was used to hoist the American flag each day.

Many Milwaukeeans are linked to the Soldiers Home through family members who lived there at one time or another. The building, in a way, is a community treasure. Beck's mother's uncle, a World War I veteran, lived at Old Main during the 1950s.

"I not only think of my mom's uncle, but my aunts and uncles all grew up on Milwaukee's south side. I'm the conversation at Christmas. When (the Alexander Company) finally got the project, they said — 'Good, it's about time,' " said Beck.

This Christmas? Beck will be able to tell his family "Just about there!"

The goal is to reach the $4.25 million fundraising goal by the first quarter of 2018 and with the renovation requiring 16 months of work, Old Main and the other buildings will be open by the middle of 2019, said H. Carl Mueller, chairman and CEO of Mueller Communications and co-chairman of the fundraising campaign.

Milwaukee County Veterans Service Officer Jim Duff knows the people who are the most in need of housing, the folks who will soon call Old Main their home.

"We have a lot of vets living on only a few dollars a month and we have a lot of homeless vets," said Duff. "This will provide a place to a lot of vets in need of secure housing."

To contribute to renovating the Old Soldiers Home, go to savethesoldiershome.com/donate.