UWM sells historic Alumni House
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s historic Alumni House has been sold to Milwaukee business operator and philanthropist Andy Nunemaker for $1.8 million, it was announced Wednesday.
Nunemaker plans to renovate the building into a private residence — its original purpose before being used by UWM as a dormitory and offices.
The three-story, 18,000-square-foot building, 3230 E. Kenwood Blvd., is known for its Tudor Revival architectural style and its location just north of Lake Park and Lincoln Memorial Drive.
The 14-bedroom mansion and its 9.3acre lot are together valued at $1.93 million, according to city assessment records.
The cash-strapped UW System in July started seeking proposals for the property to be sold or leased.
The mansion was built in 1923 as the Myron T. and Gertrude MacLaren House, according to the university. Its lot includes 175 feet of frontage on Lake Michigan.
In 1949, the property was purchased by Milwaukee Teachers College, the forerunner to UWM.
It was used as a women’s dormitory until 1964, when it was converted to
Alumni House.
Along with hosting conferences and other events, It provided offices for the university’s alumni association before those moved to the nearby Edith S. Hefter Conference Center, 3271 N. Lake Drive.
The building now houses UWM’s Innovative Weather meteorology program and the Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management.
However, its use for public events declined because it’s not accessible for people with disabilities. And it is underused as office space.
Along with generating cash, selling the building reduces UWM’s maintenance costs, returns the property to Milwaukee property tax rolls and allows it to be renovated through the use of historic preservation tax credits, according to a university statement.
Nunemaker’s proposal offered the best combination of price, timely closing on the sale, likelihood for the house’s preservation and low negative impact on the surrounding residential neighborhood, the statement said.
Nunemaker in 2012 founded Dynamis Software Corp. He previously operated EMSystems LLC, a Milwaukee provider of emergency medical services software, and before that was an executive at GE Healthcare.
As board chair of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, he led efforts to raise over $130 million to restore downtown’s historic Grand Warner Theatre into the Bradley Symphony Center and strengthen MSO’s endowment.
Nunemaker’s renovation plans for Alumni House include a full restoration of the first-floor living areas, with major renovations to the kitchen, basement and second-floor living areas.
Architectural historian H. Russell Zimmerman has been hired to design a garage just west of the main house. Gardener Ellen Irion has been commissioned to design the formal sunken gardens and a landscape plan.