Madison area activists and historical preservationists met Wednesday night at Memorial Union to raise opposition to the proposed renovation of the 240 W. Gilman St. building, home to Avol's Bookstore and for many years the Madison Women's Club.
Those in attendance, mostly Mansion Hill residents, also posed questions to the proposal's designer, Michael Brush, and developer Joe McCormick, who work for Plunkett Raysich Architects, LLP.
There were close to 1,000 signatures on a petition in opposition to the demolition of the apartment building.
The meeting was a forum for discussion between the architects and Madison residents hoping to preserve the city's historical and architectural integrity.
\Madison has a legitimate architectural history and bit by bit we're losing it,"" downtown resident Sheridan Glenn said. ""This is the perfect place to put our foot down.""
The building was commissioned by the Women's Group in 1906 as a meeting space. McCormick's proposal adds three stories and an underground parking lot; fifth and sixth floors would be set back 30 feet in accordance with downtown design zones.
The space would be used for off-campus student housing and some businesses.
Several residents commented on the scale of the building, concerned about the addition of a six-story ""high-rise"" to the downtown landscape.
But the overwhelming attitude last night was that a callous renovation would sever Madison's tie to its past, in the same manner that has happened more in the last decade than in 50 years, according to a study of the Capital area by graduate student Carolyn Freiwald, who spoke last night.
Senior Joe Lindstrom, in favor of the development, stressed density and affordable rent.
""People need to know that the opposition to developments like this is what's destroying our environment,"" he said. ""Whatever replaces it I want to be as tall as freakin' possible.""
The first proposal included a total demolition of the existing building to be replaced by a modern brick structure. That plan was rejected outright by residents. The revision, unveiled tonight and including 45 to 50 units, was an improvement, some said, but still stressed the need for the care of the building.
However, the final decisions will be up to McCormick and Brush, who have already proposed two versions of the building.
""We'll take this back and digest it,"" McCormick said.
