WI LAKE HOME OWNERS NEWS - New Pier Grandfathering Legislation

WI LAKE HOME OWNERS NEWS - New Pier Grandfathering Legislation (edit/delete)

WI LAKE HOME OWNERS NEWS - New Pier Grandfathering Legislation Signed Into Law - Wisconsin REALTORS® Association

By: Tom Larson

On April 2, 2012, Governor Walker signed into law 2011 Wisconsin Act 167, legislation that grandfathers almost all existing piers. In addition, the new law eliminates the pier registration requirement and creates new standards for piers placed on or after April 17, 2012.

Finally, the new law guarantees that waterfront property owners have a right to place a pier, even if the property is located in areas that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) considers to be environmentally significant.

 

Background

In 2007, Wisconsin lawmakers enacted a law that attempted to grandfather 99 percent of the existing piers from DNR permitting requirements. (2007 Wisconsin Act 204.) To be eligible for grandfathering, a pier was required to meet the following standards:

• The pier must have been originally placed prior to February 6, 2004.
• The width of the pier could be no wider than eight feet.
• A loading platform or deck was allowed as long as it is located at the lakeward end of the pier and the platform had a surface area no greater than either (a) 200 square feet, which may be any width, or (b) 300 square feet, if the deck/platform is no wider than 10 feet. 

In addition, the pier must have been registered with the DNR by April 1, 2011. The registration deadline was later changed to April 1, 2012.

However, both the DNR and lawmakers discovered that many more piers than originally anticipated would not qualify for grandfathering. In addition, very few piers that did qualify for grandfathering were registered with the DNR.

Accordingly, lawmakers decided that it would be best to resolve the pier grandfathering issue once and for all by grandfathering all existing piers.

 

Grandfathering of Existing Piers

Under the new law, all existing piers placed before April 17, 2012 are grandfathered unless:

• a. The DNR notified the riparian owner before April 17, 2012 that the pier is “detrimental to the public interest.”
• b. Or if the pier “interferes with the riparian rights of other riparian owners.” A pier that extends into a neighbor’s riparian zone, which is the water in front of the neighbor’s property, is an example of a pier that would interfere with the neighbor’s riparian rights.

Also, if the pier is grandfathered, the riparian owner may relocate or reconfigure the pier as long as the pier is not enlarged.

In addition, the riparian owner does not need to register the pier with the DNR in order to grandfather the pier. All existing piers are automatically grandfathered unless the pier meets at least one of the two exceptions previously listed.

Note: REALTORS^® should ask waterfront property owners if (a) they have received notice from the DNR that their pier is “detrimental to the public interest,” and (b)their pier interferes with the rights of other riparian owners.

 

New Piers

In addition to the grandfathering provisions, the new law creates a few different standards for new piers, which are piers placed for the first time on or after April 17, 2012.

First, the new law increases the boat density requirement under existing law to allow for personal watercraft, such as jetskis and waverunners. Under current law, waterfront property owners are allowed two boat slips for the first 50 feet of frontage and one boat slip for each additional 50 feet of frontage thereafter. Because a personal watercraft is often tied to a dock and is not placed in a “slip” or on a hoist or lift, the law is not clear as to whether any limits exist regarding the number of personal watercraft that a property owner may have. Accordingly, the new law allows riparians to have two personal watercraft for the first 50 feet of frontage and one additional personal watercraft for each additional 50 feet of frontage thereafter. This is in addition to the number of boat slips allowed under current law.

Second, the new law changes the maximum size requirement for loading platforms on new piers to 200 square feet in total area. Prior law allowed for a maximum width of eight feet wide but did not limit the total area. This change allows for greater flexibility in the size and dimensions of loading platforms so that riparian owners can determine what configuration would best meet their needs.

As a result of these changes, new piers can be placed without obtaining a permit from the DNR if the pier meets the following requirements:

• Width: No more than six feet wide.
• Length: No longer than what is necessary to moor your boat or use a boat lift, or 3-foot water depth, whichever is greater.
• Number of boats: Two boat slips/lifts for the first 50 feet of water frontage of your property, plus one more boat slip/lift for each additional 50 feet of frontage.
• Number of personal watercraft: Two personal watercraft for the first 50 feet of water frontage of your property, plus one more personal watercraft for each additional 50 feet of frontage.
• Loading platforms: A loading platform/deck with a surface area no greater than 200 square feet.

If a waterfront property owner wants to place a pier that exceeds these standards, a permit must be obtained from the DNR.

Piers Located in Areas of Special Natural Resource Interest (ASNRI)

Due to a law change in 2003, riparian owners located adjacent to a body of water considered by the DNR to be an area of special natural resource interest (ASNRI) were unable to lawfully place a pier without a permit. This problem was magnified by the fact that the definition of ASNRI is overly broad and includes any “area that possesses significant scientific value, as identified by the DNR.” This definition is vague and gives the DNR the discretion to designate any area to be an ASNRI. In fact, the term has been interpreted to mean not just specific areas in a lake, but the entire lake in some cases. As a result, riparian owners located adjacent to an ASNRI may be required to obtain a permit to place a pier and could be denied from placing a pier altogether.

While the new law did not eliminate the requirement to obtain a permit for a pier located in ASNRI waters, it does clarify that if a pier is located in an ASNRI, then (a) the pier is eligible for a general permit, and (b) the DNR may impose conditions on the location, design, construction and installation of a pier located in ASNRI waters, but the DNR may not prohibit the owner from placing a pier. In other words, the riparian owner is guaranteed the right to place a pier, but the exact dimensions may be determined by the DNR. This provision is intended to allow the DNR to determine the size, location and design of a pier to avoid any adverse impacts to sensitive areas like fish spawning areas and other sensitive habitats, but also protects the right of waterfront property owners to place a pier to access the waterway.


See the DNR’s website for an interactive map showing all of the lakes and rivers in Wisconsin that are designated ASNRI at http://dnrmaps.wi.gov/imf/imf.jsp?site=SurfaceWaterViewer.deswaters.

 

Nonconforming Wet Boathouses

In addition to modifying the pier regulations, the new law eliminates the restrictions placed on the ability of riparian owners to maintain and repair wet boathouses, which are located below the ordinary high water mark. The restrictions limited the value of all maintenance and repairs over the life of the property to 50 percent of the assessed value of the boathouses, which was intended to eventually eliminate these boathouses by forcing them to fall into disrepair.

The 50 percent rule has been unfair to property owners because it applies retroactively to existing boathouses that were legal when originally constructed. Moreover, the rule had proven difficult to enforce because it is almost impossible for county zoning administrators to keep track of each dollar spent on necessary paint, boards and roofing shingles. As a result, it encouraged property owners to be dishonest about what they have spent on repairs and maintenance.

The new law eliminates application of the 50 percent rule to wet boathouses. As a result, riparian owners may perform unlimited maintenance and repair to these existing boathouses that were constructed before 1979. This new law change allows property owners to “keep what they have” but does not allow the boathouses to be expanded.

For more information on the new law, please contact Tom Larson (tlarson@wra.org) at (608) 240-8254.
Tom Larson is Vice President of Legal and Public Affairs for the WRA.

Published: May 02, 2012

Welcome to Wisconsin Real Estate with Lisa Bear

Thank you for visiting.  Please feel free to contact me for any of your real estate needs including an online market if you are a seller, or finding a home if you are a buyer. My real estate focus in the  Waukesha County, Milwaukee County, Lake Country, Jefferson County, Dodge County and Washington County areas.  I have my IRES designation (International Real Estate Specialist) so I can assist you with all your real estate needs in Wisconsin, the USA or anywhere in the WORLD!

When you are seriously looking or just browsing at real estate in Wisconsin, I am a great resource to help you with all your needs and questions, whether a first time home buyer, relocating to or from the beautiful LAKE COUNTRY area, looking to invest or explore foreclosure opportunities or just thinking ahead to the future.

Lisa Bear of RE/MAX (262-893-5555) is an experienced real estate agent in Waukesha County and the entire Milwaukee Metro area including:

The prospering communities of Waukesha County including Delafield, Waukesha, Oconomowoc, Pewaukee, Waukesha, Sussex, Wales, New Berlin, Dousman, North Prairie, Mukwonago, Chenequa, Menomonee Falls, Brookfield, Elm Grove, Okauchee, Eagle, Muskego and Merton.

Great municipalities in Milwaukee County including Milwaukee, South Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, Hales Corners, Greenfield, Glendale, Franklin, Bayside, Brown Deer, Cudahy, Fox Point, Greendale, Shorewood, Oak Creek, St. Francis, West Allis and Whitefish Bay.

The hometown favorites of Washington County, Jefferson County and Dodge County including Watertown, Hartford, West Bend, Germantown, Jackson, Richfield, Ashippun, Lake Mills, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Slinger and Erin.

Real Estate in Wisconsin is an excellent investment!
 

 "HELPING YOU MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION"

Rock Lake, Lake Mills Wi Real Estate Report, Lisa Bear REMAX

What's Happening in Real Estate in Lake Mills, Jefferson County? WI Realtor,Lisa Bear, Gives You The Real Estate Activity For Lake Mills, WI For the Last 30 Days: Real Estate In Jefferson County

 Home Values Lake Mills WI, Home Listings LAke Mills WI, MLS Listings Lake Mills WI, Homes Lake Mills WI

My name is Lisa Bear of Remax. My market report gives you the real estate activity for Pewaukee for the last 30 days. 

 Lake Mills, the city of Pyramids is a charming community that makes a big splash with visitors and citizens lucky enough to call it home. Located just off I-94 and east of Madison, this vital community has been successful in preserving the small-town feel and tranquility of the area, while encouraging growth and attracting new businesses.

Dip into Rock Lake – the mysterious waters of the lake of Pyramids- a 1,371-acre recreational oasis for a wide variety of water sports, such as sailing, fishing, swimming, water skiing or a leisurely sunset cruise. The mystery lake is surrounded by five parks, two beaches, marshy areas and residential homes.  Urban legend says "stone structures that are reported to be found on the bottom,  One such legend says that after suffering a long and terrible drought, natives appealed to their gods for help by building and using sacrificial pyramids. In answer to their prayers, great waters soon covered the pyramids and created the lake." For more information on the legend see www.whylegendary.com. 

 ROCK LAKE, another incredibly beautiful WISCONSIN LAKE - You can’t help but have a good time on a WISCONSIN lake.

Please feel free to call me for any of your real estate needs, including an online market if you are a seller, or finding a home in Jefferson County County. Real Estate in JEFFERSON County is an excellent investment! The following MLS information is for the last 30 days from 5/29/12 to 6/29/12. Lisa Bear Gives You The Real Estate Activity For Lake Mills, WI For the Last 30 Days: Real Estate In Jefferson County, WI


 In the Lake Mills, Wisconsin Real Estate market 8 homes sold; 3 were list and sold by the same company, and 5 were sold by co-brokes.

In the  Lake Mills, Wisconsin Real Estate market there were 16 new listings.
In the  Lake Mills, Wisconsin Real Estate market there were 6 pending listings.
In the  Lake Mills, Wisconsin Real Estate market there were 0 withdrawn listings.

In the  Lake Mills, Wisconsin Real Estate market there were 0 canceled listings.
In the  Lake Mills, Wisconsin Real Estate there were 11 expired listings.
In the  Lake Mills, Wisconsin Real Estate there were 4 back on market listings.
In the  Lake Mills, Wisconsin Real Estate  market there were 5 extended listings.

In the Lake Mills, Wisconsin Real Estate  market there are 104 currently active listings.

  The average price for a home SOLD was $239,562

In the  Lake Mills, Wisconsin Real Estate it is a great time to call LISA BEAR to buy and sell!

 

Welcome to Wisconsin Real Estate with Lisa Bear

Thank you for visiting.  Please feel free to contact me for any of your real estate needs including an online market if you are a seller, or finding a home if you are a buyer. My real estate focus in the  Waukesha County, Milwaukee County, Lake Country, Jefferson County, Dodge County and Washington County areas.  I have my IRES designation (International Real Estate Specialist) so I can assist you with all your real estate needs in Wisconsin, the USA or anywhere in the WORLD!

When you are seriously looking or just browsing at real estate in Wisconsin, I am a great resource to help you with all your needs and questions, whether a first time home buyer, relocating to or from the beautiful LAKE COUNTRY area, looking to invest or explore foreclosure opportunities or just thinking ahead to the future. 

Lisa Bear of RE/MAX (262-893-5555) is an experienced real estate agent in Waukesha County and the entire Milwaukee Metro area including:

The prospering communities of Waukesha County including Delafield, Waukesha, Oconomowoc, Pewaukee, Waukesha, Sussex, Wales, New Berlin, Dousman, North Prairie, Mukwonago, Chenequa, Menomonee Falls, Brookfield, Elm Grove, Okauchee, Eagle, Muskego and Merton. 

Great municipalities in Milwaukee County including Milwaukee, South Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, Hales Corners, Greenfield, Glendale, Franklin, Bayside, Brown Deer, Cudahy, Fox Point, Greendale, Shorewood, Oak Creek, St. Francis, West Allis and Whitefish Bay. 

The hometown favorites of Washington County, Jefferson County and Dodge County including Watertown, Hartford, West Bend, Germantown, Jackson, Richfield, Ashippun, Lake Mills, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Slinger and Erin.

Real Estate in Wisconsin is an excellent investment!
 

 "HELPING YOU MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION"

Thoughtful Thursday

FOR SALE lakefront luxury mansion in great Midwest, near Chicago

Check out this lakeside patio on LacLaBelle lake one of Wisconsin beautiful lakes. This waterfront property is for sale at 800 N Lake Dr in OCONOMOWOC WI by Lisa Bear of Remax.

Over 335 feet of sparkling frontage is just the beginning. This lakefront luxury mansion on the great Midwest, near Chicago is a retreat like no other. 30 rooms, 8 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms and 7 fireplaces. One of the most luxurious homes in all of the Midwest USA. 

Priced at 5.4 million. Contact Lisa Bear at 262-893-5555 for additional information.

KNOLLWARD - A Marjorie Montgomery Ward Estate established in 1928

You have to see this one to believe it…

800 N Lake Rd - Oconomowoc

an encompassing 350 ft of  prsitine frontage on Lac LaBelle

Rooms: 30 / Bedrooms: 8 / Bathrooms: 10.5 / Garage Spaces:4.5 / Sq Ft: 15,222

Price - MVP'd 4.9 to 5.4 million

Directions: From Milw/Chicago take I94 to Hwy 16 (From Madison I94 to Hwy 67N to Hwy 16)into Oconomowoc. Go through the roundabout and at Wisconsin Ave/Main Street intersection turn north.Follow to home on left.



Welcome to Knollward - Showplace of the Midwest

Imagine gables roofs, dormers, oriel, French Provincial windows, black marble, wrought iron, cypress beams, gold plating and turreted outlines framing 355feet of Lac La Belle lake shore. Picture traveling through 30 rooms with seven fireplaces and 17 chandeliers in a time still suspended in the year 1928.


Now picture yourself owning incredible KNOLLWARD; the former summer home of Marjorie Montgomery Ward Baker, a monument paying tribute to an unsurpassed era of glamour, grace and style.

Marjorie Montgomery Ward Baker was the adopted daughter and only child of Aaron Montgomery and Betty Ward. Aaron Montgomery Ward was the founder of the nationally known mail order firm and first “wishbook.”


Commanding the east bank of Lac La Belle, the mansion is located at 800 N Lake Road, Oconomowoc. Known for its picturesque lakes and historical integrity, Oconomowoc captures the beauty of small town America (USA)  combined with the sophistication of metropolitan Milwaukee just 30 miles east.

The story of Knollward is as fascinating as the house.

Aaron Montgomery Ward was born on February 17, 1844 in Chatham, New Jersey. When he was about nine years old, his father, Sylvester Ward, moved the family to Niles, Michigan, where Aaron attended public schools. He was one of a large family, which at that time was far from wealthy. When he was fourteen, he was apprenticed to a trade to help support the family. According to his brief memoirs, he first earned 25 cents per day at a cutting machine in a barrel stave factory and then stacking brick in a kiln at 30 cents a day.


Energy and ambition drove him to seek employment in the town of St. Joseph, a market for outlying fruit orchards, where he went to work in a shoe store. Being a fair salesman, within nine months he was engaged as a salesman in a general country store at six dollars per month plus board, a considerable salary at the time. He rose to become head clerk and general manager and remained at this store for three years. By the end of those three years, his salary was one hundred dollars a month plus his board. He left for a better job in a competing store, where he worked another two years. In this period, Ward learned retailing.


In 1865, Ward located in Chicago, worked for Case and a lamp house. He traveled for them, and sold goods on commission for a short time. Chicago was the center of the wholesale dry-goods trade.


In the 1860s Ward joined the leading dry-goods house, Field Palmer & Leiter, a forerunner of Marshall Field & Co. He worked for Field for two years and then joined the wholesale dry-goods business of Wills, Greg & Co. In tedious rounds of train trips to southern communities, hiring rigs at the local stables, driving out to the crossroads stores and listening to the complaints of the back-country proprietors and their rural customers, he conceived a new merchandising technique: direct mail sales to country people. It was a time when rural consumers longed for the comforts of the city, yet all too often were victimized by monopolists and overcharged by the costs of many middlemen required to bring manufactured products to the countryside. The quality of merchandise also was suspect and the hapless farmer had no recourse in a caveat emptor economy. Ward shaped a plan to buy goods at low cost for cash. By eliminating intermediaries, with their markups and commissions, and drastically cutting selling costs, he could sell goods to people, however remote, at appealing prices. He then invited them to send their orders by mail and delivered the purchases to their nearest railroad station. The only thing he lacked was capital.


After several false starts, including the destruction of his first inventory by the Great Chicago Fire, Ward started his business at his first offices at the corner of North Clark and Kedzie streets, with two partners and using $1,600 they had raised in capital. The first catalog in August 1872 consisted of an 8 by 12 in. single-sheet price list, showing 163 articles for sale with ordering instructions. Ward himself wrote the first catalog copy. His two partners left the following year, but he continued the struggling business and was joined by his future brother-in-law Richard Thorne.


In the first few years, the business was not well received by rural retailers, who considered Ward a threat and sometimes publicly burned his catalog. Despite the opposition, however, the business grew at a fast pace over the next several decades, fueled by demand primarily from rural customers who were attracted by the wide selection of items unavailable to them locally. Customers were also attracted by the innovative and unprecedented company policy of "satisfaction guaranteed or your money back", which Ward began using in 1875. Although Ward turned the copy writing over to department heads, he continued poring over every detail in the catalog for accuracy. Ward himself became widely popular among residents of Chicago, championing the causes of the common folk over the wealthy, most notably in his successful fight to establish parkland along Lake Michigan.


In 1883, the company's catalog, which became popularly known as the "Wish Book", had grown to 240 pages and 10,000 items.


In 1896, Ward acquired its first serious competition in the mail order business, when Richard Warren Sears introduced his first general catalog.


In 1900, Ward had total sales of $8.7 million, compared to $10 million for Sears, Roebuck and Co., and the two companies were to struggle for dominance for much of the 20th century. By 1904, the company had grown such that three million catalogs, weighing 4 pounds each, were mailed to customers.


In 1908, the company opened a building stretching along nearly 1/4 mile of the Chicago River, north of downtown Chicago. (The building, known as the Montgomery Ward & Co. Catalog House, served as the company headquarters until 1974, when the offices moved across the street to a new tower. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1978 and a Chicago historic landmark in May 2000.)


At age 50, A. Montgomery Ward retired from the business a very wealthy man.


Seven years prior to his retirement, he came to Oconomowoc and purchased Colonel Durand’s three hundred acre horse breeding farm on the southwest corner of Lac La Belle, in what is know the Mary Lane area and he named it La Belle Knoll. For the next twenty years he carried on there an extensive horse breeding operation and sold many horses. He also hitched them to his elegant carriages and drove in numerous horse shows in the country, acquiring a great number of trophies and ribbons.


The Wards had no children, but in 1892 when Mrs. Ward’s sister died in childbirth, they went to Michigan and adopted her daughter, who became Marjorie Ward. As a small girl, she went along with her parents to the International Horse Show in London, where her father won the world champion trophy with his tallyho drag and team, a four horse hitch, winning over the King of England and the Czar of Russia.


Ward had a love for the city of Chicago and fought for the poor people's access to Chicago's lakefront. In 1906 he campaigned to preserve Grant Park as a public park. Ward twice sued the city of Chicago to force it to remove buildings and structures from Grant Park and to keep it from building new ones. Ward is known by some as the "watch dog of the lake front" for his preservationist efforts. As a result, the city has what is termed as the Montgomery Ward height restrictions on buildings and structures in Grant Park. (However, Crown Fountain and Jay Pritzker Pavilion were exempt from the height restriction because they were classified as works of art and not buildings or structures.) Ward is said to continue to rule and protect Grant Park from his grave.


In 1909, while the Wards were at their California winter home, the home on the La Belle Knoll estate burned to the ground, but the stables remained unharmed. Mr. Ward returned to Oconomowoc, but he never rebuilt a home there. Instead he rented a double suite at Draper Hall Hotel and each morning he bicycled out to the stables to watch the coachman working with the horses. In 1911, he drove a Modoc four cylinder touring car, which was sold by his company.


In late 1913 Ward broke his leg, and death soon followed. He died at the age of 69. Ward willed $20 million to his widow, Betty, and $2 million to his adopted daughter Marjorie.


In 1926, the Simmons property, with 700 feet of Lac La Belle frontage, came on the market. This land is where KNOLLWARD now stands. Mrs. Ward purchased it and had the existing buildings razed.


Mrs. Ward engaged architects and builders to erect the gracious mansion at a cost of $80,000 just before the country sunk into Depression. The elegant touches that such money bought are evident from the moment you set your eyes upon it. It was considered the finest example of French-Provincial Manor type architecture in the Midwest and still carries a reputation as a “Showplace of the Midwest”.


It took two years to build, and when it was finished, Mrs. Ward and Marjorie were in California. They returned to the Midwest, but before they got to Oconomowoc, Mrs. Ward died at their Chicago home. So, Marjorie came to live at Knollward, given the name of the family home on the other side of the lake, which had burned.


Marjorie, by all accounts, lived a fairy-tale life at the mansion. She filled the dream house with treasures such as 17 crystal chandeliers, walnut paneling in the salon, a marble bathroom, seven fireplaces (all real, emblazoned with the Ward coat of arms), Cyril Colnik wrought iron and gold plated telephones and faucets, a private telephone booth, fountains, garden frescoes and even a miniature marble tub for her dog. She imported students from the Chicago Art Institute to hand paint walls and even the ceiling of her bathroom.


The elder Wards did not give many parties, but Marjorie didn’t share her parent’s aversion to social whirl. She became famous for entertaining the glittering folk of Hollywood, kings and politicians. Her housewarming skills were memorable. She hired a nine piece band, minstrel singers, and a cabaret show. Chicago caterers served 200 guests on Crown Derby and Dresden china. Small tables were set up on the lantern-lit patio all around the grounds. And there were other parties, too. A Gypsy Party for one hundred and fifty guests had two bands, fortune tellers giving out favors, acrobats, and clowns. And then, of course, there were those affairs where guests were in formal attire and arrived at the front door in black limousines.


In 1932, Marjorie married Robert Baker, an Oconomowoc man whose family “made their money in coal.” The couple met in 1913, but all four of the couple’s parents disapproved of this match, so the courtship was a long one. They waited for the demise of all their parents before marrying, at which time they were both forty years old.


The Baker’s built an addition to Knollward, an elegant wing for the mister, including the master bedroom suite, library, curved halls, turrets, spiral staircase and his own front door. The Zebra Lounge, a party lounge complete with black and silver art deco-style fireplace was also added under the library along with a tunnel through which the butler replenished the liquor supply unobtrusively (during the Prohibition era.)


The Bakers spent time at Knollward, living most of the winter and spring in Chicago, until Marjorie’s death in 1959. Her will stipulated that her husband could use the mansion during his lifetime. Instead he moved to Chicago. He died, at age 85, in Bronxville, NY.


After he moved out the estate became property of the Montgomery Ward Foundation, which was offered to the Milwaukee Episcopal Archdiocese first, and then to the City of Oconomowoc as a library and civic center. The gift was valued at $300,000. Lutheran Homes of Oconomowoc was a willing recipient in 1961, as long as the home was used as a home for elderly people for 25 years. The Foundation’s gift included fund for construction of a new two story wing to match the original exterior, remodeling and decorating.


By the early 1990’s, government guidelines and restrictions caused Lutheran Home to build a new building, Shorehaven Tower, across the lake. It opened in 1996. Thus, Knollward was put up for sale and purchased in June 1997.


In 1997, with new owners and a vision to “get it back to what it was”, a complete renovation began to restore the integrity and bring the house into the modern century. The house needed a complete overhaul, including a new electrical system, new plumbing, new mechanicals, including the entire heating system and the addition of air conditioning. About 9,000 square feet of hardwood and marble floor also needed refinishing. Further, because it had last functioned as a retirement home and the graciously sized rooms had been subdivided to create more bedrooms, multiple wall partitions needed to be torn down.


A symbol of beauty in a bygone era, the existing owners also updated the kitchen and baths with modern facilities while maintaining the revel and character. The original detailed ironwork of the world famous Cyril Colnik remains, as do the fountains, urns, the original Montgomery Ward coats of arms, as well as many of the chandeliers, sconces, and marble floors.


Now in 2010, Knollward becomes available to a new family who will appreciate the splendor and history of this estate. Knollward, with its 30 some rooms (50 if you count baths and storage areas) encompasses 15,222 square feet, boosts 8 bedrooms, 10.5 bathrooms, 4.5 car garages located on 335 feet of sparkling frontage on Lac La Belle in Oconomowoc which offers exquisite lake views, crystal clear waters and gorgeous sunsets.


Today’s value is estimated at between 4.5 and 5.5 million

Welcome to Wisconsin Real Estate with Lisa Bear

Thank you for visiting.  Please feel free to contact me for any of your real estate needs including an online market if you are a seller, or finding a home if you are a buyer. My real estate focus in the  Waukesha County, Milwaukee County, Lake Country, Jefferson County, Dodge County and Washington County areas.  I have my IRES designation (International Real Estate Specialist) so I can assist you with all your real estate needs in Wisconsin, the USA or anywhere in the WORLD!

When you are seriously looking or just browsing at real estate in Wisconsin, I am a great resource to help you with all your needs and questions, whether a first time home buyer, relocating to or from the beautiful LAKE COUNTRY area, looking to invest or explore foreclosure opportunities or just thinking ahead to the future.

Lisa Bear of RE/MAX (262-893-5555) is an experienced real estate agent in Waukesha County and the entire Milwaukee Metro area including:

The prospering communities of Waukesha County including Delafield, Waukesha, Oconomowoc, Pewaukee, Waukesha, Sussex, Wales, New Berlin, Dousman, North Prairie, Mukwonago, Chenequa, Menomonee Falls, Brookfield, Elm Grove, Okauchee, Eagle, Muskego and Merton.

Great municipalities in Milwaukee County including Milwaukee, South Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, Hales Corners, Greenfield, Glendale, Franklin, Bayside, Brown Deer, Cudahy, Fox Point, Greendale, Shorewood, Oak Creek, St. Francis, West Allis and Whitefish Bay.

The hometown favorites of Washington County, Jefferson County and Dodge County including Watertown, Hartford, West Bend, Germantown, Jackson, Richfield, Ashippun, Lake Mills, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Slinger and Erin.

Real Estate in Wisconsin is an excellent investment!
 

 "HELPING YOU MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION"

A champ - Miller Park Milwaukee WI

A champion is crowned

No. 24-seeded Miller Park upends No. 3 AT&T Park in championship

Updated: June 22, 2012, 10:20 PM ET

By Jim Caple | 

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ESPN.com IllustrationMiller Park defeated AT&T Park by a sizable margin in the championship.

The electoral college finally makes sense to me.

Our Battle of the Ballparks Bracket is complete, and the upset winner over Camden Yards, Fenway, Wrigley, PNC, AT&T and all the others is Milwaukee's Miller Park. Well, it's an upset winner based on its No. 24 seed. It's not such an upset winner if you've been following the votes over the past week.
That's because the passionate fans of baseball's smallest market overcame the odds by getting out the vote for their favorite stadium. While other fans might have taken their matchups for granted, the Wisconsin electorate was so energized you would have thought we tried to end collective bargaining for beer vendors. Perhaps that's a lesson for the rest of us.

Miller Park's victory is an upset, but it is hardly the equivalent of Adam Sandler winning an Oscar. That would have been the case had Tropicana Field won, but not Miller Park. While it was obviously seeded low, as I've pointed out over the years, almost all the newer stadiums are great places to watch a game. The difference between, say, the 10th-best stadium and the 24th isn't a lot, and often just a matter of personal preference (or tax burden).

No one writes sonnets to Miller Park or refers to it as a lyrical little bandbox, but Milwaukee fans showed that they love their stadium just as much as Red Sox fans love Fenway or Giants fans love AT&T Park. The rest of the nation too often ignores them (though definitely not the commissioner) but Brewers fans love meeting with friends for the greatest tailgate parties in baseball, then going inside to watch their team while savoring bratwursts with stadium sauce or stadium mustard (my favorite), reassured they won't need umbrellas if it's raining (or snowing) but should pack sunscreen in case it's sunny.

So congrats, Milwaukee. Have Bernie do a victory slide or Robin circle the field on his Harley. I would be happy to hand you the winning certificate and throw out the first pitch at a game. I'll be the one wearing the Darth Vader Sausage Trooper costume.

(Oh, and by the way, to once again set the record straight -- I am not from the East Coast. My mother is from Wisconsin, my parents met in Milwaukee, I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, I covered baseball for a decade in the Midwest, I drove to annual tailgate parties with friends at County Stadium, I once ran in the Sausage Race at Miller Park and I now live in the Seattle area. I do not have an East Coast bias nor do I dislike the Brewers. I just happen to think Pittsburgh's PNC Park is best.)

(3) AT&T Park vs. (24) Miller Park

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Welcome to Wisconsin Real Estate with Lisa Bear

Thank you for visiting.  Please feel free to contact me for any of your real estate needs including an online market if you are a seller, or finding a home if you are a buyer. My real estate focus in the  Waukesha County, Milwaukee County, Lake Country, Jefferson County, Dodge County and Washington County areas.  I have my IRES designation (International Real Estate Specialist) so I can assist you with all your real estate needs in Wisconsin, the USA or anywhere in the WORLD!

When you are seriously looking or just browsing at real estate in Wisconsin, I am a great resource to help you with all your needs and questions, whether a first time home buyer, relocating to or from the beautiful LAKE COUNTRY area, looking to invest or explore foreclosure opportunities or just thinking ahead to the future.

Lisa Bear of RE/MAX (262-893-5555) is an experienced real estate agent in Waukesha County and the entire Milwaukee Metro area including:

The prospering communities of Waukesha County including Delafield, Waukesha, Oconomowoc, Pewaukee, Waukesha, Sussex, Wales, New Berlin, Dousman, North Prairie, Mukwonago, Chenequa, Menomonee Falls, Brookfield, Elm Grove, Okauchee, Eagle, Muskego and Merton.

Great municipalities in Milwaukee County including Milwaukee, South Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, Hales Corners, Greenfield, Glendale, Franklin, Bayside, Brown Deer, Cudahy, Fox Point, Greendale, Shorewood, Oak Creek, St. Francis, West Allis and Whitefish Bay.

The hometown favorites of Washington County, Jefferson County and Dodge County including Watertown, Hartford, West Bend, Germantown, Jackson, Richfield, Ashippun, Lake Mills, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Slinger and Erin.

Real Estate in Wisconsin is an excellent investment!

 

 "HELPING YOU MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION"

Time to crown a champion- Miller Park Milwaukee

Time to crown a champion

Baseball's best park? It's No. 24 seed Miller Park vs. No. 3 AT&T Park for the title

Updated: June 22, 2012, 4:32 PM ET

By Jim Caple | ESPN.com

ESPN.com IllustrationMiller Park knocked out some heavyweights (Camden Yards, PNC Park) to reach the championship.

Thanks to the wonders of social media, it comes down to this:
Your finale for baseball's best ballpark pits a privately funded retro-park that offers gorgeous views of San Francisco Bay, McCovey Cove and Matt Cain, plus the aroma of garlic fries and the taste of microbrews, against a stadium with the feel of an airline terminal that also features races between people in giant sausage costumes.

Guess which will win.
That's right. Based on the way Milwaukee has gotten out the vote -- I think it's even getting votes from people so old they still consider the Fonz cool -- you're going to crown Miller Park as baseball's best stadium tonight. That will be great news in Wisconsin, which really has very passionate and underrated fans, but everyone else might feel like they were just smacked upside the head by Randall Simon.
The decision is yours. Do you want the Milwaukee voting bloc to control the final champion? Or do you want the rest of the country outside Brewers Nation to have a say in what ballpark really is baseball's best? Do you want Milwaukee to call the shots, or do you want to take back this election? If it's the latter, you'd better vote and encourage all of your Facebook friends and Twitter followers to vote as well, because that Milwaukee social media bloc has turned the Battle of the Ballparks into the baseball equivalent of the Arab Spring. Or the Kardashians.
Whatever you do, get your vote in early. We're closing the precincts at 9 p.m. ET. That's 8 p.m. CT and 6 p.m. PT, for you Brewers and Giants fans, respectively.

(3) AT&T Park vs. (24) Miller Park

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This really should be a mismatch. AT&T Park is a sublime stadium with spectacular views, great concessions and a distinctive field. Miller Park is a big stadium best known for the tailgate parties held outside its walls and the sausage races held inside. But based on voting in previous rounds, it's going to be hard to stop Bernie Brewer from sliding to victory.

Which ballpark is better?

• 44%
  (3) AT&T Park
• 56%
  (24) Miller Park

(Total votes: 84,815)

Voter's Guide

1. Location: The best ballparks not only are in the heart of a city, but they also feel as if they are deep in the city's soul, with identifiable views, distinctive features and a relationship with the surroundings. 2. Architecture: All ballparks have diamonds and inviting green pastures, but the best ones have signature architectural elements. 3. History: Even the best facilities filled with every imaginable amenity and design touch are lacking until the memories of past games are thick. As James Earl Jones says in "Field of Dreams,'' fans "will have to brush them from their faces.'' 4. Seating: Seats should be comfortable, well-angled to the field, not stuck behind a post, close enough to the field to see a batter scratching himself and with sufficient leg room. 5. Price: Seating should also be affordable, or at least reasonable. Cheaper seats are good; luxury suites are bad.

6. Concessions: Bad stadiums serve plain hot dogs that have been rotating on the grill since Omar Vizquel's rookie season. Good ones serve foods that are local specialties. They also offer more than one type of beer at prices that don't require applying for one of those team credit cards first. The best parks allow you to bring in your food. 7. Scoreboards: Scoreboard watching is one of the joys of baseball, especially when you have a great scoreboard like Fenway, Wrigley or Target Field. 8. Transportation: The park's location should be well-served by public transportation and road infrastructure, with sufficient parking. 9. Roofs: Bonus points for parks with roofs that retract for bad weather. Negative points for roofs that stay in place during good weather. 10. Grass: As Bill Veeck once said, baseball should always smell of freshly mowed grass. Not the backyard of "The Brady Bunch."

Welcome to Wisconsin Real Estate with Lisa Bear 

Thank you for visiting.  Please feel free to contact me for any of your real estate needs including an online market if you are a seller, or finding a home if you are a buyer. My real estate focus in the  Waukesha County, Milwaukee County, Lake Country, Jefferson County, Dodge County and Washington County areas.  I have my IRES designation (International Real Estate Specialist) so I can assist you with all your real estate needs in Wisconsin, the USA or anywhere in the WORLD!

When you are seriously looking or just browsing at real estate in Wisconsin, I am a great resource to help you with all your needs and questions, whether a first time home buyer, relocating to or from the beautiful LAKE COUNTRY area, looking to invest or explore foreclosure opportunities or just thinking ahead to the future.

Lisa Bear of RE/MAX (262-893-5555) is an experienced real estate agent in Waukesha County and the entire Milwaukee Metro area including:

The prospering communities of Waukesha County including Delafield, Waukesha, Oconomowoc, Pewaukee, Waukesha, Sussex, Wales, New Berlin, Dousman, North Prairie, Mukwonago, Chenequa, Menomonee Falls, Brookfield, Elm Grove, Okauchee, Eagle, Muskego and Merton.

Great municipalities in Milwaukee County including Milwaukee, South Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, Hales Corners, Greenfield, Glendale, Franklin, Bayside, Brown Deer, Cudahy, Fox Point, Greendale, Shorewood, Oak Creek, St. Francis, West Allis and Whitefish Bay.

The hometown favorites of Washington County, Jefferson County and Dodge County including Watertown, Hartford, West Bend, Germantown, Jackson, Richfield, Ashippun, Lake Mills, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Slinger and Erin.

Real Estate in Wisconsin is an excellent investment!

 

 "HELPING YOU MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION"