Construction Lapses, Permits Expire For Abele's Shorewood Mansion

SHOREWOOD, WI — Chris Abele's plans for a new home on the lake in Shorewood seemed to have the ball rolling ever since the existing $2.6 million mansion was torn down at the property in 2019.

After years of construction delays, though, the lot remains empty. Patch previously obtained renderings of the mansion that Abele had planned for the property at 3534 Lake Drive. The plan, as was submitted to Shorewood's Design Review Board in 2019, was to construct a 17,000 square foot mansion complete with a lakeside pool and expansive front lawn.

Flash forward to 2021 and there has yet to be any solid construction on the property. All that has remained of the historic Eschweiler mansion that was torn down is a front fence, some signs and an empty lot. Barenz Builders, one of the contractors for the home, said in a statement on Facebook in 2019 that the home was torn down because of plumbing and asbestos issues.

"I've worked on numerous properties over the years and this one was in remarkably poor condition. My understanding is that the owners were trying to sell it for at least three years and many, many buyers decided not to take on the project. It would have needed all new mechanicals, electrical and plumbing, removal of lead paint and asbestos to provide a healthy living environment for them and their kids. The extent of that work would have damaged flooring, walls and many of the nicer elements of the house. In the end they decided to start over," Ronny Barenz said in 2019.

Michael Horne from UrbanMilwaukee.com recently got in touch with Bart Griepentrog, the planning and development coordinator for Shorewood. Griepentrog told the outlet that building permits for the mansion expired last December, almost a year ago.

New permits would have to be issued for construction should Abele move forward again with his Shorewood mansion plans, Griepentrog told UrbanMilwaukee. Abele hasn't made any recent public comment about his plans for the mansion.

Not all is off for the former County Executive, though. Abele may be planning some work on his home in Milwaukee, another mansion just blocks from his property in Shorewood.

Milwaukee's Historic Preservation Commission will decide on Oct. 11 whether or not to approve masonry, roof and ironwork construction on Abele's home on 3300 Lake Drive, online documents show.

News first broke of Abele's Shorewood property in 2018. That's when he bought the mansion, a historic $2.6 million house on 2.5 acres of property. Shortly after, though, Abele razed the mansion and filed plans for new construction.