Seven years ago, a few neighbors in the Sherman Park area decided to invest in a deteriorating duplex and give back to the neighborhood they loved.
"We bought and sold a couple of duplexes in the area and discovered we could work together, so we decided to keep going," says Paul Handle, who along with Dave Klevgard and Lee and Kirsten Hildebrand, started a business in 2005 called Go Modern Custom Homes.
Go Modern provides a variety of services, including real estate sales, home design, construction and property follow-up care. Basically, after meeting with an interested client, the business buys empty lots in up-and-coming neighborhoods from the city, and then builds modular, contemporary-style homes.
Most of Go Modern's houses are in the Washington Park, Bronzeville and Lindsay Heights neighborhood, because -- unlike other transitional neighborhoods such as Bay View or Riverwest -- these neighborhoods have a plethora of available lots.
Plus, according to Handle, who has lived in the vacinity for eight years, this part of the city has a lot to offer.
"Geographically, (Washington Park) is the ideal neighborhood. It's 10 minutes from Downtown, 10 minutes from Mayfair and 10 minutes from the stadium and Target," he says. "And, the natural resource of having the park there makes it a very pretty place."
The cost of a Go Modern home ranges, but to "ballpark" prices, last year the company built a 900-sq. ft. home for $120,000 and a 2,088-sq. ft. home for $260,000. The price includes central air and all cabinetry, flooring and lighting, and if the house is built in Washington Park, the lot is included as well.
"It's a nice alternative for people who think they can only afford a condo," says Handle.
All of the homes are modular, meaning they are brought to the lot in factory-built pieces, connected by a crane and bolted together. The process takes a mere 90-100 days to complete.
Inspired by Dwell Magazine and the architecture of the Beerline neighborhood on the bank of the Milwaukee River, Handle designs the homes himself. He begins the process by interviewing the client to find out what he or she wants and can afford, creates a virtual version of their home on his computer, and finally designs the home along with an engineer.
Handle says the people who have lived in Washington Park for many years are very supportive of the newcomers. "It's been great. We've really bonded. We now have block meetings," he says.
But even if the neighbors have blended, do the styles of the houses? Most of the homes in the Washington Park neighborhood were built in the 1920s, so do the pre-fab, contemporary Go Modern homes stick out?
Handle says yes and no. They definitely don't look like the other homes, but Go Modern is very careful to make sure the size and the massing of the house works with the neighborhood.
"They don't blend in, but the harmony in the neighborhood is not disrupted. They coexist, but they certainly don't look the same," says Handle.
Handle is aware that urban life isn't for everyone, and that crime is a part of city life.
"You are as safe as you make yourself. You can never forget where you live, but the great thing is there are so many different types of people moving into this neighborhood," he says. "Brewer's Hill was not 'Brewer's Hill' 15 years ago. People invested and they changed it."
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
