Four century-old buildings on Milwaukee’s Lower East Side are on track to be officially designated as historic.

An affiliate of Milwaukee-based commercial real estate firm F Street Group acquired the properties at 1700, 1708 and 1716 N. Farwell Ave., as well as 1516 E. Brady St. and an adjacent parking lot, for $2.1 million in September.

At the time, F Street declined to comment on its plans for the properties.

Last month, retired real estate attorney and East Side resident Mick Hatch nominated the properties for historic protection. Hatch, an attorney retiring from Foley & Lardner, has been involved in some of the region’s largest development projects during his career.

Built between 1870 and 1897, the buildings are considered by city staff to be significant examples of architectural styles of the era. Staff also noted they were designed by prominent architects and connected to people who contributed to the city’s cultural and economic development.

“I moved to Saint John’s on the Lake last summer, and as I’ve started to walk around the neighborhood, I admired the properties at Brady and Farwell and thought that they are worthy of historic designation,” Hatch said in a statement. “When I found out that they had not yet been designated, I decided to nominate them.”

At a meeting Monday, the city’s Historic Preservation Commission unanimously granted the building’s local historic status. The designation does not prohibit alterations or demolition, but it requires F Street or future owners to obtain city approval before doing so.

Speaking against the designation, F Street founder Scott Lurie said the firm has no plans to demolish the buildings.

“I bought these because I think they’re a great investment,” he said.

Lurie took issue with the timing of the historic designation nomination, which came only after his firm acquired the properties.

“These have been there since 18-something and no one has chosen to put them on the registry until my name got associated with it,” he said.

He also corrected HPC staff who referred to him as a real estate developer, saying he only invests in real estate within the city of Milwaukee. F Street does pursue ground-up development in the suburbs.

“Candidly, building an apartment in Milwaukee is the least desirable thing I have on my mind right now,” Lurie said. “If the world changes, who knows.”

Commissioners questioned why Lurie opposed the designation if he did not intend to significantly alter the buildings. Commissioner Jordan Morales said it is an “honor” to own a historically designated property.

Lurie said he agreed, but said the designation still adds costs related to maintenance and even minor exterior modifications.

“The reason for Mr. Hatch’s motion is nothing more than slander of title,” he said. “This guy’s no dummy. I don’t know him, but his intention is to prevent what would be a ground-up development. … For him to do it, there’s more to it. He’s not a random guy walking down the streets of Milwaukee saying, ‘Let me look this one up for a history project.’ That’s not the intention of the action.”

The designation still requires further city approval, and the decision can be appealed.

Hatch declined to comment on Lurie’s slander of title claim.