By Mike Ivey
The Trainor sisters have seen plenty of changes in the Bassett Neighborhood during the half-century they've called it home.
They've
watched the downtown neighborhood west of the Capitol evolve from
single family homes to student apartments and most recently to spiffy
new condominiums for empty nesters and urban professionals.
But
nothing has pleased them more than seeing the restoration of the
19th-century building that once housed their grandfather's grocery
store and most recently the Madison Children's Museum. The vintage
building is now home to the Midwest Environmental Advocates law firm
and soon the Madison offices of the Onion tabloid newspaper.
"It's
exciting to see what they've done with it," said Lucy Trainor, who
lives with sister Ann a block away from the restored building at 551 W.
Main St. Another sister, Mary Kay Miller, lives in Middleton.
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Photo by Henry A. Koshollek/The Capital Times
The building at 551 W. Main Street, home to Trainors Store from 1896-1921.
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Photo by Henry A. Koshollek/The Capital Times
The renovated building's newest incarnation is as an office building.
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The
two-story brick building that sits kitty-corner from the Badger Bus
Depot and across the street from the Echo Tavern had been slated for
the wrecking ball just a year ago.
Delta Properties, a real
estate group that had previously restored two large warehouses on the
600 block of West Main Street last year, had proposed tearing down the
former grocery and constructing a new four-story, 18,000-square-foot
office building with 45 underground parking spaces. Delta properties,
which includes principals John Koffel and Bruce Wunnicke, purchased the
551 W. Main St. building in 1992 for $230,000, according to city
records.
But after getting feedback from the neighborhood and
assessing the cost of new construction vs. what they could charge in
rent, they decided to go in a different direction.
"The cost of tearing it down and putting up a new building was going to be too much," said Judy Bennett of Delta Properties.
So
under the guidance of Andy Wunnicke, Bruce's cousin, the company in
August began the meticulous process of restoring and turning a
120-year-old building into modern office space.
"With these old buildings you never know what you're getting into until you start tearing things apart," said Andy Wunnicke.
Employing
38 different contractors, the project moved along in fits and starts.
Paint was sandblasted off the old brick. Windows were opened back up.
Steel supports were added. Floors were refinished.
During the
entire process, workers did what they could to recycle old building
materials and use recycled components where possible. The new building
features natural lighting, hardwood floors, exposed brick and an
updated electrical system.
Once construction got under way, the
next step was finding new tenants. The first to sign a lease was
Midwest Environmental Advocates, the only nonprofit environmental law
center in Wisconsin.
"We really liked the idea of moving into a
building that was over 100 years old," said MEA's executive director
and founder Melissa Scanlan.
The firm began the move early this
month and in keeping with its mission has been outfitting its office
with environmentally-friendly furniture, including "bio-composite"
tables made from sunflower seed residue and chairs crafted from
recycled Volvo automobile bumpers. The group also has used recycled
wooden doors set on top of metal filing cabinets as desks for its five
staffers and six law students.
"A lot of what being a
conservationist is about using what you have on hand," said Scanlan.
"You don't have to break the bank to go green."
The Onion, which
was founded in Madison but is now headquartered in New York, will move
its local offices from 131 W. Wilson St. on May 1 and will occupy the
bottom floor.
For the Trainor sisters, watching the whole process unfold has been the greatest thrill.
"We've got some wonderful new neighbors," said Lucy Trainor.
E-mail: mivey@madison.com
Published: March 25, 2006
