MITCHELL BRADLEY KELLER
An old factory building at 612 South Hubbard Street in Horicon could be scheduled for demolition in the near future, but not if property owner and Horicon native Craig Muenchow has anything to say about it.
It is a case of “one man’s trash, another man’s treasure” as the building, which was built in 1920, is seen by some city officials as blight, while Muenchow argues it’s both historic and useful.
Built for the Columbus Canning Company, the factory building played an important part in many Horicon residents’ everyday lives for decades, and while it hasn’t served its original purpose in some time, Muenchow says the space remains useful for new business owners and founders.
“Ipurchased it in 1999,” said Muenchow, who has used the space as an “incubator”, which is an entrepreneur’s term for a physical space that startup companies use to grow and develop into sustainable companies.
“It was in pretty rough shape,” said Muenchow, who put in the time, money and effort to run power through the building to make it a viable workspace.
Muenchow began renting out the space to startups and new businesses, several of which he said are still around today due in large part to his Hubbard Street incubator. Business incubator managers typically offer lower rent in return for a financial stake in the new company, although what type of reciprocity exists is intentionally fluid to lower the potential risks for both the incubator manager and the budding company.
The space was part of a larger vision for Muenchow, who served as the head of the City of Horicon’s Community Development Authority years ago, which aimed to expand the footprint of small businesses in Horicon (among other initiatives).
For any previous users of Muenchow’s incubator, there was no shortage of space. The perimeter of the property totals 35,000 square feet and it has two floors of workspace inside totaling 55,000 square feet.
In addition to its sheer size, it is listed on the Wisconsin Historical Society website (though it is not registered as a historical site).
“It’s a very durable building, very thick brick, cream city brick,” said Muenchow. “The walls are probably 12 to 18 inches thick.”
While Muenchow is going on 20 years as the building’s owner, he voiced dissatisfaction with the city’s interest in helping develop the space, specifically in the last couple years wherein the city’s council has actively tried to condemn the building.
Damage to the roof has caused bricks to fall to the sidewalk below, and as the property owner, Muenchow has received citations for the issue, which he calculates is in the ballpark of $6,000. Wh i l e public safety is certainly a concern, Muenchow has been asking the city for more time to make repairs as he waits for the result of a litigation against his insurance company, which he believes did not offer an adequate sum of money to help repair portions of the roof that were blown off after a storm in 2016.
Muenchow believes he’s been unfairly singled out, and he added that he was given only 10 days to make the needed repairs.
“There are so many buildings that are falling down, worse than mine,” said Muenchow, who says some city officials simply want to see the building torn down.
“I want to fix the building. I can fix the building,” said Muenchow. “Even the city’s engineer, in court, under oath, on the stand, when asked, ‘can the building be fixed?’ he, ‘well, sure, it can be fixed. It needs a new roof.’” Between the ongoing litigation against his insurance company, the escalating citations from the City of Horicon, the cost of future repairs and now a raze order levied by the city, Muenchow says he feels set up to fail, which he believes is adverse to a successful relationship between the city and business owners.
Muenchow says other cities and municipalities in which he owns property have typically been accommodating when it came to repairs or renovations, especially of older buildings. Muenchow says he simply doesn’t feel the support of the City of Horicon.
“Lifelong resident, been all my life,” said Muenchow, who graduated from Horicon High School in 1984. However, he’s considering moving his businesses out of town because of the issues he’s had with the city regarding 612 S. Hubbard.
Looking ahead, Muenchow says he has potential renters and businesses lined up to use the space, but use of the building will depend on the result of a current raze order and future court dates.
“We got until August 22nd,” said Muenchow about his outstanding citations. He has already once appealed (and won) an order by the city to tear down the building in a 15-day span earlier this year.
Muenchow says he plans to appeal the raze process again before August 29.
“If we can get that going, that’ll buy me a little more time,” said Muenchow, who added that the Common Council could agree at any point to back off the current raze order.
Muenchow says he has no intention to tear down the building, and while raze order language can be complicated, he believes that, ultimately, the City of Horicon and/or the taxpayers would end up paying for the demolition, if that’s the route it chooses to pursue.
“If they tear it down, they have to pay for it,” added Muenchow.
Ultimately, Muenchow is concerned about the city’s priorities when it comes to older buildings, citing the Discher Park Pavilion (now known as 1909 Jersey), which was also slated for demolition before a group of citizens and organizations raised money to preserve it.
For now, Muenchow simply will have to fight for what he believes in, which is the eventual repair of his almost 100year-old building. Whether he and the city can come to agreement or if the legal battles and court dates are destined to continue will only be answered in time.
A front-page article from 1920 in The Horicon Reporter about the original excavation of the property at 612 S. Hubbard Street. (file photo)
The building at 612 S. Hubbard Street. The City of Horicon has executed a raze order on the building, but the property owner hopes to make necessary repairs to keep it operational. (Mitchell B. Keller | DCP)
The highlighted article discusses the progress of a factory built in Horicon in 1920. The property, which is at 612 S. Hubbard Street, was the Columbus Canning Company factory for decades. Currently, Horicon native Craig Muenchow owns the building. (file photo)
An article in the July 2, 1920 edition of The Horicon Reporter announcing the beginning operations of the Columbus Canning Company factory at 612 S. Hubbard Street in Horicon. (file photo)
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