West Side Story

A new developer appears to be buying up lots on the west side of downtown, tearing down the old houses, and putting up new ones.

Site of Proposed Condos

A developer is hoping to put eight condominium units on this piece of property at the corner of Maple and 13th streets - and keep the historic house that is currently on the property. The project was supposed to go before HARC Jan. 24 but was pulled at the last minute. Stay tuned!

Overshadowed

It is sad to see the cute little chapel where we got married being overshadowed by this new construction. The new building also is going to block the view of the historic courthouse from the southeast side of downtown.

A Nice Surprise

I had just about given up hope that the Louis P. Imhoff House at 208 S. Austin Ave. would ever be fixed up. But all of a sudden we saw evidence of progress last week. And this morning when we rode by, it had been completely transformed!

Hidden History

When city workers removed the stucco from the side of this building on Main Street, they were surprised to discover writing underneath it. Behind the scaffolding at the top left, you can see the words "After Every Meal," which is apparently part of a circta-1950 advertisement for Wrigley's gum. While it is very disappointing that we are losing the mural below that was painted on this building (it is still visible in this photo), it is neat that the building will have another piece of history showing on it.

Before and After

Here are some photos of an amazing transformation. It was four years in the making, but look at the makeover this house on Austin Avenue got!

1818 Church Street

This is the new house that was built to replace the historic house at 1818 Church Street, which was destroyed by a fire in 2014.