MONROE — City leaders were on hand last Monday to receive a $249,300 state grant to renovate the historic White Block Building located on downtown Monroe’s central square.
There they gathered on a cold winter day with local and state economic development officials to welcome renovations to the historic building downtown by Kyle Keehn and Scott Mosher. The pair also led a tour of the building.
“We thought we would bring it back to life,” said Mosher, speaking to Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. Deputy Secretary Sam Rikkers.
They were joined at the impromptu ceremony last Monday by Monroe City Administer Brittney Rindy; Olivia Otte, from Green County Development Corp.; and Jordan Nordby of Main Street Monroe.
The Community Development Investment Grant from the Wisconsin Economic development Corporation (WEDC) will aid in restoring the White Block Building, 1518 11th St. The White Block Building was constructed in 1898 and has become a core part of the downtown’s continued economic growth.
“WEDC is committed to helping communities invest in revitalizing their downtowns to encourage economic growth,” said Missy Hughes, Secretary and CEO of WEDC, the state’s leading economic development organization, in a statement. “This project preserves a piece of downtown Monroe’s history by restoring a building that’s over a century old, as well as revitalizing Monroe’s downtown square.”
The White Block Building — named for original landowner FF White — was purchased by Monroe natives Keehn and Mosher in November 2021. Growing up in Monroe, the pair saw the building continue to deteriorate over the years and bought it with the intention of making it a focal point of the downtown community.
“By restoring the White Block Building, we want to brighten up the square and help revitalize nearby buildings,” Keehn said. “Ultimately, we hope it helps bring more folks to downtown Monroe.”
WEDC’s CDI Grant will help support the renovation and revitalization of the White Block Building, which will include the addition of an era-appropriate awning, updated brick exterior and roof repair. Since construction began, new windows have been added, as well as updated wood on the exterior.
The building owners aim to restore the building’s historical features and renovate the building to host additional retail and office space. The building is currently home to nine retail and office spaces, ranging from locally owned small businesses to law offices and counseling services.
Mosher and Keehn said it is challenging to do major renovations with all the tenants in the building, but they are making it work.
“It makes it more difficult to do the renovations but our tenants have been very flexible,” Mosher said.
The City of Monroe aims to use the renovation as a catalyst for economic growth in the downtown, officials added. By providing residents and visitors with an appealing, safe place to live, work, and shop, the project could serve to attract new residents to growing Green County.
“These guys are in it for the long haul,” said Nordby of the White Block partners.
Nordby said that thanks to efforts such as theirs, there are no vacancies for retail spaces on the square.
“This is exactly what these kinds of grants are for,” said the WEDC’s Rikkers. “This is an amazing downtown.”
WEDC’s Community Development Investment Grant Program supports community development and redevelopment efforts, primarily in downtown areas. The matching grants are awarded based on the ability of applicants to demonstrate the economic impact of the proposed project, including public and private partnership development, financial need, and use of sustainable downtown development practices.
From the program’s launch in 2013 through March 2022, WEDC has awarded nearly $34.8 million in CDI Grants to 166 communities for projects expected to generate more than $517 million in capital investments statewide, according to the agency.