What Should Shorewood, Owner Do with Former Catholic Family Insurance Property?
Since 2009, when the insurance company consolidated with Catholic Knights and moved downtown, the East Capitol Drive office building has been vacant. So, have any suggestions; what do you want to see happen with the property?
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It was left vacant in Aug. 2009 following Catholic Family consolidating with the larger Catholic Knights — and moving downtown — to offer life insurance, annuities and other financial products.
There are no concrete plans on the table for the 50,200-square-foot office building at 1572 E. Capitol Dr., but the owners are actively marketing the space, Village Manager Chris Swartz said.
“Nothing formally has been discussed, but we have heard of some interest,” Swartz continued, noting there is still one tenant using the offices. “It’s a big beautiful building at a great location.”
With that said, what would you, the resident, like to see fill the location? Should it continue to serve as an office building or be redeveloped?
Forget about the complicated regulations, the zoning restrictions and everything else that might put a wrench in your business idea.
Plain and simple: What business do you want in this specific location? Let us know in the comments below.
CowDung
2:20 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013
I think either pizza place or hair salon...
Bob McBride
3:32 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013
Hardware store.
Joe Peterlin
6:20 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013
How about the building owners decide who they want as tenants? That would be a novel idea.
Bob McBride
6:36 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013
We can't have that, Joe. Shame on you.
In that spirit, I need to get out of the dark ages and get with the program. I'm updating my original suggestion accordingly:
Fair Trade Hardware Co-op
Jay Sykes
6:58 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013
Selecting tenants, for Shorewood, is more fun when Sara and Alan play too.
Bob McBride
9:04 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013
Who's Alan?
CowDung
8:52 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Do we really want to go there again?
Bob McBride
8:56 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
C'mon. That was kinda fun...
CowDung
8:59 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Kinda like watching a train crash...
The Donny Show
8:21 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013
Whine Shop sponsored by WEAC.
Chris Brill
6:21 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Irish Dancers group not sure which one may be needing a space I - building down in third ward is being torn down I heard.
Keith Schmitz
7:19 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Talk to UWM to see if they might interested in using for off-campus classrooms or offices.
Paul Seifert
7:48 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
With unobstructed Southern exposure and tremendous solar potential how bout a "Green" Technology Center similar to this one in Chicago. http://www.chicagogreentech.org/
Joe Peterlin
8:37 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
There's guaranteed-to-fail Shorewood tax subsidy. Right up there with the Shorewood subsidized co-op bookstore. http://shorewood.patch.com/articles/did-village-err-by-lending-money-to-failed-community-bookstore
The Donny Show
8:50 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
How about another failed coop run by Herr Schmitz?
Insane mailman
1:02 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Condos. Definitely more condos.
Alol
1:54 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
"beautiful"? It's an eye-sore! It should go the way of the Riverbrook/Pig 'n Whistle!
VLC
2:01 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Too bad we can't have a productive discussion with the cranky Republicans.
The Donny Show
2:27 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Here's the real issue.
IT IS PRIVATELY OWNED! Who cares what Shorewood wants done with it.
Joe Peterlin
5:46 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Is that the same woman that haunts the former Catholic Family Life Insurance building?
Sunrocket
8:29 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
It would probably be better not to comment on someone and their living situation unless you know what that situation lives. People occasionally fall on hard times and a house can be expensive to maintain and resources short or unavailable and options limited. I only know the woman through other people but she has not let it fall in to disrepair intentionally. Have some sympathy people and maybe use your energy to maybe help a neighbor out - through no fault of your own you too could be in that situation some day.
Sunrocket
8:31 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
And by the way - it is her family homestead - her grandfather built the house. The village and her "friendly" neighbors are constantly on her case about it as it is.
Sunrocket
9:09 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
" I guess she just rounds out the array of characters in the village" - kind of sounds like you were. I just know from personal experience that life can be going in one direction one minute, with all the best intentions in the world and then something happens to derail that. It can lead to unwarranted assumptions on the how and why. I just know the woman has been continually harassed for years on the upkeep or lack there of of her home.
Sunrocket
9:35 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Actually, you sound like you are the one that needs to calm down - I am just asking for a little sympathy for the woman and her situation - since you so nicely put her address on here and for that I am a bit jacked up.
"Is it abandoned? Does a hermit live there? Is it ghost-infested? Is it where Shorewood's new crop of junkies squats?"
Seems a little harsh Sounds like you are the one that's going to have a stroke about it. Is your life perfect?
Alol
9:56 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Look, I can see how that would upset you, and I sincerely apologize. It sounds like this person could use a little more support from the community than what she is getting and I feel badly about that. It doesn't feel good to see a house in bad repair in a nice neighborhood and I didn't mean to call negative attention to it. It's nice that she has someone, albeit anonymously, advocating for her like you are. I would do the same in your shoes, and who knows--maybe I'll be that person in forty years. No, my life isn't perfect, since you asked, and I'm in no position to put a microscope to anyone's life- but that wasn't my intent; I was honestly just curious about the house. I will delete the comment containing the address.
Sunrocket
6:18 am on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Fair enough - I am glad you deleted her address. I know it is easy to judge, I do it myself all the time. I guess since I know this woman through others and am very aware of her situation, that makes me rather sensitive about it. All it takes is one incident to send someone's life in a totally different direction then they intended.
Alol
10:55 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
True.
dills
10:34 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
How about Thirvent Financial for Lutherans if the Catholics can't stay in Shorewood?
EmpthyCursed
6:47 am on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
A tutoring center.