Williges Returns... Or how to save an old building.
August Williges built it as a fur factory.
Back in 1930.
While the fur brought in the customers, the two-story terra cotta building at 613 Pierce St. kept shoppers safe and sound.
This was not just any terra cotta building, mind you, but one designed by architects George Hilgers and William Steele. The beauty was in the details. Bright white-glazed terra cotta sat on a base of terrazzo, accented by horizontal bands of terra cotta details in geometric and foliage patterns. A cherub-type figure appeared to sit at the top.
The Woodbury County Courthouse, built in 1918, was Steele’s first Prairie School-style commercial building in Sioux City, and the Williges, built in 1929, was his last.
By 1998 the fur and women’s apparel store started all those decades back in 1895 closed. A neighbor, Security National Bank, purchased the property. Then, in 2007, the bank decided the lot would be more valuable as parking lot, the unoccupied and crumbling building would be better off torn down.
This is the story of how a 79-year-old created by a noted architect was almost lost forever.
Jan. 9, 2007
Security National Bank announces plans to demolish the historic Williges Building to clear the way for new 65-stall surface parking lot at Seventh and Pierce streets. The bank, owner of the Williges building since 1998, anticipates an April start.
Jan. 17, 2007
SiouxLandmark, a private nonprofit preservation group, announces plans to submit the Williges nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. Listing in the National Register will not halt demolition plans, but can make building owners eligible for special tax breaks to improve properties.
May. 14, 2007
Paul Davis Restoration files for a demolition operation permit with the city’s Inspection Services Division to begin destruction of the Williges Building.
May. 17, 2007
Representatives from the State Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office, SiouxLandmark and Downtown Partners join organizers George Wakeman and Cindy Waitt in front of City Hall to protest the demolition.
May. 22, 2007
Demolition permits issued to Security National Bank and Paul Davis Restoration are rescinded at the request of the bank’s engineering firm.
May. 23, 2007
Security National Bank senior vice president Dave Holub announces the Williges building is for sale, and developers interested in purchasing the building have until June 25 to sign an agreement.
June 1, 2007
Security National Bank refiles for demolition permits, keeping the demolition option open should negotiations to sell the building fail.
June 5, 2007
The Historic Preservation Commission moves to enact a 30-day delay on the demolition of the Williges building. This means Security National Bank will be fined by the city if they tear down the building within 30 days.
June 25, 2007
As the bank’s June 25 sale deadline hits, Holub announces talks continue between Security National Bank and two local developers over the future of the Williges building. No decision is reached.
July 11, 2007
Williges demolition permits expire.
July 17, 2007
A press conference is held to announce the Williges Building has been purchased by an unnamed local developer, who will renovate the property. Loud applause follows the announcement from a smiling crowd of about 40 to 50 onlookers.
Aug. 31, 2007
The Williges Building is officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Sept. 17, 2007
Two mysteries are solved. First, the previously unidentified commercial developer behind saving the Williges building is revealed as Bart Connelly, a veteran of historic restoration projects. Second, it’s announced Sioux City law firm Vriezelaar Tigges Edgington Bottaro Boden & Ross LLP plans to lease the entire first floor of the three-story structure.
January 2009
The law firm of Vriezelaar Tigges Edgington Bottaro Boden & Ross LLP moves into the downtown building, culminating an over year-long renovation project. About 7,500 square feet remain for lease on both the second and third floors of the newly-renovated building.
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