Barstow building stripped of landmark label
It turns out the former Kline’s Department Store in downtown Eau Claire won’t be labeled a local landmark after all, which means it likely will face the wrecking ball in the near future. On Tuesday the City Council voted narrowly to strip the property, 6 S. Barstow St., of the historic designation it received from the city Landmarks Commission in October. The currently vacant structure, built in 1925, stands in a block slated for demolition to make way for the proposed Confluence Project, a multiuse performing arts facility that UW-Eau Claire, the Eau Claire Regional Arts Council, and Commonweal Development want to build.
After the Landmarks Commission voted to name it a city landmark, the owners – Jerry and Lois Heymans of Winona, Minn. – filed an appeal, saying the designation impeded their ability to sell the property to the Confluence partners. (The Heymanses, who operate Acoustic Café at 505 S. Barstow, purchased 6 S. Barstow in early 2012 with the initial idea of relocating the café there.)
After hearing testimony on the matter Monday, the City Council voted 6-5 to side with the owners and ditch the historic designation. Had the vote gone the other way, the historic landmark label “would require up to 18 months of discussion between developers and the Landmarks Commission before (the) building could be demolished,” the Leader-Telegram reported. Advocates for the building said its history and architecture made it worth preserving, while others argued that it was in such poor shape that saving it was unrealistic. “When I see that area it reminds me of a tattered teddy bear. Its days are done,” Councilwoman Catherine Emmanuelle, who voted to remove the designation, said Tuesday, according to the L-T.
As it stands now, the building likely will fall in the near future.
