Whither Woo's?

museum forms committee to find permanent home for beloved pagoda

Tom Giffey, photos by Andrea Paulseth |

A LITTLE OFF THE TOP. The pagoda from atop the now-demolished Woo’s Pagoda restaurant sits in storage near Banbury Place in downtown Eau Claire.
A LITTLE OFF THE TOP. The pagoda from atop the now-demolished Woo’s Pagoda restaurant sits in storage near Banbury Place in downtown Eau Claire.

Two years ago this month, one of the Chippewa Valley’s most beloved – and quirkiest – landmarks was saved from demolition with the help of the Chippewa Valley Museum. On May 22, 2014, a roughly 18-foot-tall pagoda was hoisted from the top of the former Woo’s Pagoda restaurant, lowered onto a flatbed truck, and moved to what was meant to be a temporary storage spot at Banbury Place. Soon after, the restaurant which it had adorned since 1951 was razed to make way for a new CVS Pharmacy.

Today, the pagoda still sits at Banbury Place, poking up from behind a concrete wall next to Galloway Street, its two pieces stripped of the neon trim that greeted generations of diners and drivers along Hastings Way. Partially shielded from the elements with plastic sheeting, the pagoda waits patiently for the next step in a journey that will hopefully return it to proper public display.

“It’s kind of a funky, unique thing. It’s going to be a challenge to figure out a good place for it.” – John Mann, Eau Claire Landmarks Commission chairman

“Banbury Place is just not the best place for the pagoda,” acknowledges Carrie Ronnander, director of the Chippewa Valley Museum.
“At the time it was taken down, there was no long-term vision,” she continues. “At that point two years ago, the (museum) board and Susan (McLeod), the director, said we’d take custody of the item just so it’s not torn down.”

In the intervening time, the museum had more pressing matters to address. McLeod retired in early 2015, and her initial replacement left the job after a few months amid a budget crunch and layoffs. Ronnander, a longtime museum staff member, became interim director, then took the job permanently this January.

Now that this transition period is over, Ronnander wants to turn some attention to finding a long-term home for the pagoda. To that end, she’s assembling a committee of interested parties to explore the issue. Her move was inspired in part by discussions on the “You Know You Are From Eau Claire When …” Facebook group, which frequently delves into local history. Members of the group have frequently waxed nostalgic about the Chinese restaurant – which was founded after World War II by Chinese immigrant Jimmy Woo – and expressed a desire to see it preserved. However, no clear ideas have emerged.

Ronnander acknowledges that some residents have complained that the structure is deteriorating the longer it sits outside. However, she explains, “We could work on restoring it, but we’re choosing not to because once we move it, it will get damaged again.”

In early May, Ronnander went before the city of Eau Claire’s Landmarks Commission to discuss the pagoda’s future and to solicit help. John Mann, a UW-Eau Claire history professor and chairman of the commission, volunteered to serve on the committee. “The museum can’t do this alone,” Mann says. “We need some help.”

The Landmarks Commission’s interest in the project is natural, Mann says, even if the pagoda isn’t officially a landmark. (For example, it likely wouldn’t qualify to be on the National Register of Historic Places because it has been moved.) “There seems to be a lot of sentimental feelings that people have for this structure,” he says. “It’s kind of a funky, unique thing. It’s going to be a challenge to figure out a good place for it.”

Some have suggested it could be preserved in Carson Park, where the museum is located (although, if the neon were restored, it might look out of place among the trees). Others have said it would be a good fit for the city’s future Cannery District on the west bank of the Chippewa River.

“I’m hoping somebody has some idea that’s brilliant,” Ronnander says. If that person is you – or if you’re simply interested in helping determine the pagoda’s future – contact Ronnander at (715) 834-7871.