OPEN TO NEW IDEAS. The former site of the Huebsch Services building occupies about two acres at the intersection of North Dewey Street (at right) and Galloway Street in downtown Eau Claire.

A prime piece of riverfront real estate in downtown Eau Claire is back on the market. JCap Real Estate is selling a vacant two-acre parcel at the corner of North Dewey and Galloway streets, the former site of the Huebsch Services building.

The Eau Claire-based developer firm purchased the land in 2016 with the intention of building condominiums. The following year, JCap changed its plans, deciding instead to build a five-story apartment complex

However, the land has been vacant for the subsequent five years, and this week a  “For Sale” sign appeared on the lot, asking for offers to be submitted by Sept. 30.

Brian Johnson, president of JCap, said he decided it would be best to allow someone else to tackle the property.

“We just have a lot of projects in the pipeline, and we’d love to see somebody develop it and do something with it,” Johnson said. “We wouldn’t be about to get to it for three to five years.”

Among other things, JCap is putting the finishing touches on the second of two phases of The Seven1five Apartments (715 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire) while also working on several projects in the Madison area, Johnson said.

“I would love to see a condo development. It’s a great site for that.”

BRIAN JOHNSON

PRESIDENT, JCAP REAL ESTATE

JCap typically builds apartments, not condo complexes, but Johnson believes the former Huebsch property is ideal for condos.

“I would love to see a condo development,” he said. “It’s a great site for that. Downtown Eau Claire could certainly benefit from homeownership by way of condos.”

Within hours of the “For Sale” sign being put up, Johnson said he’d already received four calls about the property.

The former Huebsch Services building, 101 N. Dewey St., was demolished in 2016. (Photo by Andrea Paulseth)

The property at 101 N. Dewey St. lies between the Old Abe Bike Trail and the Eau Claire River. For more than a century, it was the site of a three-story brick building that for most of its history housed what was then known as the Huebsch Laundry Co. After Huebsch moved in 2002, the building sat vacant until 2015, when Jack Kaiser – who owns nearby Banbury Place, the former Uniroyal Goodrich tire factory – announced plans to remodel it into residential and commercial space. However, after work began, it was discovered in December 2015 that the building was in such poor shape that renovation wasn’t feasible. The circa 1907 building was demolished in 2016.

Interested in the property at 101 N. Dewey St? Call Brian Johnson of JCap at (715) 210-8956.