REIGNITED. After several years of start-and-stop redevelopment plans, the Mt. Washington site in Eau Claire's Shawtown neighborhood is back in construction mode. Photo taken on Monday, Feb. 16 / McKenna Scherer.

After roughly two years of inaction, construction is back up and running at the former Mount Washington Sanatorium (1930 Cleveland Ave., Eau Claire). According to local construction company Royal Construction, the project has essentially picked up where it left off in the fall of 2024.

The site is of particular community interest due to its storied history. The four-story building, located in the Shawtown neighborhood, was originally opened in 1937 to house polio and tuberculosis patients. It last served as a nursing home before shuttering in 2017.

Initial glimmers of revitalization came in 2020 when a local developer, Ethan Henderson, laid out ambitious plans to revive the abandoned structure; redevelopment plans included 60-plus apartments and commercial spaces.

Prior to the building's gutting, the 1930 Cleveland Ave. building had sat abandoned for several years. (Photo by Tina Ecker)

In 2021, author Ken Szymanski and videographer Levi Otterson walked through the building with Henderson. As Szymanski described, the historic building’s interior was “a combination of rubble, broken glass, graffiti, beautiful architecture, and remnants of its past lives.”

However, after some gutting of the building, investors pulled out of the project in 2022.

Hopes were reignited once again when, in 2023, a Chicago, Ill. developer purchased the 10-acre property and unveiled its plans to reimagine the Mount Washington site.

Altitude Capital Partners – which has offices in Chicago and Wisconsin – envisioned some 200 apartments and thousands of square feet of commercial space for the Shawtown site. Initially calling for a three-phase development plan, local construction and architectural companies Royal Construction and River Valley Architects were involved.

Unfortunately, by November 2024, the site was at a standstill once again. As 18 News reported, the Mt. Washington project was halted by roughly $1.3 million in total liens – records showed Royal Construction, River Valley Architects and a waterworks company had not been paid.

As of January this year, movement has started up again, with construction efforts occurring as recently as this week. A new financing group – Pace Loan Group – is now supporting the Altitude Capital Partners project, paving the way for the project to reach fruition.

The project, entitled "The Washington" by Altitude Capital Partners, will result in 200 apartment units, retail space, rental storage space and 275 parking spaces. (Renderings via Altitude Capital Partners website)

Royal Construction CEO and President, Jim Bunkelman, said locals can expect another year-and-a-half of construction at the Cleveland Ave. site.

“As far as the overall scope, (the project is) exactly the same,” Bunkelman said in a recent phone call. “(The developer is) renovating the existing building into what I understand will be an industrial-style feel.”

Bunkelman said the current timeline includes 15-16 months of construction and will result in at least one of the buildings – the current building is being heavily renovated; two more buildings will be constructed – being complete sometime next spring. Before then, developers plan to host a community groundbreaking to allow curious locals onto the property, he shared.

Visit Altitude Capital Partners' website to read more about their vision for the project.