Photo gallery of old Viroqua City Hall demolition, interview with Mayor Running

VIROQUA, Wis. – Demolition work on Viroqua’s old City Hall building on the corner of Decker and Main Street began on Wednesday this week. The city has been working on what to do with the old structure ever since the city built a new City Hall back in 2022. The structure was built around 1917 and served as a bank until about the late 1940s when when it became the city hall. The city decided to build a new building because the old building was in need of extensive repairs and had accessibility issues. Some residents wanted to see it redeveloped but the city council voted unanimously at the end of last year to demolish the building.

The city council decided not to redevelop the building and the site mainly because of a safety issue related to a traffic light that has been repeatedly knocked down due to the tight turning radius at the corner. City officials say demolishing the building and revamping the corner will greatly improved the safety of the intersection. You can read our previous story about that discussion and decision here.

The city had considered an offer to revamp the building but ultimately rejected that offer in favor correcting the safety issue. You can read our previous story about that discussion and decision here.

The cost of the demolition and revamping of the corner, including moving the traffic signal, has gone up from the original estimate. The current estimate for the work is around $422,000. You can read our previous story about that discussion and decision here.

The council has expressed a desire and directed city staff to explore possibilities for adding green space, outdoor art and/or historical markers/displays at the site. The city Historic Preservation Commission has designated the site, which has ties to some of the cities most significant historic figures, as an historic site.